Evening star., 1932-07-24
PROBE Of RENTS
IN DISTRICT SET
BYSENATE GROUP
Capper Subcommittee to
Meet Wednesday in Move
on Landlords.
COUNSEL WILL DELVE
INTO OUTSIDE RATES
Legislation to Control Prices
Threatened as Inquiry Plans
Take Form.

Plans fer the investigation of rents
IN Washington. authorized by the SEN
ate recently, were announced by Chair
man Capper of the Senate District
Committee last night when he appoint
ed a special subcommittee to direct the
study and fixed Wednesday afternoon
for the first meeting.
The membership of the subcommittee
was announced SS follows: Senator
Capper, Republican, of Kansas. chair
man, and Senators Blaine, Republican.
of Wisconsin; Kean. Republican. of
New Jersey: King, Democrat, of Utah,
and Copeland, Democrat, of New York.
Chairman Capper said the initial
meeting of the subcommittee, to be
held in the Senate District Committee
room at 2:3O pm. Wednesday, will be
open to the public.
To Name Counsel.
One of the first steps of the subcom-
mittee will be to appoint counsel TO
gather detailed information. After
stating that Wednesdays meeting would
be open, Senator Capper added:
Members of the public desiring to
give information regarding the need for
lower rents will have an opportunity to
be heard"
1t is possible that after Wednesdays
meeting the subcommittee will take a
recess until counsel has had an oppor-
tunity to gather data fer consideration
later on.
Some Cuts Reported.
In the statement he issued last night,
Senator Capper said he has received re-
ports recently that in some few in
stances landlords have reduced rents
10 per cent In commenting further
on these reports, the chairman stated:
This news is vastly more enCourag
ing than the numerous instances of
tenants being offered reductions in rent
of $3.50 month on condition of their
signing an extra term lease. Such re-
duction is entirely inadequate.
If Washington landlords mean to
play fair with the public. let them i'm
mediately institute a policy of fiat 10
per cent rent reductions 1 think this
is fair percentage. If this is carried
into effect. landlords and tenants alike
will be benefited"
Legislatie4. Threatened.
Chairman Capper began his state
ment by declaring the primary pur
pose of the inquiry will be to get facts,
and that the facts will be used as the
basis for drastic rent control legisla-
ton. if that be necessary"
In further outlining the scope of the
inquiry and plans for counsel, Senator
Capper's statement continued:
1T will be necessary to assemble au-
thentic and convincing statistics to
prove that rents in Washington are
higher than in other cities. believe 1t
will not be difficult to show that rents
have continued at high level here
while practically all ether commodities
have greatly declined in price.
Building costs also must be COM
pared l do not believe that these costs
in Washington are greater than IN ether
cities.
Wide Scope Outlined.
The subcommittee should have the
facts regarding the numerous eylctlons
in the past year, and the reasons there
for.
We should know also what effect is
had on the public health by oVercrowd-
ing and the use CT incanir2ry, dark.
damp dwellings by poor people, who are
forced into squalor and misery by high
rents.
Il believe that investigation will show
Washington rents to be on an artificial,
inflated basis, because of usuriOus prac-
motion and some kind of centralized
control of rental scales.
Specific examples should be brought
forward to show the effect on rents of
these operations.
The subcommittee should know just
what is the percentage of vacancies in
rental properties here. and why land
lords are content to leave apartments
vacant rather than fill them with ten
ants through a general rent reduction.
The counsel for the subcommittee
should develop the necessary facts show
ing the oppression of home buyers
through enormous rates of interest ex-
acted by devious methods in financing
transactions.
The subcommittee and its counsel
should make full use of the authority
given by the Senate to enlist the as
Sistance of appropriate agencies of the
Federal and District governments in
getting the facts"