Evening star., 1951-05-29
HoteInlen Rap
Plan Aimed 10
RecontroI Rates
Existing Vacancies,
Competition Held
Ample Protection
By Harold B. ROGERS

By Harold B. Rogers
Recontrol OF hotel rates. recon-
mended by District officials. was
sharply attacked today by the
Washington Hotel Association as
definitely unnecessary and un-
warranted"
Bourban Dawes, executive secre-
tary of the association, told a
House District subcommittee on
rent controls that there are
enough vacancies in hotels to meet
the needs.
1.-THE hotel accommodations in
Washington" the witness said,
"are ample for the average daily
requirement and as long as the
current vacancy rate exists, COM
petitive conditions will control
rates just as effectively as legisla-
ton"
Cites Rising Costs.
Operation costs have risen sub
stantially for all the SO members
of the hotel association, Mr..
Danes testified, but there has
been an average increase Of only
80 cents per room rented in the
three years since most hotel ac-
commodations were decontrolled.
The proposal to recontrol hotel
accommodations was laid before
the subcommittee headed by Rep
resentative Harris, Democrat. of
Arkansas during the opening
hearing yesterday on extension
of rent control by District Rent
Administrator Robert r. Cogswell.
The present control law expires
June 80.
Meanwhile, the Commissioners
today called their own public hear
ing to obtain the views of WASH
ington residents on rent control.
1t will be held at pm. Monday
In the board room of the District
Building.
The city heads plan to continue
the hearing until all who wish to
be heard have given their views.
They invited persons to submit
their ideas by letter If they cannot
attend the meeting.
Three Purposes Outlined.
In recommending the hearing,
Commissioner Donohue said its
purpose would be to determine:
l.. Whether or not there is an
apparent need for rent control in
the District.
Q. II the need is shown. whether
the interested public is in favor of
the rent control act as submit
ted to a House subcommittee by
Roger Cogswell, District rent con-
troll administrator.
3. If the public is not in favor
of this measure, but believes there
Is need for rent control, what it's
views are as to the kind of rent
control act the District should
have.
The Commissioners will consider
the results of the hearing in pre-
pairing a report to the Harris SUBJ
committee.
End Controls, Lusk Asks.
Another witness before the Har-
ris group today was Rufus S. Lusk,
who called for the end of all rent
controls in Washington.
The real estate analyst and
president of the Washington Tax
payers Association. told the SUBJ
committee:
1.-The emergency is past. Let's
get rid of the whole works"
Repeal of rent control in Vir-
ginia. he said. has failed to result
in the terrific upsurge of rents
which had been feared by pro-
ponents of control.
Declaring there were sufficient
living accommodations to satisfy
the demand here, Mr.. Lusk told
the subcommittee. There never
has been so much housing per
1000 people as there is today"
Mr.. Lusk told the committee
there was a heavy movement of
the "better-class colored people
into the better residential districts.
This trend, he said, was shown
by the fact that about 200 homes
a week were being purchased by
colored people in former white
neighborhoods. This has resulted,
he said, in many white people
moving outside the District.
Il have never seen anything like
It," Mr.. Lusk said.
Asks 2-Year Extension.
Mr.. Cogswell has asked for a
two-year extension of rent control.
Representatives of the real estate
industry here told the subcommit-
tee they would prefer no extern
sion of rent control in Washing
ton because they believe the law
Of supply and demand would take
care Of the situation. But they
insisted that if Congress should
extend curbs beyond the June 80
deadline 1t should enact a law that
would allow landlords some rent
increase.
Mr.. Cogswell's proposal for an
overall increase of 20 per cent In
rents above the levels Of 1941,
when they were frozen, drew some
support late yesterday from wit
nesses. Most of them, however,
thought the increase should be
greater. Recommendations varied
from a IS per cent raise to so per
cent. The Cogswell figure of 20
per cent would include prior rent
raises granted by the admins
traitor.
Would Reinstate Penalty.
Among other changes recon-
n1ended by Mr.. Cogswell to meet
present-day conditions were those
TO reinstate the criminal penalty
of D $1,000 fine and one year in
Jail for violations of the law; &c
change the original date Of Jan.
uary l., l941, for freezing rents
$A <5~