Evening star., 1919-10-07
NAVY YARD MEN
WOULD BUY LAND
Employees Ask Congress to
Authorize Sale for Homes
in Southeast Section.
200 READY TO BUILD

200 READY TO BUILD
Employees of the Washington navy
yard asked Congress today through
the House committee on public build
ings and grounds to authorize the
sale to them of the land in the
southeast section, part of which was
purchased outright as housing
proposition and part of which is un-
der option. The navy yard employees
are ready to erect at once 200 high
class private residences.
Subcommittee to Visit Property.
In executive session the House COM
mittee decided to appoint subcommit-
tee of five to make personal inspection
of the project. Chairman Langley
named on the subcommittee Represent
atives Kraider Of Pennsylvania. chair
man; Brooks of Illinois and Thompson
of Ohio, republicans, with Clark of Flor
ida and Griffin of New York, democrats.
This subcommittee will visit the prop
erty tomorrow.
If Congress approves of this meth
cd of disposing of the housing prof.
ect near the Washington navy yard
it will be used as an example for
dispesing OF housing suaf Pro'ecss pr tSs sr IN
ployes of industry, according to n.
A. Alifas, president of District No.
a., International Association OF Ma
chinists, who is in charge Of the dis
trict which includes navy yards and
arsenals. Il
Members of the House committee
were impressed with this method OF
disposing of the housing corporation
muddle, and at the same time disposing
of the housing problem in the industrial
centers.
Houses to Cost pc, 500 to 1900.
The Washington navy yard employees
seek to acquire about seven blocks
between 18th and 18th streets and East
Capitol street and Massachusetts, ave-
ing the deal say that already more than
200 are ready to build frst-class homes
If this land can be acquired at rea-
sonable cost. A committee has been
at work for more than six months.
The houses would be Of about six
or $1,000. They would be detached
homes and not in rows The plan Is to
have these homes constructed on a large
project way SO as to reduce the cost
and it Is estimated that $1,000 to $4,000
could be thus saved on each home.
ployes at The hearing today said they
were willing to pay $1S5. 900. They
asked that the g0vernWent write on
Ne 81 war loss certain cpsEiy improve
ments, which will be- a loss. anyway
II the project is not carried forward.
claim should not be charged, against
them. They also want aQueexed out
OF the project ait costs due to the,
alleged extravagance Of the houaing Corr
poration. ~
Says Workers Would Remain.
A strong argument presented by
Herbert e. Leeman. president Of CO..
1umbia Lodge, No. 174, International
Association Of Machinfsts, was that
the government will really benefit by
retaining permanently at the navy
yard the services of high-class ma
emergency, and who have been suffer-
ing hardships due to housing conges-
tior. If these men can establish at
tractive homes in this vicinity handy
to the navy yard, they will remain
here. otherwise they are ready to ac-
dustriai concerns outside the govern
ment service.
The proposal was laid before the
House committee in the form of q
resolution offered by N. p. Alifas,
record that it would not criticise the
housing corporation IL it sold to
these men, at their price, with the
cost Of improvements made by the
government on this project cut on.
A chart showing the property under
consideration was laid before the
committee.
Subcommittee Given Data. =.
George B. Logan. counsel for the
Senate subcommittee on public build
ings and grounds. which has been in
vestigating the housing project, laid
before the committee information
showing the money expended by the
Corporation on parts Of the land
which the navy yard employees seek
to acquire. He said that there are
| three projects-27A, 27B and 27C. The
cost Of the land in these was: For
27A. $30,789; 27B, $31, 765, and 27C,
$9.07e.
The total cost to the government of
acquiring this property was $71,62O.
Mr. Logan said this included allow
ance made to patriotic negotiators.
who work at the rate Of $50 day and
expenses" but he explained that the
mission to a real estate agent would
have been. The government has paid
out on project ETC. which is the tenn
porary dormitories and cafeteria,
$3o2,00 on 27B. $144.650: on 27A,
| $a36.o00. making total Of approxi-
mately 100000 OF this about $780,
600 was for grading, and Mr.. Logan
said that in his opinion this repre-
sented a permanent value on the prop
erty of about $4,000. He agreed with
Representative Frank Clark and other
members Of the committee that if
housing projects were to be retained
by the government until industrial
conditions were more settled. and there
was a more stable demand for such
dwellings by employees in readjusted
industry. they should be taken out of
! the hands Of the housing corporation as
soon as possible.
Urges End Of Housing Corporation.
Representative Andrews of Ne,
braska. member of the committee.
who for eighteen years was auditor
for the Treasury Department, said
| that the quickest way to get the en-
tire matter settled was to have the
House adopt the Clark resolution to
abolish Immediately the housing cor
poration and to have the Treasury
Department take over the work of
getting what salvage it could from
the housing project. He pointed out
that this would lay the matter before
the Senate. where a special committee
is now making an investigation Of
the housing project. and that this
was the most efficient way Of clean
ing up the matter.
Other spokesmen for the navy yard
! employees were William w. Keller
chairman of the Washington navy
yard committee; ]. T. Donnelly, ma
chinist at the navy yard, and Dir.
Leeman. !