Evening star., 1941-04-03
Rents
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ties. With that background it Is
easy to understand why most appli-
cantS expect to be able to secure
accommodations at lower rents than
we are able to furnish them, or, in
fact, at a lower price than they
could secure them in almost any
city of this size. The other point
is that most of these people desire
to live within walking distance of
their place of employment, and that
is obviously impossible in Washing
ton or any other large city"
Rooms Called Reasonable.
Mr.. Williams explained that rents
asked for rooms in Cleveland Park,
Chevy Chase and like sections are
not unreasonable The average, he
said, is S5 week for a room for one
person and $3.50 and $40 for two
persons.
Mrs. Helen D. Hoffman of the
Washington Housing Association
said her organization favored rent
control legislation especially for
places rented by persons in the lower
income brackets.
Il think the real problem here is
locating rooms for young men and
young women to see that they get
in the proper environment" said
Representative Bates, Republican, of
Massachusetts. Rent control Is
secondary"
Mrs. Hoffman described over
crowded conditions in boarding
houses and said in some instances a
person rents a bed, not a room.
There Is plenty of evidence" she
declared, of three and four persons
sharing a room.
ID. c. Standards Hit.
She told the subcommittee the
minimum standards set by the
Health Department for occupancy
of rooms is pretty low" In houses
built before 1910, she said, the
Health Department requires a bath
room for every Is persons. Houses
built since that time are required to
have bath for every four rooms.
IF Is persons use a bath in the
same house." remarked Chairman
Randolph, "it seems to me the hours
for its use would have to be stag
gered like the hours of Government
employees"
| Mrs. Hoffman said representatives
OF her organization had seen as
many as four single beds in one
room, but she had been told of cases
where there are as many as six and
seven beds in room.
Disadvantage Of Suburbs.
She also pointed out that young
people do not like to rent rooms in
the outlying sections because there is
no fun" for them in the suburbs.
'Ihey don't want to 60 home and
sit in their ROOM" she declared.
why not move the fun out to
them?" asked Representative Hebert,
Democrat, of Louisiana.
Mrs. Martha Dudley. chairman
of the Housing Committee of the
League of Women Shoppers, de-
clared there is a Shocking short
age" of housing accommodations for
lower income groups. She said her
organization Endorsed the principle
OF the Randolph rent campaign bill.
Maintenance of fair rents Is of
vital concern" to consumers, the
subcommittee was told by Miss Har-
r1et Elliott of the consumer division
of the National Defense Advisory
Commission.
Shortage Outlined.
''The only real remedy for the
housing shortage resulting from an
influx of workers." she declared, "is
the construction of new houses. But
this takes considerable time and
action in the interim is necessary to
keep rents within bounds.
These conditions obtain in the
District of Columbia. Defense ac-
tivity has already drawn an esti-
mated 10000 new workers to Wash
ington; another $4,000 are expected
before the end of the next fiscal
year. All reports indicate that there
are virtually no fit quarters avail
able for newcomers less than $50
some time been very high in COM
a month.
Rents in the District have for
parlSon with other cities.
ANY bill will, in my opinion, be
in the public interest and in the in
tereSt of national defense if it pro-
vides a procedure that will protect
| tenants from exorbitant rents, pre-
vent disruptive rent increases, assure
fair and reasonable rent to landlords
and permit the construction of new
housing at levels which the majority
of incoming workers can pay"
Ihlder Offers Suggestion.
John Ihlder. executive officer of
the District Alley Dwelling Author
ity, offered his cooperation to the
subcommittee in its study of the
rental situation and suggested that
any rental control Legislation be ap-
plicable to nearby Maryland and
Virginia areas.
Charles Tufts. chief of the housing
section of the consumer division of
the Defense Commission, confirmed
statements of other witnesses that
the real problem" here is providing
housing for persons who cannot af-
ford to pay more than $50 a month
in rent.
At the outset of the hearing Chair
man Randolph announced that his
rent-control bill would serve as
backlog for presentation of the
rent problem in the District. And"
he added, there is a rent problem
here at the present time. But the
subcommittee is not going to get out
on q limb or iump in. q pool too