Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-21
WOMAN INVESTORS
GIVE ALLEY CASH
Subscribe $5, 400 Toward New
Method of "CIeaning Up"
Shacks of City.
MRS. WOODROW WILSON
AMONG THOSE TO ASSIST

members OF Welfare Department OF
National Civic Federation Meet
Difficulty Practically. Il
Inc women who attended the meeting
'he washington section OF the wom-
an "ehare department of the National
N"'c Federation at the Playhouse thi.
nihs decided that the only practical
course IN the alley cleanup movement is
" puiid clean houses for all shacks
'o'h doWn. After the talk and the hand
eidppihg and the noisome descriptions OF
'ue pesuiential conditions I'm alleys and
aiter Representative Kahn of California
"au TAXED Tor ten minutes. several wom-
en- present quietly contributed a total OF
*a+p 10 be invested in the funds OF the
company which is working for .phiIan-
.hropy and . per cent to build clean
homes in the alleys
nrai Wis. woodrow Wilson. who was
praised and whose name was applaudeI
IN connection with the alley work. sub.
scrlbed 500 to this fund. which was
started by Miss Janet Richards with 4
Boushton Waaa sss.r,.s shssn Mrs Charles
burgh. Mrs. Helen Jones. Mrs. SELF
ridge. Mrs. Chaplin. Mrs Shields. wife
o,t OF senator Shields: and Mrs. Salisbury.
tive Kahn OF California Subscribed sIO0
.a Mrs; James Pinchot subscribed $4,000
IN the name of her son. Clifford Pinchot
paner pa snbseribers Were Mrs A. q.
donald; Mrs. Charles Richardson and
mrs. Rfdgeway. There will be more
money added to this amount, as many
women present expressed the intention
VI sending checks as soon as they hal
reached their homes.
Alleys Most Important.
The alley question was the bip fan
ture OF the meeting. although several
women made reports i'm big sociological
works which the organization is doing
The sentiment shown by the women
IN their interest found its climax when
representative Kahn said to them:
Visitors from other portions of the
country are impressed by the sights
tney see in Washington. They think n
q peautiIul city. but they see only the
maps the better way. The visitor does
not see the alleys, but IL he should. or
When ne learns the truth about them,
ne VIII hold the nation legislature re-
sponsibie for letting those conditions
exist: here"
Representative Kahn told of conditions
N nsi. LONDON and othsr European cities, the
oDJect lesson for Washington be-
ing, as he expressed IT. that eventually
the sium problem costs millions unless
solved at a time when IL costs but thou
sands
washington is a young city" he said
alleys" "p
Mrs. Archibald Hopkins. chairman og the
washington section of the woman's well
a no Y-fVv I.s&
tical solution of the alley problem when
she spoke of the business side of the
cleanup problem. She told of the COM
pany which builds sanitary alley homes
In place or the yilainous shacks seen I'm
scme alleys. and IL was her appeal which
started the flutter of checks to the cof-
fers OF that concern.
Praise of Mrs. Wilson.
I'VE never could have accomplished
these things without the aid of Mrs
Woodrow Wilson," she said In the course
of her talk. Things have gone along
rapidly since we began this alley matter
in earnest few days ago. and we have
the promise of aid from officials Of ths
many influential private persons.
Mrs. Hopkins told of the trips through,
the alleys with Mrs. Woodrow Wilson
and the various members of Congress.
She described some of the things she saw
there:
1T has become with me the undercur-
rent of everything TO try TO help these
poor women i'm the alleys. When | think
of the beautiful summer home to which
am invited by my daughter l cannot
help but think of the heat and the dis
tress in the alleys of this city | think
of the piles of dirt and ashes and gar
bage and the women who have to go TO
work, whether they want to or not, and
in charge Of some little child who will
perhaps give the baby some coffee 10
drink II il appears to be getting worse. |
appea! to you all to work to change these
things.
The work of the housing committee
of the womans welfare depa rtment,
bearing directly on the Investigations
into the alleys, was read by Miss Eliza
beth Brown, I'm the absence OF Mrs. E
p. Bicknell She said that the average
OF Washington alleys is below the
standard. and that ii is the intention
of the committee to make these waste
places blossom like the rose" Walter
s. Uford. secretary of the Associated
Charities. addressed the meeting brief
ly. showing exactly what must be done
with Goat salley and Shows court to
make them interior parks.
1t was decided at the meeting that
certain fOrmalities must be gone through
with before the two prospective bills
to condemn the land in those alleys can
be introduced into Congress. For that
reason this legislation may meet with a
slight temporary delay. but all possible
speed will attend its introduction.
In addition to the work for alley
movement done today. Mrs. John Nc
Laughlin, chairman of the government
employees committee. submitted a
monthly report:
.'The Investigation of the pension
bureau" she said, resulted In the sur
geon general of the public health
service issuing instructions for bet
ter system of ventilation. -,
IAN Investigation Of the mail bag re-
pair shop OF the Post Office Department.
has been made and a report forwarded
to the Postmaster General. with a num-
her of recommendations attached. Bet
tering conditions there will be the
first work this committee will attempt
this fall
Sanitation in Treasury.
"The Treasury Department now has
a sanitary officer appointed by the Sec
retary. The report OF the sanitary
officer outlined a great number of sani-
tary improvements in the Treasury
building since January 1, 1913.
Mrs. Nota McGill reported on the prog
ress made in the investigation OF the tu-
berculosis hospital. which was made the
subject of congressional activity last ses-
sion. -
Mrs. Hopkins told of the work done ~
Mrs. Paul Bartlett in organizing junior
20 rn dena rtment The members are high
.chooI girls who have for two OF tner
ohiects the lettering OF feacners pay
~ the obtaining of high school buiid-
;nss for social center work.
Miss Louise Henderson made report
1no0