Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-01
Arguments in Favor of Bor-
land Bill Designed to Ben
eft Wage Farmers.
elimination OF SLUMS
FEATURE OF MOVEMENT
Legislation for District Advocated by
Gen. Sternberg and Others Be
fore House Committee.

Hearings in favor or the Borianu Dill
to provide for the construction of SAM
tary buildings for unskilled wage earn
ers in the District of Columbia on scale
broad enough to include all the SUM
problems now being attacked piece
meal began before the District committee
of the House yesterday. Representative
Borland, Mrs. +. +. Wood. John b. Col
poys and Gen. George NJ. Sternberg spoke
but the committee adjourned with the
intention of hearing others on the sub
ject at an early meeting.
Briefly. the Borland bill authorizes the
issue of S1O.OoO,OO0 District of Columbia
bonds at the rate of not over s1,OO,Uoo
annually. and that any non-commercial
organization shall be permitted to Dor
row the money thus raised. provided. of
course the organization is sound and
bears an investigation by the Commits
sioners. ......
Gen George NJ. Sternberg, the pio-
ueer of the Sanitary Housing Company
his companies would be able to get
money by the plan proposed in the Bor-
land bill.
Views of Mr.. Borland.
Representative Borland, opening the
hearing said that the United States is
the only large country of first grade
which has not settled the housing
question nationally, the reason being
that up until few years ago there
was so much Of the public domain to
be given to any one who asked for it.
Fifty per cent of the population now
lives in cities, he said. and the by
product of the city's development Is
the slum. A proper control of the
activity. 1t is as important to give
the working classes moral. clean and
beautiful surroundings as it is to pro-
vide Potomac Park You, cannot dit
workers and the rich. At present most
of the park improvements are for the
benefit of the richer classes"
Replying to the, statement that there
alley dwellers could move Immediately,
Representative Borland said:
These are just the kind Of houses
that fall into the slum class as soon as
they are rented to two and three families.
They are the once-tine houses, now fallen
from their former high estate. and are
decaying. They should not be used to
prevent alley congestion because they
really do not solve but add to the prob
lem. What We want is substantial houses.
family can have the privacy and self
respect due to itself. This Is not phi
lanthropy or charity, but question of
social Justice"
Claims It as Progressive idea.
Representative Walters, progressive.
called attention indirectly that this was
one Of the broad principles Of the pro-
sressive party.
Mrs. E. E. Wood told the committee that
there are more than 1000 alley dwellers
most of them there because of force of
circumstances, and not from choice, and
and not supply a new set of houses of
clean and healthy sort would only mean
more congestion.
TT will cost quite a sum to compensate
the owners of the alley property for the
condemnation" she said, land the tax
payers will not feel they are getting their
moneys worth If nothing comes from
the legislation except placing the con-
gestion in the streets instead Of alleys.
People who are now paying IS month
in alleys cannot pay s1s a month on a
street unless two families crowd into one
house, thus increasing the congestion
Favored by Organized Labor.
That organized labor favors the bill
was stated positively by John B. Colpoys.
a labor organization man.
20 better the cOnoltlOn OF tne I'M
skilled worker he said. sis to better the
condition of the skilled workmen. So
ciety in general should look after the
condition of the unskilled worker
Much OF Gen. Sternberg's talk to the
committee related to details of financing
the Sanitary Housing Company which
has made combination of philanthropy
and per cent" to the great benefit Of
the community wherever the rows of
sanitary houses have taken the place
of the old-time ramshackle huts where
families lived in saualor and dirt. He
told the committee that the sanitary
houses rented at $50 and IS month
and Were always tenanted; that the rent
was about per cent of the cost
Surplus Fund Provided.
Two per cent went into a surplus fund,
now represented by about $1950OO in
property, he said. and per cent was used
for repairs. etc The other per cent is
paid in dividends to men and women who
have invested their money with the SAM
tary Housing Company.
He said that IL the company could OBJ
tain money at per cent, as it might dc
under the Borland bill If enacted, rents
in the company's houses would be re-
duced-