Evening star., 1946-05-14
Witnesses lead
ForConlmercia|
Rent Controls
Laughter and Tears
Mix as Tenants Tell
Stories Of 'Gougine'

Stories Of 'Gougine'
Laughter and tears were spread
on the record today as another long
parade of witnesses before the Healy
subcommittee of the House District
Committee urged enactment Of the
Barry bill to place commercial prop
critics In the District under rent
control.
More than 80 shopkeepers and
other tenants told of rent gouging''
by landlords, and so much time was
taken with these stories that Chair
man Healy announced another hear
ing would be called to hear the
opposition.
One witness, Morris Brown, who
has store at 1735 Connecticut ave-
nue., was so overcome by his feelings
that he could not continue his story.
AS tears glistened in Mr.. Browns
eyes, j. M. Heiser, president of the
Federation of Businessmens Asso-
Citations, took his statement and read
1t before the committee.
At the close of the session, Mrs.
Mary Wrisht Johnson, the only op-
position witness heard, sent the
audience into gales of laughter when
she protested the price of haircuts
and figured that barber today was
grossings$12 an hour.
Ride on Rail Suggested.
Mrs. johnson also protested she
is paying five times as much today
as before the war for beauty parlor
treatments.
Somebody has got to pay these
increased costs for services" she
said arguing that Landlords have
some rights to some of the increased
profits of a shopkeeper"
Mrs. Johnson, who said she was a
member of the legislative depart
ment of the Federation of Women's
Clubs, raised question as to
whether that group had recon-
mended passage of the Barry bill.
Chairman Healey said the commit
tee would not go into that.
Earlier, Mrs. Margaret Westbrook,
who has a chain of restaurants, pro-
tested that Washington rent in
creases are being inspired by people
from New York who think Washing
ton landlords don't know what rent
values really are. She told the COM
mittee::
IF you don't do something for us
I would be in favor of riding some
of these people down F street on a
rail"
This brought laughter from the
committeeman as well as the au-
dience.
Large Increases Cited.
She complained particularly about
rent increases on one of her restau-
rants at 1908 Adams Mill road NV
She said her rent had been $125 a
month, but that her landlord had
demanded $3.50 a month plus 6 per
cent of the gross receipts, although
she had invested more than $4,000
for improvements to the place. The
case now is in court.
Mr.. Heiser submitted for the rec
ord letter from Arthur Clarendon
Smith of the Smith Transfer g.
Storage Co., who urged enactment
Of the bill, reporting rent increases
Of 40 per cent to $50 per cent on
some Of the buildings he rents for
warehouses.
Another witness, Mrs. Marguerite
Hampton Hark, operator of beauty
salon, 5019 Connecticut avenue, tes-
titled that her landlord had raised
her rent from $125 a month to $3.50,
then to SITS, while her husband was
overseas, and then in February of
this year to s225, while she was
negotiating for a renewal of her
lease. She said the last demand
was $315 a month on one-year
lease.
50 Waiting to Be Heard.
During her testimony she charged
"a lot Of black market money is
coming into Washington
Testimony and statements from
more than 80 protesting tenants
were put into the record today and
Mr.. Heiser estimated he had so
more witnesses to present. Because
of the time involved Chairman
Hea1y asked him to have all the
remainder of his testimony submit
ted in writing. Waiting to testify
in opposition to commercial rent
control were representatives of the
Washington Board of Trade, the
Washington Real Estate Board and
the Building Owners and Managers
Association.
Chairman Healy said he would
announce later the time for the
final hearing, since the District
Committee room will be occupied in
later days this week by other COM
mittee groups.
Fear of Reprisals Seen.
The case of Golfers Inn, which
operated for many years on Colum-
bia road near Eighteenth street
NV, was cited by Mr.. Heiser. He
said the rent had been $500 a month
and was increased to $1,000 q
month. Though the case was taken
to court, the tenants were forced
out, he said. Later, he added, Mrs
Bessie Collier died, and MIR. Heisel
suggested the trouble over losing the
business contributed to her death.
1t was then that Mr.. Brown took
the stand and before he recited
the case of his own business rents
he told the committee that he knew
Mrs. Collier and that he knew the
loss of her business had broker
her heart"
Toward the end of the shearing
Mrs. Westbrook returned to the
stand to tell the committee she
had discussed rent increases with
two persons in the room and that
they were refusing to testify fol
fear of reprisals from landlords.
On the other hand, witness with
a broken leg in a plaster cast waited
patiently for two hours for chance
to testify for the bill. She was
Mrs. Thelma Doyle, who operates