Evening star., 1918-06-18
SECRETARY WILSON
TO DIRECT HOUSING
President to Put $50, ,0W,-
600 Project Entirely in
His Hands.
SIGNATURE is AWAITED

An executive order, which. It is
understood. will assign power to the
Secretary of Labor to carry out the
provisions OF the ixty-million- dollar
housing law, is now before President
Wilson awaiting his signature. As
the bill passed Congress it gave con-
troll Of the housing program to the
President. The housing bureau Of
the Department OF Labor has been at
work for nearly year on plans for
carrying it into effect
AS soon as the President signs the
order the housing bureau will begin
work on the first OF the dormitories
to be built in Washington for the
accommodation Of the thousands of
war workers in the departments here.
Sites Await Approval.
Four sites, all owned by the gov
ernment, were recommended to the
President by the housing bureau.
Whether the executive order will in
clude approval Of these sites is not
known
One Of the sites was Union station
plaza, and 1t is practically certain
that this will be approved. as the
dormitories to be built there will
accommodate woman war workers as
soon as they arrive in the city. and
while they are looking for perma-
nent home.
The other three sites were: Monu-
ment grounds between the Monument
and the Ellipse: tract extending along
Ohio avenue from 14th to 18th streets.
and Potomac Park. at south end Of
railroad bridge. The Potomac Park
SITE site was tsr proposed Tor men ana sas
thought possible the President might
object to the Monument grounds site.
but whether any of these sites have
been approved probably will not be
known until the order now before
the President Is signed.
Law ANots $40, 600. 600
The housing law allotted SO. .000. 900
Of the full pp..I appropriation for the Dis
tories for the clerks, small homes to
accommodate several thousand navy
yard workers are to be built in the
southeast.
1t is not unlikely, however. that the
navy ydIu HOUSES, WHICH Will uc VI q
permanent character, will be built by
private builders on loans from the hous-
Ing bureau out Of the $1o.0o0.000 appro-
priation.
The proposed plan is to lend the build
er 80 per cent Of the full cost OF
project, the loan to be payable in fifteen
years at S per cent.
Figures compiled by Maj 2. L. Potter
Of the housing and health division Of
the War Department show that during
the last two months there has been a
steady decrease in the number Of war
workers arriving in Washington.
the War Department has employed
nearly all the clerks It will need, and
is now running its big clerical ma
chine with more stability. The Treas
'ury Department, however, is still
bringing employees in, and the navy
yard expects several thousand more
mechanics.
. e41 Came Last Week.
Prior to May war workers were ar
During May the average fell Off to
between 700 and 500, and during the
week ended June only 565 arrived.
Last week, however. the average
went up again to 941.
Mai. Potter expressed belief that
from now on the average probably
would be about 500 a week. The room
registration office Of the District
Council Of Defense still has a large
supply Of rooms on hand, and the De-
'partment of Labor probably will rely
on this Office to continue to house a.
large number Of workers.