Show Marquis Childs Rents Debate Recalls OPAls OPAs Fate V WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-It It is like seeing an old newsreel played over again History does repeat repeat repeat re re- re- re peat itself and in a strikingly exact sort of way Unless the new rent control bill is drastically rewritten in conference between the two houses which at this moment seems unlikely President Truman Truman Truman Tru Tru- man is going to be faced with witha a tough decision The question ques ques- tion to tion-to to veto or not to veto vetois veto veto- is like the one he faced when congress passed and sent to the White House in 1946 1996 a bill cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting the heart out of 0 O P A. A The president vetoed the first bill renewing 0 O P A in such an enfeebled fashion that as he said Baid in his veto message it was worse than nothing The second he signed when his leaders in inthe inthe inthe the senate and house told him he could get nothing better and it was sign or let 0 O P A die Just Like 0 O P A That it will be recalled was when the enemies of 0 O P A were insisting that decontrol would inevitably mean lower prices For 18 IS days daj'S before the second emasculated measure became law there were no controls They were never effectively re restored restored re- re stored and the cost of living began to soar upward A lot of the same kind of double talk has come out in connection with rent control The presidents president's chief advisers ad are supplying him with facts which they believe show 1 that the net effect of senate and house decontrol amendments is isto isto isto to shatter rent control and 2 that the shattering of rent control control con con- will further throw the nations nation's economy out of balance Under the various concessions concessions concessions conces conces- made to landlords many of them justified in a great number of instances rents have been slowly creeping upward during the past year Rents were at an time all-time peak forthe for forthe forthe the most recent month month month-Janu- Janu January ary for ary-for for which figures are available Higher Than 1948 The index on rent for January of oC this year was four points higher than in January of 1948 From November of last year the index jumped almost a point This mind you was under present present pres pres- present ent rent control The analysis reaching the presidents president's desk shows that this rise has tended to wipe out the slight drop in the cost cost of food that occurred since the all all- all all- time peak in the cost of living last August Rent is 15 to 20 per cent of the budget of the average householder The net decline in the cost of living since the peak has been only two per cent It is still sun 73 per cent above the prewar pre base It requires no genius in economics economics economics eco eco- and statistics statistics' to see what will happen if rent control control control con con- is shattered or abolished Estimates are that it would advance from 5 to 9 per cent centa a month over a period of several several several sev sev- eral months to a year This would mean an advance in the cost of living index of 1 to 1 per cent a month New Wage Vage Demands Again neither a genius nor nora a a. gazer crystal-gazer is to forecast what would happen under such an advance It would touch off new wage demands demands demands de- de de de- mands which could very well start the inflationary spiral up up- ward This would come at a time when a number of low Income income in income in- in come families have already been priced out of the market In short it would encourage the kind of inflation-deflation inflation that invites depression The gimmick the White House advisers are most fearful of is the amendment tacked on in the house of which Rep R ep Paul Brown of Georgia was author That has an innocent-enough innocent sound assuring the landlord a rea- rea reasonable reasonable return on a reasonable reasonable rea rea- investment In actual practice the Brownl Brown amendment would create an almost hopeless administrative tangle The big landlords with large resources of wealth would be able to stop an any Y tenant protests pro P ro- ro tests in the courts The little landlord not having g such resources resources re- re sources and in many cases really really real real- ly needing relief would not get it it Bad Timing g Faced with the March 31 deadline when rent controls expire the administration has shown extraordinarily bad tim tim- ing Bringing up the civil rights issues at the start of the session precipitated the southern fili fill buster That was ready-made ready for the powerful t tireless tire tire tire- re- re less real estate lobby Millions of families are arc watching watching watch watch- ing anxiously to see what congress congress con con- gress does about rent control They may not understand the talk about states decontrolling or cities decontrolling But they will certainly understand when the landlord hikes the rent 10 per cent or 25 per cent They will know that postwar history is repeating itself in a grim and unpleasant fashion Copyright 1919 United United Feature Syndicate |