Evening star., 1947-06-18
Business Rent
Control Hearing
To Be Extended
Subcommittee Pluns
To Grill Woodward
Building Owners
Rv Non { Warren
By Don S. Warren

Further hearings on proposed
commercial rent control for the
District are planned by the O'Hara
subcommittee OF the House District
Committee.
After a two-hour hearing today
on bill to control commercial tents
and on another measure to extend
residential controls here, Chairman
OHara said further sessions would
be held at the call Of the chairman
He revealed the subcommittee is
considering whether to subpoena
the owners of the Woodward Build
ing to compel detailed answers to
questions the subcommittee has pro-
pounded.
Mr.. O'Hara said a statement filed
by the management agent for the
building was entirely unsatisfactory
I'VE have received complaints OF
tenants being gouged," Mr.. O'Hafa
told one witness, adding, What are
we expected to do about it? Sit
back and do nothing?"
Complex System Faced.
One difhculty admittedly faced by
the subcommittee regarding COM
mercial rent controls-not provided
in the present Rent Control Act
Is that 1t would call for establish
ment of a complex system for only
o limited time.
Mr., O'Hara gave renewed aSSur-
ances today his subcommittee would
recommend continuation Of resi-
dental rent control but indicated
this would be only to the terminal
date for national rent control, next
February 29. .
Subcommittee members said 1t
was unlikely the group would rec
ommend added sections for q volun-
tary increase in rentals for leases
through next year, as provided in
the national bill.
Spokesman for Washington real
estate interests today struck hard at
proposed rent control here. They
contended vacancies in commercial
properties have been increasing,
argued that Congress should let the
law of supply and demand operate,
and that the only hope for increased
production of space was to end
Government controls.
Lusk Denies Space Shortage.
Rufus S. Lusk, speaking for the
Building Owners and Managers
Association, fatty denied there was
any shortage in space. He con-
tended people are paying SO little
for rent they are using more space
than they need"
The committee received a state
nent from the District Commits
sioners opposing passage OF the
OHara commercial rent bill. They
said it appeared the commercial
rent situation today was no worse
than 1t was year ago and that the
formula proposed in the bill would
be extremely difficult OF administra-
ton. They feared 1t would result in
many inequities and injustices,"
A new protest against the Wood
ward Building owners was made
today by Thomas ]. Jackson, an
attorney and tenant of the build
ing for IA years. He said he re-
Gently paid without protest 65
per cent increase in his rent but
yesterday was told he had to move
out in 30 days. He said the reason
given him was that the landlord
preferred to collect rental from one
tenant instead of two. His Office
would be merged with that of his
neighboring tenant, he said.
Other d. C. Bills Up Today.
Two other measures affecting the
District, teachers pay and District
revenue bills, may reach the Senate
floor late today.
The members have agreed to vote
at 4 pm, on the Bulwinkle railroad
bill, after which Senate District
leaders hope to call up the two
local measures.
Senator CAIN, Republican, of
Washington, chairman of the House
District Fiscal Subcommittee, is
slated to pilot them through the
Senate and expects to bring up
first the bill sn teachers pay.
In the case Of the $13, 500, 900 rev.
enue bill, the major issue at stake
is the so-called O'Hara amendment
to exempt from the proposed new
income tax all Federal employees who