Evening star., 1949-03-12
House Leaders
See 15Months
OF RentContro|
Confident Despite
Marrow Defeat of
90-Doy Extension
BY the Assoeioied Press

conCrol extension, after once
snatching it from the very brink
of defeat.
BY a slender 15-vote margin,
the administration chiefs late yes
terday beat back Republican at
tempt to limit controls to only 80
days. Their 178-to-163 triumph
came on second tally after the
first count gave the Republican
members. joined by 80 Democrats,
a 165-to-16l edge.
House Majority Leader McCor-
mack of Massachusetts, said:
The major fight is won."
But the victory still has not been
nailed down. A final House vote
on continuing rent controls for Is
months was delayed until Tuesday.
And rent bill still must be taken
up by the Senate, which has been
thrown into a legislative log jam
by filibustering Southerners.
Leaders Apply Pressure.
The House vote yesterday came
after democratic leaders had
brought all their weight to bear
to keep some Democrats, miffed at
the controls, from voting with the
on the 90-day amend
These developments preceded
the voting:
/. The leadership agreed to ac-
cept an amendment saying that
landlords should have "a reason
able return on reasonable value"
of their property. 1t later was
adopted by the House, 246 to 81.
2. In a bid to save rent ceilings
in big-city and defense areas, the
administration offered too de-
control over 100 areas in rural
sections or small cities, where
most of the opposition to controls
has developed. That would leave
500 areas still controlled.
3. Elimination of a provision
which would have put apartment
hotels back under price ceilings.
Under the present law the curbs
apply only to hostelries which do
not provide the usual hotel SER
vices" The change was adopted
by vote of 174 to 98.
The bill as it stands is a
watered-down version of what Mr..
Truman asked.
Asked 2-Year Extension.
Among other things. he re-
quested a 24-month continuation
of controls and additional powers
to fight what Tighe Woods. rent
administrator, called "a growing
black market in rents" The
House turned down both requests.
Government rent ceilings on
,35O,O0O dwelling places are due
to expire March 81. The House
debate on legislation to extend
them beyond that date was hot
and heavy.
Republicans continued IN their
barrage of charges that such con-
trolls in peacetime mean social
ism"
Representative Wolcott. Repub-
lican, of Michigan. author Of the
crucial Republican amendment.
said the idea of a 90-day extern
sion was to let Congress study
present economic trends and
take another look" at rents in
June.
Sharp Increases Seen.
But Chairman Spence Of the
Banking Committee, managing
the legislation, fired back:
Don't let us deceive ourselves.
This is an amendment to kill rent
controls" And, turning to the
Democrats, he said that would
mean betrayal of the pledges we
made to the people in the last
election"
Representative Patman, Demo-
crat, of Texas predicted rents
would jump so to 500 per cent. if
controls were lifted. The result.
he said, would be "a wave Of
for labor could not pay
such increases"
The decision to put off the final
vote until Tuesday came suddenly.
Mr.. Mccormack said it was decid-
I'd on when it appeared that ac-
ion on other pending amend
nents would run the House far
nto the night.
But Representative Halleck,
republican, of Indiana, said it this
way:
Il think ethey are a little
'anicky. All those votes were
cry, very close"
With less than three weeks left
'efore the March 81 expiration
late, the Senate Banking Com
nittee has not agreed on extern
ion legislation. A subcommittee
las been holding hearings on
ill by Senator Myers, Democrat,
# Pennsylvania, to continue the
controls for 81 months and to
evive wartime enforcement
,oWers.
Mayor William O'Dwyer of New
York testified in support of that
dill yesterday. He urged the SEN
ators to supply added safeguard,
against evictions.
Chairman Sparkman, Democrat
If Alabama, recalled that the
group heard from Gov. Chester
3owles of Connecticut yesterday
hat his State Legislature re.
Gently enacted an eviction con-
;rol law. Senator Sparkman asked
whether New York State could do
he same.