The Washington herald., 1918-04-03
Housing War Workers.


hshments for the new hosts OF government EN-
ployes summoned here from all corners of the
tioa. This is what the action of the House yester
day means. Although primarily meant for the
housing of ship workers, steel artisans and others
h the industrial centers the needs of Washington
are to be recognized in the general bill which has
now emerged from the Congressional hopper
A rent administrator will not be needed in the
city il the housing problem is met in adequate
fashion by the government-as it should have been
met months ago. 1t is all very we'll to shout and
spout about prohteering at the battered heads OF
the resident population of Washington. When the
demand for certain article surpasses two. and
three times the supply of it, certain condition is
created, and certain results from it. An
cess OF demand over supply inevitably means that
the seller is going accept the best price that is
offered him by the purchaser. Much of the out
cry prohteering in renting, etc, has been
due solely to the fact that artificial level OF
prices was established by those newcomers who
were able to make extravagant offers to obtain
what they wanted Once this level was established
for instance, when Mrs. A. knew that Mrs B. had
been offered a certain price for her apartment, or
for her rooms, vicious circle was created, the re-
suits of which all know. To place the blame
for such situation the shoulders OF the people
of Washington is ridiculously unjust.
The Secretary of Labor is to be in charge OF
the construction of the dormitories. A number OF
interesting questions spring to the lips OF the
Washingtonian. Where are they to be built? Are
they to provide for war workers with famlies-that
is, to contain apartments OF several rooms-or
merely to be built the single-room principle,
largely for unmarried women who are employed in
minor clerical capacities at small salaries? What
scale Of rents will be established? Will summertime
conditions in Washington be taken into account in
locating the quarters?
The Secretary of Labor is embarrassed at the
outset by amendment inserted in the housing
measure by Representative Sherley, chairman OF
the House Appropriations Committee, to the effect
that specific plans and details must be drawn and
placed before the Appropriations Committee for
approval before any appropriation for construction
in Washington can be drawn upon. In other words,
all plans will be subject to the veto OF the commit
tee. Rush work under this condition is hardly to
be expected particularly since procrastinaon is
of the prerogatives OF Congress which it will
never abandon. 1t is pity that the .housing prob
lem cannot be tackled forthwith without further
strictons imposed by Congress. All sorts OF in
fluences will be brought ID bear upon Congress to
prevent any systematic housing scheme from being
worked out
Officials OF the Department of Labor have no
data to open their preliminary survey save that
which has come from the Investigations into the
DISTRICT housing conditions last winter-which
aimed to expose the conditions then existing rather
than to formulate any policy or program of amelio-
ration. For that it is difficult to get them
to discuss their problem. They state however that
dwellings, portable houses, duplex and trpIex
homes, are to be constructed as we'll as dormtores
and barracks, so that families coming to Washing
ton will. be laboring under no disadvantage as
against the unmarried workers.
II would be a mistake to utilize any section of
the Mall in the construction of these barracks Not
only Is the Nall to be encumbered with war offices
on the plans already in process OF execution but il
IS an extremely hot and uncomfortable place in the
summer period, and no one would live in quarters
established there if he could possibly find housing
elsewhere. Furthermore, there is plenty of open
space in the enVirons OF Washington-one does not
have to 60 farther than Florida avenue northwest
and northeast to discover resources along this
line. Even inside the Florida avenue line there is
ample space for the erection of barracks without
encrosching on the Mall or any of the parks of
Washington.
1t has been urged that these hotels be placed in
the central section OF the city because of the cur
rent conditions Of traction congestion. This is not
sufficient reason, particularly as the traction diff
Guilty is now in fair way of being mastered the
companies themselves working upon the plan of a
unihed management Before the administrator of
the new housing law proceeds to business every
aspect OF the local situation should be studied No
time should be lost in the building of the new quar-
Iers, obe sure, but at the same time no vital mis-
takes should be made at the outset
The present expansion of the naval gun fac
tory.in its completed form it will be one of the
largest, not the largest in the world-will bring
thousands OF new artisans to Washington. OBJ
viously, ii barracks be created for them thew
should be zoned according to some definite system:
the Anaeostia and Congress Heights section would
be excellent place for those designed for naval
gun factory workers Quarters for the War and
Navy Department workers could be erected in
Georgetown, which is tapped by two car lines,
either of which can be expanded without diff
Guilty to meet needs. Perhaps the development
of population along Wisconsin avenue would hasten
the day when it has direct communication
with the city proper. just the development of
Mount Pleasant is making the need of an Eighteenth
or Nineteenth street car line more pressing every
dsy.s Under present conditions Il might be mad