Evening star., 1941-04-27


dolph bill but has not yet reported.
Both the Federation and the
Trade Board are represented as ia
voring increased supply rather than
rent control to meet shortage where
it is shown to exist.
The Federation of Business Mems
Associations also has vetoed the
proposed plan.
Out Of the confusion of support
and opposition to the plan as evil
denced at the hearings conducted by
the House District Committee and
the various civic group actions. it
appears that the population is not
opposed to rent control when it is
shown that definite emergency con-
ditions exist, but in the main the
opposition is directed against the
provision of the particular bill at the
present time.
Analysis of the bill by a Fedora
ton subcommittee headed by Ernest
F. Henry declared it is based for
its constitutionality on the assump-
ton that an emergency exists here
now comparable to that of the early
1920's.
Ball Law VOided.
The report found it to follow in
some respects the old Ball rent law
held imperative by the Supreme
Court in 1925 because no emergency
housing shortage existed.
In the course of the subcommit-
tee investigation, Mr.. Henry said,
material studied included the Ball
law and court decisions under it: a
compilation of all rent-control leg
lslatlon in the country and in for
elgn countries; factual studies on
the subject in 126 American COM
munities, National Defense Advisory
Commission bulletins relating to
the problem; rent index figures
from the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics; data from the Housing Reg
1stry; press releases from Federal
bureaus dealing with Washington
housing and miscellaneous informa-
ton supplied by both welfare and
landlord representatives.
1t is understood the present bill
was drawn by the Washington c. I.
Q. Council and introduced by Mr..
Randolph by request.
The measure sets up a three-man
commission, appointed by the Pres
ident for flve-year terms. and
freezes rents as of date of enact
ment. The commission can then
fix rents, prescribe lease forms and
numerous other exercises of con-
troll. Penalties for vivolations in
clude fines up to $1,000 and i'm
prlSonment for year as we'll as
permitting tenants to recover dou-
BILE the amount of rent collected
by landlords in excess of commits.
sion ruling.
A major objection in the minds
OF some civic leaders is the fixing
OF salaries of members of the COM
mission at $4,000 a year-more
than that of the District Commits.
sloners and equal to that of Supt.
OF Schools Frank w. Ballou. who is
the highest-paid District employe.
Furthermore, 1t is thought District
residents should compose the COM
mission.
1t is further pointed out that
rent control, to be effective, would
have to include the entire Metro
politan Area Of nearby Maryland
and Virginia.
Investigating the data on hous-
ing availability, the subcommittee
found that in 1917 there were only
some 115,000 total dwellings here,
compared to 100000 now. In 1917,
the report continued, an almost over
night increase of Government en-
ployes developed from $4,000 to more
than 117000
Low-Rent Shortage Admitted.
The present relative increase has
not begun to approach these pro-
portions" it declared.
A w. P. A. survey revealed re-
Gently there were some $500 rooms
available to renters and only about
month after it started, the Hous-
ing Registry reports some 1900 ac-
commodations registered available.
According to testimony presented
by Lawrence E. Williams, housing
chairman for the Defense Council,
there are plenty of available rooms
at reasonable" rents Just outside
the 20-cent taxi zone, but newcom-
ers are causing congestion in low
rent quarters within the 20-cent
fare zone. The federation has ap-
proved participation of member
bodies in canvaSsing room facilities
in their areas as an added help.
All sides concede a shortage in
the accommodations of this class,
but the Henry subcommittee report
insists this is not worthy of being
called legal emergency.
Apart from absence of a legal
emergency basis, the civic investi-
gators, all members of the Fedora
ton Law and Legislation Commits
tee, reported other flaws in the
present plan. These included the
fact that section 3 makes no al-
lowance for provisions in leases
which the commission might find
unreasonable, but which might be
based on covenants running with
the land. Positions of examiners
and other experts of the proposed
commission would not be under
civil service and other employment
classification laws. There is no
provision for maintaining trade
secrets otherwise protected by law.
No rental classification is set up,
except in negative form, which
would permit the commission to cre-
ate an exemption, and no ccmpulsion
of public hearings either to decide
application of the law or exemption
from 1t.