450 Leasers Will Not Sign PBH Pledge

Over 450 landlords, who originally wanted to be listed with the PBH Housing Reigstry, changed their minds when asked to accept roomers on a nondiscriminatory basis, Mrs. Jane Killborne, PBH Housing Secretary, revealed yesterday.

Most of PBH's policy will receive legal enforcement if Governor Foster Furcolo signs House Bill 1209, passed by the legislature last Wednesday. Scheduled to take effect 90 days after Furcolo signs it, the bill would outlaw discrimination in apartment buildings and rooming houses containing three or more rental units.

About ninety per cent of the apartments listed by the Registry fell within this class.

The PBH Registry was one of the first University housing offices to refuse to list the rooms of discriminatory landlords. Last October the University required every landlord requesting the Registry's aid to sign a statement saying he would rent to any University employees or students "regardless of their race, creed, color, or nationality."

Almost a third of Cambridge landlords and half of the landlords outside the city refused to sign this statement, Mrs. Killborne said. In previous years, about 600 landlords from Cambridge and a similar number from out of the city have listed with PBH.

Results Not Certain

Positive results of the PBH anti-discriminatory rulling are hard to assess, Mrs. Killborne stated. She explained she has no way of knowing how many people have used the Registry's lists to obtain rooms to rent. No Negro has yet reported success in using the list, she said.

On the other hand, Mrs. Killborne said she had received no complaint that a landlord broke the pledge. If this happens, the Registry would drop the offender from the apartment list.