Evening star., 1934-01-31
ttItitles Survey Recommends
Wider Court Powers in
Tenant Relations.
NIGH RENT OVER U. S.
AVERAGE POINTED OUT
Scarcity Of Sanitary Quarters for
Lees Than $50 Per Month
Disclosed by Probers.

Court in dealing with landlord-tenant
matters and early consideration of six
bills relating to real estate and housing
qestions, the report of the Public Utili-
ties Commission on its housing survey
was sent to the Senate late yesterday
and referred to the District Committee.
The report does not indicate the ex-
act nature of the new powers the COM
mission would confer on the court but
says 1t will submit supplemental re-
port later on this recommendation
Whether the commission is considering
making the Municipal Court a rent
fixing agency or merely wants to
broaden the courts present function of
passing on evictions is not made clear.
Discussing the subject generally. the
commission stated its belief that land
lord and tenant problems should be
recognized as matters affecting vitality
thousands of citizens of the District,
and these citizens should have an op-
portunity to present their grievances for
settlement to a duly authorized body.
It is quite possible the plan to be sug
gested will recommend considerable re-
vision Of existing laws and practices
affecting landlord and tenant relation
ships"
Would Create Board.
The other recommendations the COM
mission urged Congress to consider at
this session-and on which bills already
are pending-follow:
For creation Of housing board to
supervise limited dividend corporations
to engage in housing construction oper-
ations.
To regulate the foreclosure of mort
cages and deeds of trusts
To tighten the existing code Wi h
regard to usury.
To regulate and license real estate
brokers and statesmen through creation
OF real estate commission
To require the furnishing of heat in
living quarters in the District This
would apply only to apartment houses.
The commission is not committed to
the detailed terms of the bills already
pending on these subjects, but favors
action on the questions dealt with in
these measures
The commission also suggested that
conditions among the poorest classes of
the population would be improved by
enactment of the alley bill. already
passed by the Senate and awaiting
House action.
Rents Above Average
Discussing living cost data collected
BY the Labor Department. the commits
sion states that rents in Washington
have gone down about IA per cent from
the 1928 level. but are still 20 per cent
higher than the average for the entire
country. On this data the report states:
Based on the report of the United
states Department of Labor January
IL. 1884, OF all the important items
IN the family budget, rents have showed
first half of 1920. The decreases ranged
from 500 per cent in Birmingham. Ala,
TO approximately IA per cent in Wash
ington.
Referring to the same report. using
the figures of June. 1928. as a desie-
mated unit of 100, Washington ranked
last as Of December. 1898, in the list
Of 80 cities with 85.7 per cent of the
high of 1928. Although rents through
out the country showed the largest
percentage of decrease among the items
Of the cost of living index for the
country as whole. rents in Wash
ington are still 20 per cent above the
average for the entire country"
Comment on Survey.
Attached to yesterdays report are
some Of the results of the recent hous-
ing survey conducted py a large force
Of c. w. A. workers. One of the COM
n1enes Of the commission on this sur
vey Is:
THE survey discloses a pronounced
scarcity Of sanitary housing renting
tor less than $50 month. The flats
Of the limited dividend housing cor
porations in Washington are, with few
exceptions, the only living quarters in
the city within the reach of the small
wage Garner and which do not violate
essential principles of good housing
with the exception of alley houses
and shacks in bad condition, this survey
has found there are no single family
dwellings with ordinary utilities in the
District now rented or available for
rent at less than $25 a month"
Other comments on the housing sur
W. follow
Houses without modern sanitary con-
veniences and utilities are rented for
from $3.50 to $25 per month The vast
p,atority of tenants of such houses are
Negroes.
For five and six room houses in de-
sirable residential districts white ten
ants pay from s45 to S65 per month
while Negroes are charged from $50 to
$0S per month.
Tn many sections of the city not
Identified with slum areas small row
houses are rented to white tenants for
$50 to $45 per month. The lowest
rental discovered by the survey for a
house was SO so. three-room shack with
no conveniences located in DeanWood.
The highest rental reported was $500,
this was 12-room house in an exclusive
1estdential neighborhood
Negroes Pay More.
Ii
ther that Negroes are paying higher
rentals than white tenants for COM
parable living accommodations
Apartment rents are so affected by
concessions on the part of landlords
that it is difficult to present at this
time any detailed information 1t may
be stated, however. that for white ten
ants in modern buildings the range of
pentS Is roughly as follows:
One room and bath. no kitchen. s25
10 $50; one room, kitchen and bath
$50 to $50; two rooms. kitchen and
bath. $40 to $50; three rooms. kitchen
and bath. $50 to $50. and four rooms,
Kitchen and bath, SOS to S125.
The facts thus far disclosed indicate
that. on the whole, tenants of apart
ments in Washington are in a more
favorable economic position than those
WHO HuSt Scch Single ldIllly dwellings,
in the less desirable residential sections,
IN quest Of low rentals.
Cites Rent Fixing.
The report contained history of the
rent fixing legislation which Congress
enacted for the District near the close
Of the World War when the sudden in
crease in the city's population created
an acute housing problem. Comment
ing on the fact that this legislation was