The Washington times., 1914-12-05

Two men and a woman drove through
Washington In an automobile late yes
terday afternoon. They did not follow
the show streets" of the city. Instead.
their chauffeur guided his big car
through the poorer sections of the Ma
TONS Capital. stopping frequently at the
narrow mouths of congested alleys,
where his passengers alighted and en-
tered the insanitary inner courts. with
the abolition of which, as places of
residence, the bill passed by Congress
at the time of the death of Mrs. Wood
row Wilson has to do.
The passengers in the big car were
Thomas Adams, one Of the worlds fore
most experts in matters of town plan
ming: Brig.-Gen. George NJ. Sternberg,
honorary chairman of the committee on
housing, which is to deal with the
problem of finding sanitary homes for
washington's alley jewellers when they
are evicted some time within the next
three years, and Mrs. Albert Norton
Wood, Of the Association of Collegiate
Alumnae, who have interested them
selves in the question to the extent OF
arranging for two lectures by Mr..
Adams.
The first lecture was given at II
o'clock this morning before the Fedora
ton of Women's Clubs, at a public
meeting at the Public Library. The
second lecture viii be given tomorrow
afternoon in the new Masonic Temple.
where a small admission fee will be
charged and applied to the Belgian re-
lief fund
Problem Is Serious.
The problem which conrronts Wash
ington with the abolition OF aIley resi-
dences IS a serious one. according to
Mrs. Wood. She points out that the
measure. as passed by Congress. likes
certain day in, July. 1918. when every
alley IN Washington shall be prescribed
as a place OF residence. This means,
according to the committee. that more
than 1.0O0 men and women and chill
oren, mainly of the helpless type. are TO
be thrust upon the city. and unless
some provision be made for them they
must move out of the alleys into other
shaclls and novels on poor streets in
conSestcd neighboThoods. there TO con-
tinue their insanitary and wretched ex-
Istence.
Following his tour of inspection. which
although brief was amply sufficient to
give the housing expert a fairly COM
prehensive grasp upon the Stun con-
ditious in Washington. MIR. Adams in
sisted that he had not made the trip
to enable him to prescribe a definite
program for Washington's alley ills.
but that he had found conditions the
existence Of which in a city like Wash
ington is ineXcusable and without jus
tification save for one thing-the fact
that the congested and insanitary alley
conditions which he observed are Ibe
natural ana logical outcome OF the
somewhat eXtravagant plan on which
! the city was originally laid out" Wash
| ington. he holds. was planned from the
/ beginning TO be a show city. with
broad streets and avenues and sener-
! Gus park spaces. and that the pursu-
ance OF such a plan naturally failed 70
take note o. the effect which mas been
the CrOwdlng OF The poorer part of the
population into alleys and courts.
Improve Water Front.
In discussing his trip Of inspection,
NJ Adams who now occupies the
! position OF adviser on town planning
! 10 the conservation commission OF the
J Dominion of Canada. and who was for
merly a member of the local govern
ment board OF Great Britain. a central
national executive orgs nizstion super
visirg all matters on public health and
city Improvement, said:
When ] say that I have found
conditions here which would be in
cX,Css BILE except that Washington
was planned for a show city, I do
not mean that no public spirit exists
here There is a strong sentiment in
the Capital OF the United States
toward relieving these alley condi-
lions. and. generally speaking. II ia
as strong as any civic consciousness
that | have ever encountered.
There are also evidences OF great
Improvement in the city hav-