Evening star., 1950-11-10
Stronger Rent Curbs
To Be Sought When
Congress Convenes

Legislation to expand and
strengthen rent controls is ex-
pected to receive early considera-
ton after Congress reconvenes
November 27.
Housing Expediter Tighe E..
Woods, who administers rent con-
trois, said today he is getting
ready to be called before congress
sional committees to testify on
what he described as an urgent"
need for strengthened and ex-
panoec controls.
Mr.. Woods repeatedly has urged
continuation and strengthening of
controls. to prevent hardships on
tenants in many parts of the
country
Point Stressed by Truman.
President Truman also has en-
phasi2ed the same point and in his
st. Louis speech winding up the
Democratic campaign for last
Tuesdays congressional elections
mentioned strengthened rent con-
trolls as one matter which should
be given attention.
Legislation was said to be under
consideration for extending rent
controls automatically from De-
cember 81 to March 81 regardless
Of whether the local community,
by referendum, or its governing
body voted to continue ceilings.
Under the present law all controls
will end December 81 unless a
community or its governing body
votes to extend them until
June 80.
Another proposal under consid-
Grafton would give the Housing
Expediter authority to reimpose
rent controls in communities
where housing shortages have oc-
CURED because Of concentrations
of population around defense in
stallations. The expediter has no
power now to impose controls in
new cases.
Bill Not Yet Prepared.
However, MIR. Woods said re-
ports that such legislation already
has been drafted and sent to the
White House for President Tru-
mans consideration were in error.
He explained that he had been
conferring with the Budget Bu-
reau and White House officials on
the matter but that a bill has not
vet been prepared.
But that wouldn't take very
long" Mr.. Woods added.
Mr.. Woods said most important
at present was the fact that about
1000 local communities have
taken no action to extend the
controls that otherwise will ex-
pire automatically December 81.
The Housing Expediter said it ap-
peared that the communities,
knowing Congress would recon-
vene later this month, were in
clined to leave action on extend
ing rent controls to the law
makers.
Extended in 500 Places.
Some 500 communities with
about 8 million rental dwellings,
Mr.. Woods said, have voted 10
extend controls beyond December
81.
About 8 million rental units
now are under rent ceilings. There
were about 16 million at the
height of controls in 1916.
Mr. Woods said his Office is re-
ceiving an increasingly large num-
ber Of letters protesting against
rent increases that have been i'm
posed in~communities where con-
trolls no longer exist.
One OF the "most startling" ex-
amples, he added, is Los Angeles
County. While controls are still
In effect in the City of Los Angeles,
Mr.. Woods said that in the county
they have been allowed to lapse
and rent increases of 80 to rs per
cent arc ordinary"
If controls should be extended
for three months until March 81,
it would give the new Congress
taking Office in January time to
survey the whole housing situation
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