Evening star., 1942-10-19
Henderson
Continued From First Page)

"phory" sales of houses to evade
legal rent control.
Cites Evasive Sales.
"Some landlords in certain parts
of the country are engaged in out
right evasive sales. They even go to
the extent of advertising of their
basic purpose as an evasion of the
maximum rent regulation. In such
sales neither tenant nor landlord
has any intent of actually transfer
ring the deed to the property and
no Immigrant defense worker who
enters into such a sale ever imagines
he will receive title"
The new regulations provide that
in cases of special hardship" a Ger
tificate of eviction may be granted
with the special requirements, in
cluding the one-third payment and
the three month notice waived.
In connection with the applica-
ton of the law to the District, Cor
poration Counsel Richmond B.
Keech said here Saturday that it
was his opinion that the District
Rent Control Act would be repealed
if the national control measure is
passed.
Mr.. Henderson said at his press
conference that in many sections
of the country the subterfuge of
making tenants pay high rents in
the guise of monthly installments
on. the purchase of a house was
attaining the proportions of racket.
An advertisement in a newspaper
in one unspecihed area stated:
Have you been caught with your
rent down? If so see us and we'll
tell you how to beat OPA."
Shows Letter to Tenant.
Mr.. Henderson cited letter
which a tenant received from his
landlord in a defense rental area.
1t read, in part, as follows:
Dear friend. The house you oc-
cupy as a tenant is for sale. We,
as agents, are satisfied to have you
remain in the property as tenant.
However, there is a very keen hous-
ing shortage, with the result that
thousands of buyers are purchasing
homes for themselves. Your posi-
ton as a tenant therefore is in
secure because there is no way of
telling how soon your home will be
sold.
"If your house is sold to home
buyer who desires to occupy the
house you will be served with a
notice to vacate You will then have
a most difficult problem on your
hands, as you will find it almost
impossible to get another house.
For your own protection and well
fare we emphatically urge and ad-
wise you to buy the house which
you now occupy before it is too late. "
500 Eviction Notices.
The price administrator said that
in Mobile, Ala, where some war
workers were living in tents, he had
received a telegram from a labor
committee saying that more than
500 eviction notices had been issued
upon pretended sales" and that
more were being entered by the
hour.
Mr.. Henderson said immediate
evictions resulting from the sale of
rental property had a serious effect
on the enforcement of maximum
rent. The fear of eviction In a con-
gested war area, he added, creates
SUCH overwhelming personal prob
lens that tenants will willingly ac-
cede to all sorts OF demands. They'll
pay higher rents than the maximum
or enter into evasive sales contracts,
buy houses they can't afford and
don't expect to LAY for just so they
won't be moved out of their houses. "
Mr.. Henderson said reports had
been received from all parts of the
country that the war program was
being seriously affected by "quickie'
evictions.
He reported labor leaders, war
plant owners and managers, and