Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-27
Plan Under Way
To Split Board
And Rent Prices
New Order Expected
To Permit Increase
In Food Charges
BY LISBETH SOLLING.

A new order by the rent control
administrator permitting boarding
house operators to adjust their food
charges quickly to cover constantly
rising costs of raw materials and
help, is expected to be announced
over the week end.
It marks a move to halt the flood
of boarding house closings and to
keep in production the many oper-
ators who contemplate ut-downs
because of cumbersome rent control
increasing food prices, ration diff
culties and house help shortages
The new order will depart radically
from current procedures by allow
ing operators to f1X-Within reason
their own food prices.
Separate Food Charges.
In the new order charges for room
rent and for board must be sepa-
rated by the operator. Adjustments
in room rent must be sought under
the old procedure, but increase in
food charges can be arranged with
in two weeks, provided the increase
is reasonable. The operator wish
ing an upward adjustment will file
an affidavit with the rent control
administrator asking relief under
the order, and serves one single no.
tice on his tenants, consisting of a
general announcement to be tackled
up in the house.
At hearing, which may be at
tended by the tenants, he presents
his case to the administrator. Such
a hearing probably will be held
within a week of filing of the aft
davit. The operator informs the
administrator of rate schedules he
intends to post, and if they appear
reasonable, no objection is inter-
posed by the administrator, and the
operator may proceed with his plans.
The administrator does not re-
linquish control, hvwever, and the
new order to be issued provides that
in case of eXtortionate, oppressive
and exorbitant price changes the
administrator will revoke the oper-
ator's license.
NOW 1TedteQ as One.
The rent control law fixes rent as
of January /, 194l, and has hitherto
been interpreted strictly to include
board, since in most such establish
ments board is the sine qua non of
tenancy. Persons wishing rooms but
no food are not accepted by board
ing house operators. and the rent
control administrator has, therefore,
interpreted meal charges to be an
integral part of the rent and sub
4ect to his absolute control.
1t now takes an operator three
months to obtain a rent adjustment.
Considerable time is consumed pre-
pairing petitions for each individual
tenant. Many weeks pass before a
hearing is held and more weeks
elapse before the administrator
reaches his decision. The decision
may in turn have to be reviewed on
petition either by the operator or
tenants, whichever is dissatisfied
with the findings.
Hundreds of operators have been
disseminating board in their esta-
lishments for more than year. and,
with the additional difficulties and
annoyance of rationing. the move
ment is taking on threatening pro-
portions. District restaurants have
long been overloaded, and contin-
uous boarding house closings in
crease the customer load day by day.
Many boarding house operators
have long regarded the rent control
law, as heretofore administered, to
be unjust. inasmuch as it regulates
strictly food prices charged by such
operators, while restaurant propri-
etors, who are likewise in the bust
ness of selling food, are not subject
to price control, and can cover
rising costs of raw materials and
help by constantly adjusting their