Evening star., 1941-07-16
Rent
Continued From First Page)


Washington and was "an insult to
the city"
We are showing our patriotism"
said Mrs. johnson. by not doing the
things the bill is aimed at. We don't
need discipline
There is no attempt to discipline
anybody declared Mr.. Simpson.
How are you going to freeze rents
with food prices going up?' asked
Mrs. johnson. Ham that sold for
25 cents a pound three months ago
now costs % cents
Low Income Tenants Hard Hit.
Mrs. Helen Duey Hoffman. execu-
tive director of the Washington As
sociation, read a statement TO the
subcommittee which pointed out
that the threat of rent control
legislation has been effective tenn
porarily in holding rents fairly
stable for the ma jority of tenants in
Washington during the past six
months"
But tenants of low income. rent
ing substandard housing" the state
ment said. have been feeling the
effects of the housing shortage for
a year or more"
In some cases. the violations of
the building and health laws have
been corrected. in others not even
that has been done when rents were
raised"
Control Procedure Urged.
Demand for low-rent housing
far exceeds the supply said Mrs
Hoffman. With newcomers arriv-
ing at the rate of about 200 a day
most of them TO receive incomes
below $3.50 a month, the situation
is becoming increasingly serious.
The Washington Housing Asso-
citation believes that rent
control bill should embody the fol-
lowing principles:
"A normal rent date should be
declared and all rents frozen as of
that date-September l. 1910 biased
on indices of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. or the starting date OF
occupancy of a new building there
after.
Changes in rent must be request
ed by tenant or landlord.
All rental dwellings should be
| covered by the act.
No Exemption to New Buildings.
mo exemption should be given
| for new buildings.
There should be single admin
istrator, with a board of examiners
and staff. Each case would be
heard before a trained examiner
whose findings of fact and conclu-
sions shall have statutory sanction
Review of all cases by the admin.
istrator should be automatic.
Appeal by tenant or landlord
shall be to the Municipal Court
with review by three judges.
The final judgment of tht
Municipal Court on review shall b.
subject to review by the Unitec
States Court of Appeals for th'
District OF Columbia, in the sam'
manner as now prescribed for re-
view of Municipal Court judgments
Since the entire bill is the resul
of a national emergency, the ap
pointment of the administrato
should be by the President. In an!
case, the administrator should hav,
a large degree of autonomy"
Examples Cited
Mrs. Hoffman then cited the fol
lowing examples Of alleged rent in
creases:
Case IN street Sc, rent raise
from s12 to $50 when new famil
moved in.
Case 2-Allen's court S.W., ren
} raised from $40 to $3.50.
Case 3-Ninth street NV, ren
raised from $27.50 to $35.
Case tQuander street. ren
raised from $3.50 to $20.50 il
March, 1941, new family has move
in.
Case 5 8 Second street Sc
raised from $3.50 to $20.50 abou
July 194l.
; Case 6-L street Sc, raised fror
$3.50 to $3.50 in May, 1941, whel
, new family moved in.
Case I'M street S.W., row q
four houses rent raised from $14.5
, to $1,000 in April. 1941, when elec
, tricity was installed usual raise fc
, this service is 50 cents to $250>.
Case 8-M street S.W., rent raise