Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-20
SURVEY OF THE COST
OF ALLEY CLEANUP
Bills to Be introduced May
Divide Expense Into
Three Parts.

An '.office survey of Goat alley and
SHOWS court. the especial targets of
the present combined movement in the
alley cleanup Legislative program Of
the Womans Welfare Department of
the National Civic Federation and it's
associate committees, was begun to-
day by William p. Richards, assessor
for the District of Columbia. Charts
were drawn up in the District build
ing at the request of Commissioner
Rudolph. and an estimate of the
amount of property to be condemned
under the proposed bills will be made.
The information thus gained will be
used in drafting the two bills which
will be introduced in the Senate and
House simultaneously. it is planned.
At first glance it would seem that
about $125.O0O will be the worth of the
land to be condemned. None of the
land the exterior rim of the two
squares will be condemned except a
few feet to be used as exits from the
proposed interior parks. In the case
of Shows court bit of land will
be scooped out on the interior of the
square bounded by | and X. oath and
25th streets northwest similar to the
operation in the case of Willow Tree
alley.
Estimate of the Cost.
The chart in the District building
prepa red by Mr.. Richards shows the
dimensions to be $50 feet b.: 30 feet.
with an outlet fifty feet wide on cath
street and fifty-seven feet wide on 25th
street. The property involved con-
sists of forty houses. worth about $50
900. with land worth about $4,000, a
total Of $4,000.
N he bounded
l. and NJ and 9th and 7th streets north
west, will not be valuable, ii is iig-
ured. There will be two outlets for the
proposed park, and as there are only
about twenty alley houses involved with
the land the total is estimated at $4,000.
This sum, added to the Shows court fig
ures, will make $l2O.O0o, which will give
5000 leeway to work with.
Assessor Richards is interested in the
alley condemnation scheme, and has had
considerable experience in that line. He
said today that ten years ago the first
movement of this sort was starting by
opening up an alley as a minor street
between nh and 9Th and N and O
streets northwest. The expenses We're
assessed against the adjoining property,
but this was the cause of a serious pro-
test, and since that time, in the case
OF Willow Tree alley, the expenses have
been distributed equally between the
property owners, the District and the
! national government
Distribution Of Expense.
1t is probable some such distribution
of expense will be recommended in the
bills to be introduced in Congress. The
committee which handled the preliminary
work in the case of the alley between 4th
and 5th streets was composed of Mr..
Richards, then surveyor: Maj. Sylvester
and George Wilson, secretary of the
board of charities
Considerable comment was heard today
concerning the connection which has al
ways existed between r. l.. Siddons one
of the foremost possibilities for the COM
missionership. and the present alley
cleanup movement Mr.. Siddons has been
preaching cleaner alleys for several
years He was member of the RoOse-
Welt homes commission. and has been a
member of the Monday Evening Club
housing committee. and member of SINH
lar committees doing work of that sort
At present he is president of the Monday
Evening Club and is very closely con-
nected with the present proposed leeis-
latiOn.