We have these landlord's experts come in, and they differ widely among themselves in their estimates, sometimes as much as 20 or 30 per cent on the value of the building. If we take the lowest value set by the landlord's experts, the court of appeals says that is not in accordance with the law; that we must take the average of the estimates of three experts. The tenants have no organization and they have no way of raising money to pay an expert. I do not know of my own knowledge but I have been told that these experts produced by the landlords get anywhere from $200 to $1.000 a day for testifying Mr. BYRNS. Unless you have an expert, you are wholly at the mercy of the experts produced by the landlords? Mr. SABINE. Absolutely, and I think if we do not get an expert the landlords, except for the expense of the experts, would not care whether the commission is continued, because they put up their experts and we are bound, under the decision of the court of appeals, to accept the testimony of their experts. Mr. CRAMTON. You mean up to this point, not having had an expert, the commission has been quite a harmless institution. Mr. SABINE. Rather. That was not so before the court of appeals decision, because the commission fixed the rents-this is prior to my time but the commission fixed the rent, and that, apparently, went. But since then we have had this decision of the court of appeals. and the commission is bound by this decision, of course, and they are limited in making their decisions to the testimony which is presented. ADDITIONAL STENOGRAPHERS. The CHAIRMAN. I notice you want to provide for extra stenographic and clerical service to finish the work now pending. That means the cases on your calendar? unheard. Mr. SABINE. Yes, sir; and cases that are being filed. In January we had 112 cases. We had 512 on the calendar on January 1, The CHAIRMAN. All from tenants? Mr. SABINE. No, sir; some of them are from landlords. Quite a number of landlords have been taking advantage of the provision. which allows them to come in and have the rent determined. The CHAIRMAN. What do you pay your stenographers? Mr. SABINE. The highest paid stenographer we have receives $1,640. Two of them at $1,640 have been taking this court testimony. Then, we have two at $1,440, who have also been taking it. That is the lowest salary, I understand, allowed to be paid, and that amount includes the bonus. The CHAIRMAN. How many do you propose to employ now? Mr. SABINE. My recollection is that we asked for five. We could run two courts or four sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with four stenographers and we would be able to have two hearings going on at the same time in two separate rooms. The CHAIRMAN. All you are asking for is for an additional amount to enable you to function until the 22d of May, next? Mr. SABINE. That is all, and we are asking for $400 for additional supplies. Our typewriting paper runs approximately $50 a month with our present force; our telephone bills run between $35 and $40 a month. But we can not get along on much less than $150 to $200 a month for supplies with an increased stenographic force. The CHAIRMAN. If the commission goes out of existence it ought to be allowed to function until it does go out of existence. There is no use in having it unless it can function. Mr. SABINE. Otherwise we would practically have to sit around with our hands tied. Mr. DAVIS. It seems to me $400 is quite a large sum for stationery. You have the necessary tools, and things of that kind. It seems to me $400 is a good deal to pay for stationery for two or three months. Mr. SABINE. Yes, sir. I think perliaps we can get along with less than that amount for stationery. But we may have to pay an additional amount for the telephone out of that. and that runs about $35 or $40 a month. We underestimated that item last August. Mr. DAVIS. You mean it is $35 a month for telephone service for one office? Mr. SABINE. Our telephone bill runs about $35 a month, I think, with our seven extensions. Unfortunately, I did not bring those estimates or bills with me, because I did not know of the hearing until 15 minutes ago when I was notified of it in Congressman Lampert's office, but I can get them if you want them, showing just what those items comprise. The CHAIRMAN. I wish you would put that in the hearing. PERSONNEL OF BOARD. Mr. CRAMTON. Can you give, offhand, a statement of your salary roll at the present time? Mr. SABINE. I can not give you the whole thing offhand. You mean for the month? Mr. CRAMTON. No; your regular salary roll at the present time. Mr. SABINE. I can give it to you approximately. I should say the amount is $27,500, exclusive of the commissioners' salaries. Mr. CRAMTON. I mean the list of positions. Mr. SABINE. I can give you that offhand, now. There are five commissioners at $5,000 each. Up to May 22, 1924, that would be $23,000. Mr. CRAMTON. Just give us the positions; never mind the totals. Mr. SABINE. We have a chief clerk at $2,000; a secretary at $3,000; and an attorney for the rent commission at $5,000. There is a telephone operator and information clerk at $1,640; three stenographers at $1,640 each. Mr. CRAMTON. If you will, please put the list in the record. Mr. SABINE. I will do that. (The statements above referred to are as follows:) Statement of items requested by subcommittee on deficiency of the House Committee on Appropriations-Condition of current appropriation, fiscal year 1924. Total 1924 appropriation for fiscal year up to May 22, 1924- Leaving a balance available for other salaries and expenses. Total balance available for stationery, telephone, supplies, $51, 750. 00 23, 000. 00 28, 750. 00 27, 592. 20 1, 157. 80 Employees: ITEMS OF ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION DESIRED. 960. 00 55, 360. 00 Field engineer, $3,600 per annum, $300 per month, 3 $900. 00 5 court stenographers, $1,800 per annum, $150 per 2 stenographers, $1,640 per annum, $136.66 per 2,250.00 820. 00 Printing briefs: November, 1923, estimate of Mr. Williams, pro- Typewriting paper for 9 stenographers, at $5.64 each $3,970. 00 1, 122. 28 $152. 28 Court shorthand paper for 8 stenographers, at $6.22 each per month, for 3 months. 149. 28 Blue manuscript covers, 3,000_ 14. 70 Carbon paper, legal size, for 12 stenographers, 50 Mr. BUCHANAN. How many cases have you on appeal? Mr. SABINE. There were 36, but I think about 5 have been withdrawn. Mr. BUCHANAN. Does it require $700 for briefs on those cases? Mr. SABINE. I got an estimate from the Government Printing Office on that, and their figure for 20 briefs was $738. But I had only included the 20 which were on appeal at the time. I got the estimate in October or November. Since that time there have been 16 appeals filed and 5 of them have been withdrawn. The CHAIRMAN. If the commission is going out of business on the 22d of May, it would seem to me to be economy to give them enough money now to clean up and not have them compelled to hold over, drawing at the rate of $5,000 a year for some time after the life of the commission has expired. You think this amount would help you to clean up the cases? Mr. SABINE. There is no question about it. It would enable the commission to hold four sessions a day instead of two. As it is now, occasionally we can hold three sessions a day, in the morning or afternoon, but that can be done only occasionally. Mr. CRAMTON. This is the only rent commission in the country, is it not? Mr. SABINE. There have been rent laws passed in a number of States, particularly in New York State, with which you are no doubt familiar, which law has been extended for two years, and in Massachusetts a special commission on the necessaries of life. But I am not sure whether this is the only rent commission. Mr. CRAMTON. Did you notice the recent publication of the fact that the increase in rents in Washington had been greater in the recent past than the average increase in American cities? Mr. SABINE. Yes, sir; it is. There are a few cities shown by the National Industrial Conference Board report where the average has been higher, but the rents have unquestionably increased here, and the increase, according to the estimate of the National Industrial Conference Board, between 1914 and last March, has been between 81 and 90 per cent. From March 1, 1923, to July 1, 1923, they figure there has been an increase of from 11 to 20 per cent in the group of cities in which Washington comes. Washington is grouped with 13 or 14 other cities about its size, and they figure that the increase has been from 11 to 20 per cent in those cities in the first six months of last year. I have not got any later figures on that. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1924. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY. STATEMENTS OF MR. R. M. REESE, CHIEF CLERK; DR. F. G. COTTRELL, DIRECTOR, FIXED NITROGEN RESEARCH LABORATORY; AND MR. H. M. FRAMPTON, BUSINESS MANAGER, FIXED NITROGEN RESEARCH LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. The CHAIRMAN. We have an item for an additional amount required to pay rental to the trustees of the American University for use of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory for the fiscal year 1924, $10,000. Will you tell us what you have been in the habit of doing in this place, how much money you have had for it, why you want more, and what you are doing now, and why you need the place at all? 87419-24-14 ORGANIZATION OF FIXED NITROGEN RESEARCH LABORATORY. Mr. REESE. The Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory was a part of the establishment which the War Department had there in the early part of the war studying the gases used in warfare. After the close of the war the War Department gave up all of that work with the exception of the fixation of nitrogen, which, by an agreement between the two departments, was transferred, on the order of the President, to the Department of Agriculture, the idea being that it was in peace time more of an agricultural problem than a war problém. The President's order was dated June 14, 1921, and the transfer was effective June 30, 1921. The CHAIRMAN. You mean the transfer from the War Department to the Agricultural Department? Mr. REESE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. That was the first time you had had participation in this work? Mr. REESE. Yes, sir. The trustees of the American University at the beginning of the war had offered the use of their property to the Government, rent free. The CHAIRMAN. That was during the war. That was where we trained engineers, was it not? Mr. REESE. That was where the Chemical Warfare Service had some work, and trained men, and they did train some engineers there during the war. The CHAIRMAN. That is at the Methodist University, at the corner of Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues? Mr. REESE. Yes, sir. The trustees continued the free occupancy of the premises to the Department of Agriculture by resolution until June 30, 1922. In the summer of 1922 the trustees applied to the Secretary of Agriculture for compensation for the use of their property. The CHAIRMAN. From June on? Mr. REESE. Yes, sir; that would be the fiscal year 1923. The CHAIRMAN. What was done about it? Mr. REESE. After careful investigation of the matter by a committee appointed by the Secretary, it was decided The CHAIRMAN (interposing). A committee of men in the Agricultural Department? Mr. REESE. Yes. It was held that the trustees were fairly entitled to a reasonable rent for their property. The CHAIRMAN. How much property do you occupy that belongs to the University? Mr. REESE. We occupy what is known as the Ohio Building or McKinley Building. The CHAIRMAN. Is that the building located to the west? Mr. REESE. Yes, sir; that is the white marble building. The CHAIRMAN. What do you use it for? Mr. REESE. It is used for the laboratory and offices of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory. The CHAIRMAN. How many people are employed there? Mr. FRAMPTON. Eighty. The CHAIRMAN. Tell us what they do there. Are they all chemists? |