The Washington herald., 1918-04-22
over THOUSAND.
IN EW employees.
+ARRIVEWEEKLY.
Problem of Housing Vast
Contingent Vexing Cow
ernment Heads.

When you are occupying your
. mind with the latest mental pas
time in Washington. that of conjec-
turing upon the number of new
government employees who arrived
here last week. and where they
shall go, note the following facts.
culled from the office Of Col. Pot
ter, Chief Of the Housing and
Health Division Of the War Depart
ment. and then give the answer:
For the week ending April IL.
last. 1910 new war workers were
placed on the pay-rolls Of Uncle
Sam. OF this number, and within
: the same time, 66s of these en-
ployes left the service after coming
here because OF inadequate housing
conditions and eating facilities.
Net Weekly Average 1.13l.
The average weekly innux of
NEW government employees here dur
ing the last six weeks was Its.
while the average Of those leaving
weekly was 657-a net addition of
1,121 workers weekly.
More than half of those who have
taken Civil Service examina tions,
been passed and offered positions
with the government In Washing
ton. have subsequently even refus-
ed to come here because Of the reas-
ons stated.
For every three persons appoint
ed to the service, one leaves 1t, and
! basing the average business cost Of
| breaking in a new employe at 500.
1t will cost the government at least
$500 per week or $4,000 a year
to go through the performance.
This Is the fiscal angle Of the sit
uation. as viewed from the gov
ernment's standpoint but necessar-
lily a secondary one.
The most bewildering problem
for all concerned is that between
April 1 and July 1. 1884 additional
war employees will have arrived
here with no ostensible place to go.
Even should the S10.O00,00o appro-
priation which is looked for from
Congress for building homes for the
workers, go through on time. that
is by May 1, these dormitories will
not be finished in time to take care
Of the larger number of the newly
arrived.
The housing OF this influx OF
workers until the government pro-
yides quarters for them is therefore
the biggest question that confronts
! Col Potter and the housing COM
mittee Of the local Council of De-
fense. Though the people of the
District for the most part have re-
sponded heartily to appeals to rent
rooms to incoming employees. and
though there are still a number OF
desirable rooms listed at defense
headquarters, the number of rooms
that are being taken from there
far exceeds the number that are be-
ing listed.
| Families Discouraged.
The situation here has moved the
local defense committee to discour.
age the bringing of families tC
Washington by the new war EN-.
ployes. This. the committee, says
would swell the population here be.
yond any possibility of its proper
housing.
In order to relieve the embarrass.
ing housing condition in the Dis,
trict, efforts are being made to in
duce the new government clerks tc
accept rooms offered them in the
outlying suburban districts. Though
it means a longer ride to and from
work, the heads of the Room
Bureau at local defense headquar-
ters are telling the newcomers who
| seek places in the downtown sec.
ton that a room in the suburbs
will be more habitable during the
next few months of hot weather
than ODa in the city Mapv ~ fbaSf
suburban rooms are listed at the
headquarters and more are being
asked for.