Evening star., 1949-03-31
By Harold B. Rogers

by horoid B. Rogers
President Truman is expected
to sign, some time today, al
emergency bill, rushed through
Congress late yesterday. extend
ing District rent controls tt
April 30.
Without this special legislation
to keep alive the present District
Act rent controls here would ex-
pire at midnight tonight.
Speaker Rayburn affixed hi
signature to the bill on parch
ment Immediately after the Hous'
convened at noon. The documen
was rushed to the Senate. where
Vice President Barkley added hi
signature Immediately. and th'
measure was on its way to th'
White House before / pm.
The bill was speeded through
both House and Senate in the
closing hours yesterday, because
conferees on a more comprehen-
sive measure to extend rent con-
troll here for IS months were
deadlocked over the proposal tc
give landlords a fair net oper-
ating income
Now that temporary extension
of present controls is virtually
assured, the conferees say they
can proceed to a more leisurely
and careful study Of the disputed
section in the pending measure.
No time had been set early today,
however, for their next meeting
The controversy centers on one
Of six amendments inserted by
the Senate on Tuesday in a
House-passed bill for extension
of the District Act to June 80
next year.
House Senate conferees, after
two sessions yesterday. were
reported to have reconciled diff
ferences over five of the six
amendments. But they were still
deadlocked over the remaining
one, relating to fair net operating
income for landlords.
The amendments had been de-
signed to bring District controls
into line with principles of the
national rent control bill. signed
yesterday by the President, ex-
tending controls in the States to
June 80 next year. The amend
ments were introduced by Senator
Mccarthy, Republican, of Wiscon-
sin and approved by voice vote
! of the Senate.
| So much objection arose among
the conferees, especially from the
House, to the landlord provision
however, that it was agreed to
try to save present District rent
controls by the special act.
Representative Harris. Demo-
crat, of Arkansas introduced the
emergency bill in the House, and
it was whipped through without
objection by the House shortly
after 6 pm. A House clerk rushed
the measure to the Senate. Sena-
! tor McGrath, Democrat, of Rhode
Island, District Committee chair
man, called it up, and the Senate
approved it without objection
within Is minutes after the House
vote.
Senator McGrath told the Sen
ate local controls here were in
danger of expiring. He said the
conferees were far from agree
ment" and the District needed
the 30-day extension.
Robert F. Cogswell, District Rent
Administrator, strongly protested
the landlord provision during q
session with the conferees. Sena-
tor McGrath told the press. The
new provision would make a radi-
cal change in the administration
of controls here and would re-
quire a large addition to his staff
Senator McGrath said.
The language OF the provision
identical with that in the new
national law reads. in part, as
follows:
In making and recommending
individual and general adjust
ments to remove hardships or to
correct other inequities. the Ad-
ministrator shall observe the prin-
ciple or maintaining maximum
rents for controlled housing &C
commodations, so far as is prac-
ticable, at levels which will yield
to landlords a fair net operating
income from such housing accom-
modations.
I'm determining whether the
maximum rent for controlled
housing accommodations yields q
fair net operating income from
such housing accommodations,
due consideration shall be given
to the following, among other
relevant factors: (A) increas> y
property taxes; (B) unavoida-
increases in operating and main
tenance expenses; Co major
capital improvement of housing
accommodations as distinguished
from ordinary repair, replacement
and maintenance; CD increases
or decreases in living space, serv-
ices, furniture, furnishings or
equipment; and (E) substantial
deterioration of the housing ac-