The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-21

l cred because EusOp money h a t should have gone to other uses is detoured to the landlord. This is particularly true in the lower income groups.
 Washington is particularly hard hit on the rent question now be- cause of the influx of new govern ment workers-55, 900 of them in the last IS months and from 1000 to 1250 more coming in every week. Nearly every one brings an average of one dependent with him, so Washingtons population has gone up 100000.
 Although 25,0oO new dwellings have been built in the District area within the last IS months, only TOGO of them have been for rent, ard 4O00 of these have been at $50 a month or more. Thus, while gen. eral experience is that rents stay at normal levels when there are 5 per cent vacancies in rentable prop critics, the Washington level is less than 2 per cent, and the squeeze is on.
 Washington is worse of in this respect than any other large city in the country with the possible exception of Detroit, but there are 300 cities in the land with army camps or production booms. BILL AIMS AT HIGH RENTS
 To meet the situation in Washing ',onton, CongreS,: is considering 2 bill introduced by Rep Jennings Ram dolph of ElkinS, W. Va, providing for the appointment by the Presi- dent for the appointment by the President of rent administrator to whom broad powers would be given to set standards, hold hear ings and make decisions on fair rents. Appeal may be taken from | the decisions to the United States Court of Appeals, and provisions are made to prevent injunctions or evic- tions, pending the appeal. Continua- ton of undiminished services such as heat and light is made a part of any rent contract and any curtail- ment is made a misdemeanor
 This is obviously a law in which the tenant gets the breaks, and while 1t would apply only to the Dis trict of Columbia, the important i thing about it is that Washington will serve as g. guinea pig for the rest of the country. If the eXperi- ment works in the capitol, watch for efforts to spread the same idea to other defense areas.
 There Is one division of Leon Hem derson's Office of Price Administra- tion and Civilian Supply charged specifically with watching the rent situation. It is headed by Karl Bor- ders, now in the process of complet- ing organization of field staff which would check on unwarranted rent increases, particularly in the defense areas.
 ALL TIED UP WITH
 PRICE CONTROL
 While the problem may be con- sidered purely local and something the federal government has no busi- ness sticking Its nose into, the pas sage of any general price control legislation, now under consideration, would naturally include rent con- trol
 On the rent question, the ulti- mate answer, if you don't care about the costs to the government, Is to build more houses for low rent ten- ants, wherever private capital can't do the job. Congress has already appropriated about $500 million for this work and the Defense Housing Corporation Is building more than 100000 family dwelling units in 160- some defense localities.
 Where new construction can't solve the problem, OPACS offers a scheme to set up local Fair Rent committees, to be appointed by the mayor and, guided by an OPACS rent division field officer, to do on a voluntary basis what the proposed District of Columbia Emergency Rent Control act would do by com pulsion.
 WASHINGTON LIVING
 CONDITIONS
 About one-third of the federal workers in Washington own their own homes. Fully half of the 50000 new government workers go into rooming houses. Twenty per cent of the roomers live in houses so crowded there is one bath or seven or eight roomers {. Sixty-six per cent of the new gov- ernment workers in Washington get less than $50 a month and this group spends 30 per cent of its in- come on rent. Less than 5 per cent of federal employees renting family size apartments, flats or houses are able to get rertals of less than $50 month. 7. The AL ley Dwelling Authority, government housing project in Washington, rents three-room suites at $33 a month. Larger suites are up to $39. !. Home Owners Loan Corpcrat!cn, with l'o1 employees in Washington, is moving its offices to New York. One rea- son for the housing shortage in Washington is that the federal gov- enment Is taking over SO many apartment houses for use as offices.
 H..M HA