Evening star., 1918-02-28
ernment clerks coming here Maj. Pot
ter presented letter from President
McIlhaney Of the civil service commits
sion on the subject Of new clerks. which

McIlhaney of the civil service commits
sion on the subject OF new clerks. which
said:
About 10000 appointments to the
classified service in Washington
were made in the calendar year 1917.
and the population OF the city in-
creased about 10000. It Is believed
that another $4,000 will be added to
the population this calendar year.
Notwithstanding the great addition
fngton which already has been made.
the number of appointments per
month does not decrease: rather. it
increases, and it seems that the
maximum has not yet been reached.
Reports current throughout the
country concerning the scarcity of
rooming' and boarding accommoda-
tions in Washington have greatly
hampered the commission in its
work of recruiting the civil service
and have thereby affected the whole
war organization Almost daily one
or more of the commissions 5000
local representatives report that diff
hculty is being experienced in OBJ
tanning applicants for examinations
on account of general reluctance
to enter examinations. owing to the
reported conditions in Washington.
In addition to the difficulty in Sc
curing applicants, fully SO per cent
or those who become eligible after
taxing examinations now decline
appointment.
Maj. Potter expressed the belief that
temporary buildings must be built. be-
cause permanent buildings cannot meet
the emergency that will develop before
july L. Except in SO far as the emer-
Sency needs to be met in that way, he
tnought there would be less expense if
the government would go into perma-
nent housing development.
Suggests Land Donations.
U. J. Phillips. a builder. suggested
that great deal of real estate might
be turned over to the government free
OF charse for the construction by the
government Of temporary buildings.
Some of this property is in Maryland
and Virginia. The building which the
government would put up on park
property in the city would be worthless
after the war. while the other build
ings could be utilized
william H Baldwin, chairman of the
District council of defense, testified
that the number of unoccupied dwell
ings I which February 27, 1915, stood at
years and more up to June IS. 1917.
when the number stood at 4,822 OF
this latter number 145 were reported
as uninhabitable. November Is, 1917,
uoiio0i VI NdCdnl houses was Z,US6.
or that number $50 were reported as
being in poor repair. leaving 1853
houses, of which about half were
usually occupied by colored people and
some of them alley houses that are to
be vacated by law July /. 1918. So
there are about 700 houses to take care
of the influx of people, plus the number
OF rooms WHICH the patriotic may offer.
Urges Bills Passage.
Il think there Is nothing unfair to
the government about this bill" said
Mr. Baldwin. I'VE in the District will
be glad to have the bill passed and let
when we get around to it."
Mr.. Baldwin said that S,4G0 people
in alley houses will be turned out of
their homes July l next, when the new
alley law goes into effect He express
ed regret that the law had been passed
and said that under present conditions
IL cannot be enforced without grave re-
suits.
Representative Nolan said he had no
idea the alley law would operate so
seriously. But now S.40O people are go
ing to be elected from their homes
with no place to go.
should be postponed going into effect
until the end OF the war, and that then
the houses built for war workers NAV
be well used to assimilate those who
will have to go out of the alley houses.
Mr. Baldwin said the restaurant prob
lem is also acute here. No one can af-
ford to fit up restaurant at present
nigh cost Of materials and labor to sup
ply the temporary emergency.