The union times., 1948-03-06
Am endm m ents May Make Bill. Much Weaker
Congress May Wait Till Deadline, And Pass Bum Measure-It's Hap
 pened Before

The millions of us who rent our homes were given a months grace to fight for a dAcent rent control law for 1948 When the Senate agreed with the House to extend the present law through March.
 The Stopgap measure was flown to Florida to be signed by the vacation ing Pres. Truman before the deadline midnight Feb. 29, when 1947 controls expired. '
 But the day before the Senate pass ed Its version of a rent law for the coming year which is by no means ID to the needs of the day. The fact that the Senate has a history in recent years of bringing out somewhat bet Ter versions of laws for the protection ot the people than the House, does not make the picture any brighter. 5. ZI82, passed by a voice vote because few senators wanted to be on record for it, continues rent control for IA months, to May |. I949. It requires the rent admins, tratOr to give landlords a rent boost where they ''prove'' they are losing money.
 It continues the socal1ed voluntary blackjack provision. Under this clause landlords who can talk their tenants into signing leases running thror1gh i949 can get a ceiling boost of 15% tor the entire period. The 1.7 million tenants who signed such leases under the l94/ rent law would continue to pay the rent called for in the lease through April 194o, then their units would be decontrolled.
 NO PENALTIES
 The Senate bill, by floor amend nlent, removed a clause in the new measure as it came from committee providing criminal penalties LID to !!,0OO tlne and year in prison for violating the rent law. The amendment lett vlolators just where they were under the 1947 1aw-subiect only to CIVIL damage suits. And the average tenant IS not going to court to sue his landlord.
 The bill also decontrols furnished rooms in private homes, which is of particular hardship to workers moving into crowded towns and to college students. Rent ceilings were contin- ued on regular rooming and boarding houses, although the rent administra- tor IS given power to end them if he finds 1t advisable"
 TICuE ON CDOr
 Local rent advisory boards will continue to recommend continuing control in their areas, a percentage boost in all rents or a complete end of controls, as they have done during the past year. The rent administrator IS directed to follow their advice pro- vided he finds their recommendations Tn accordance with the law.
 For the past few months, Tighe E. Woods, doubling as housing expedi- ter and rent chief, has been conscien- tlously sorting out the genuine find lngS Of local boards from the phonies. He has allowed some areas, where rental housing Is no longer tight, to end controls, but has in other cases firmly resisted boards stacked with landlords who tried to victimize ten ants in their areas.
 The Senate banking committee has held off on confirming Woods until it finds out just what the final draft of the law will require the ad- ministratOr to do. They plan then to sit down and have a heart.to- heart talk with Woods on how to run the rent administration. If he plays ball, he gets the job. But if he is not fully clear on what Con- gress wants to take place under this law, a gOOdly group of soIons in- tend to find someone else who is.
 $. 2182 now goes to the House. where Rep. Jesse WOlcOtt (R, Mich.) intends to let it sit in his banking committee pigeOnhOle hoping the price index will fall low enough SO that he can claim a firm rent con- troI bill is no longer needed. Un- less something is done to bang rep- resentatives on the head with the hardship case of the tenant, instead Ot the hardship case of the Iand- lords, the House will amend the Senate bill so that it is even weaker than it is now.
 Of course, they will do this iob right at the end of the month so that with the new deadIine ap- preaching the Senate will not have time to beat down the worst House amendments. Then, as in I947. Pres. Truman will be handed a bum rent bill and told to take it or leave it.