Evening star., 1949-03-22
The Political Mill
Bill to Extend Rent Control
Reduces Federal Powers
Authority by States Is Regarded
As Fair, Practical Plan
By Gould Lincoln


By Gould Lincoln
The Congress- within the next week or 10
days, will put through a bill extending Fed
eral rent control for another year. The
Truman administration will take the bill
and like it-although the measure will fall
far short of the Presidents recommended
tions He wanted longer and more stringent
control.
Both the House and the Senate Banking
and Currency Committee have favored turn
ing over to the States the right to take over
rent control from the Federal Government.
The House went even further, proposing
that the local or municipal governments be
given authority in the matter. The pro-
posals go still further, for they permit
decontrol when States or municipalities,
through their legislative bodies, vote for it.
Realizing that housing needs have not
caught up yet with housing demands and
that immediate decontrol of all rentals
might work great hardship on many tenants
so much so that national economy would
suffer a great strain-a majority in Con-
gress has gone along with the proposed
extension of the rent-control laws But it
is healthy sign that they are seeking ways
OF getting away from Federal control and
placing it in the communities themselves,
where the people can keep control or leave
it, as they deem to their better interests.
Already number of States have rent-control
laws-NeW York was the first among them
and If the other State Legislatures take the
recommendations of the Congress- they, too,
Will put through rent-control measures-if
they believe conditions warrant them.
Many Seek Decontrol.
Many of the Legislators have made 1t
inf ef
as quickly as possible with safety. Further,
they have become convinced that In time
OF peace 1t is ridiculous to have an officer
IN Washington telling the people of Kala-
mazoo. Mich, or San Francisco Calf, what
rent shall be paid for dwellings in those
places 1t is true that local rent boards are
operating under the law, but the final
authority rests in Washington.
Under the present law, new construction
has not been subject to rent control-a move
IN the direction of encouraging the building
OF new dwellings. But it has not been en-
tlrely quieting to the minds of builders or
potential investors in building. They have
been left with a fear that perhaps new
buildings would be recontrolled-and in
some quarters in Congress that idea has
actually been advanced. The contention of
the members who wish to do away with
controls Is that such action by Congress-
would give great impetus to the construc-
ton OF new dwellings. particularly those
for moderate and low-income groups.
The bills now pending in Congress are in
effect an invitation to go to State and local
control OF rents and to take such controls
away from the Federal Government They
may be regarded also as real move toward
the ending of rent controls certainly in IL
or Is months
n
IT and when rent controls are placed In
the hands OF the States, the States Rights
movement counterpart of the New Deal
drive for Federal control-will have moved
forward. 1t will indeed. break down one
bureaucratic agency. Next to it's vast con-
tributions of money to the States. the Fed
eral Government has no more potent weap-
on for building up its stranglehold on all the
people than the system of controls which
was developed during the war.
Landlords have taken. in many instances,
a beating under the rent control law. They
are entitled TO some relief and the new law
will give them some. But the injuries done
landlords in recent years are no good reason
for dealing terrific blows at the great group
of tenants. as might follow an immediate
raising of all controls. In some localities.
decontrol might be no burden. while in
others it might cause great hardship. These
conditions make the transfer of control.
therefore, to the localities all the more ad-
visable.
1t was on this matter of turning controls
back to the States and localities that the
administration forces took a licking in the
House. The demand for continued and ex-
panded Federal control is a disease which
orOuS nm government