Evening star., 1942-02-08
First Hearings
On Rents Set
For Saturday
Three Examiners
Are Assigned
4 Cuses Eoeh

The nrSt formal hearings under
the District Rent Control Act of
cases involving disputes between
landlords and tenants will be held
at 10 am. Saturday, Rent Admin
istrator Robert r. Cogswell an
nounced yesterday. The hearings
will be public.
Each of the three examiners Of
the rent ofice. 1740 Massachusetts,
avenue NV, will hear four cases.
Mr.. Cogswell has approved plans
calling for . half-hour session In
each case. On other week days. the
examiners plan to hold nine hear
ings each, making a possible total
of lat cases for a week. More than
1900 cases are now on file at the
office.
One OF the first disputes to be
heard involves Countess Eleanor
Palffy and Ann Holman, who oc-
cupies a house at 1924 T'hirty-f1fth
street NV. Countess Palffy seeks
to have the rent raised from Sis
month to $225. The first figure
is the rent the house brought on
January /, l94l. freezing date"
under the law. Since then. Countess
Palf1y contends, she has completely
furnished the house at a cost of
$500 and has spent $1,000 for re-
modelling and redecoration. Ex-
aminer J. Warren Wilson will hear
the case.
Hayes Assigned Southeast Case.
While this hearing is going on,
Examiner Leonard 8. Hayes will be
attempting to reconcile the dif-
ferences OF Eppa H.. Honey, land
lord and Harvey Myers. who rents
a house at 2127 Fifteenth street Sc.
Mr.. Honey seeks a rent increase
from $2S % $3.50. He says the
$28 figure was set for a former
tenant who had a bit Of bad luck
in his family, and that the house
is worth more on the current mar
ket.
In his initial hearing. Examiner
Ernest F. Williams will be called
upon to decide whether Miss Edna
1. Schulz Is entitled to raise by $3.50
the rent on a house at 38ll Warren
street NV, for which on the freez-
ing date she received $77.50 month.
Miss Schulz contends that she has
improved the place in the last year
and that during November the
present tenant, D. v. Rivenburgh,
signed a lease agreement to pay
$50.
Mr.. Cogswell, meanwhile, an
nounced he had approved maximum
rent ceilings for 81 additional prop
critics where there was no dispute
between landlord and tenant. In
81 OF the cases the rents were
raised. while seven called for de-
creases. In each of the cases both
parties consented to the change.
Raises Range to 33T.
Increases in rents approved by the
administrator ranged from 81 a
month where it was determined the
landlord now has to pay more for
services offered tenants, to $25
where a $75 per month apartment
had been furnished since the freez-
ing date. The decreases allowed by
Mr.. Cogswell ranged from $3.50 to
$3.50. Most of these cases involved
apartments which were partially
furnished last year and are now
rented unfurnished.
So far. Mr.. Cogswell has set rent
ceilings in 119 cases. This has been
done where the tenant agrees in
writing to the change and the ad-
ministrator believes it is justified.
A special consent form has been
made available at the Office to ex-
pedite the procedure
Mr.. Cogswen said business at the
Office has reached an average Of
about 125 callers and 375 telephone
calls a day. He advises all new.
comers here to learn Immediately
from their landlords the rent which
was charged for their quarters on
the freezing date.