shortage. These suggestions have all been vigorously opposed by the Expediter. Under the local option rule he has used every technicality to avoid having cities terminate rent control, but in spite of him, over 40 percent of the 231 largest cities in the country have freed themselves of ths control. Twenty-four of these 231 cities have lost population but gained housing, nevertheless, they are among those still under Federal control. It is crystal clear that the Expediter has at all times been interested only in perpetuating himself. In spite of having the greatest amount of housing in the history of the country in comparison to its population, the Expediter's present position is that we still need more but at a price lower than private industry can furnish it. This means that the owners of rental housing built before 1942 must continue to subsidize the renters (including the rich and indolent) until enough Government-owned public housing is constructed to give all the renters exactly what they desire at someone else's expense. Few, if any, legislators in Washington could approve such a financially impossible socialistic housing plan. SOUND LOGICAL LEGISLATION Legislators should carefully consider the dangerous evils of continuing this law. They should realize that people, when in fear of shortages and rising prices, will buy and store more than they need of food. clothing, household goods, appliances, tires, and other articles that are consumed or quickly worn out. People will not buy or rent more housing than they need except when rent controls make it a rare bargain compared with the balance of the price structure. If these are serious times and if we are honestly trying to unify the prople in an efficient use of our labor and resources, Congress should kill rent control, eliminate the Housing Expediter, and allow the people to mutually enter into free contracts on rental housing. This will automatically and speedily bring about a large extra supply of housing without the use of any new material or labor. What could be a more efficient manner of aiding in our defense effort? Any fair-minded legislator will agree that the owners of rental property should have had the same position as all other citizens with reference to frozen incomes. Their rents should have been based on parity or the price index. Scores of cities that have had the greatest gains in population in comparison to their gains in dwelling units have been decontrolled for a considerable length of time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics have issued fifigures on many decontrolled cities and they show that rents have not risen to anywhere near their former relative position in comparison to all other items. RESULTS OF COURAGEOUS LEGISLATION The expediter said publicly that it would be a miracle if rents did not double if controls were removed. The facts today show that he was trying to perpetuate himself by spreading fear. The courageous legislators who decontrolled these many cities have completely exposed and disproved the Expediter's statements. Decontrol of these cities has brought about the following results: No sign of mass evictions, riots, etc. A modest increase in most 1942 frozen rents. No increase in many rents which had formerly had increases over the 1942 freeze. A reduction in rents on many of the new and decontrolled units. Sharing of single occupied units by one or more additional people, creating thousands of vacancies for families and actually reducing the rents of these individuals. Married couples without children vacated large apartments and moved into smaller ones vacated by single occupants, thus making available large rental units for large families needing them. Bringing back on the market thousands of rental units that had been held off because of rent control. You can pick up the paper and find housing for rent and for sale in every section of these cities. No more begging, buying furniture, black market bonus, etc. The renewal of closer relationship between the owners and renters and the freedom to work out mutually beneficial matters without the interference and propaganda of the Housing Expediter. An increased value of the rental properties, thus justifying increased real estate taxes so badly needed by these cities. (Under rent control the small home owner has been taking most of the added tax burden, while the renter has taken none.) Thousands of apartments were vacated by tenants who could well afford to own property. When their rent subsidy terminated, they quickly bought homes. These vacated apartments were then available for those families who had to rent. ENEMY IN WAR AND IN PEACE Rent control is an arch deceiver. It froze out the veterans and those who most needed rental housing. It turned class against class. It killed freedom of contract. It made honest renters and owners dishonest. It took ample housing and quickly created a great maldistribution to fool and confuse the American people and make them believe they had a true shortage. Rent control has been an enemy of our Nation in both war and in peace. INDIVIDUAL CITIES ANALYZED A comparative study of the 1940-50 Bureau of Census figures for the 231 largest cities in the United States shows how impractical even local option has been in the operation of this law. A table listing these cities is shown hereinafter. The table has them arranged in their proper order as to the number of available dwellings in comparison to the increase in population during the last 10 years. No. 1 is Scranton, Pa., which is in the most favorable housing position in comparison to its change in population. The last two cities are Madison, Wis., No. 230, and Wichita Falls, Tex., No. 231, which are in the lesat favorable positions. They are the only two cities on the list that did not have more housing available for the increase in population than was being used by their inhabitants in 1940. Ironically, both of these cities have been decontrolled for some time. A few of the other illogical situations revealed in this table of United States Bureau of Census figures are listed hereunder: 1. Of the first 25 cities on the list, all have lost population and gained housing; nevertheless, 24 of these cities are still under Federal rent control. The last 25 cities on the list show the least proportionate amount of available housing and 18 of these are completely decontrolled. These two extreme examples indicate the pattern throughout the table. 2. Of these 231 cities, 95 are no longer under Federal rent control (13 of these are located in the State of New York which has its own rent control law). The remaining 136 are still under Federal rent control although some of these cities are now in the process of voting for decontrol. 3. The 82 cities entirely free of any rent control gained an average of 31.4 percent in population. 4. The 136 cities still under Federal control gained an average of only 9.5 percent in population. 5. The 13 cities still under New York rent law gained an average of only 4.7 percent in population. 6. Houston, Tex. (No. 186) gained 209,807 or 54.6 percent in population. In comparison to Houston, Chicago (No. 83) gained 209,628 but only 6.2 percent in population. Chicago's net increase in dwelling units was over 50 percent greater than was Houston's. Nevertheless Houston is decontrolled while Chicago is still under control. 7. The greater the comparative supply of housing, the more likely it is that the city is still under rent control. The shorter the comparable housing supply, the more likely the city is decontrolled. |