Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-02

vantage of the Salisbury act to retain
/ the houses at the old rents and filled
them with boarders was revealed in
the report of the United States Hous-
ing Corporation which has been sub
mitted to Congress.
/ In one of these houses. which are
/ located on one of the squares pur-
: chased by the government several
years ago for park purposes. which
was leased for 50. there were twelve
subtenants. or boarders. paying rent te
| the original tenant.
! ne-Dollar-a-Month Tenant.
! In the case of tenant who paid 81
! = month rent for one of the govern
nlent-owned houses repairs were
made at a cost of 1851. This tenant,
| a woman. had ten subtenants in the
! house. A number of others had
| leased these houses prior to the war
at 81 a/month and refused to pay any
more; though they filed up their houses
with paying boarders.
The report dealt also with dormi-
tories erected for woman war work
ers on the Union station plaza.
The statement regarding the gov
ernment-oWned houses which were
leased at 50 and 81 month prior to
the war is contained in that part of
the report dealing with the work of
the committee on requisitoned houses.
Extract From Report.
The report said that since the sign
ing of the armistice no further prop
critics have been requisitioned. OF
the 141 houses requisitioned the
committee has released 122 and re-
leases are pending on FIVE houses.
The report continued:
In December twenty-five houses
were being operated by the commit
tee as boarding houses for woman
war workers. The housing situation
was SO far relieved by the opening
of the Washington residence halls
for woman war workers that it was
possible for the committee to dis
continue the operating of the board
ing houses. Sixty days notice was
given in most cases. and the last OF
the operated houses was closed on
April 80. Fourteen houses are still
retained by the committee and are
leased for housing war workers. in
all cases at a price no less than that
being paid by the committee to the
owner for the use of the premises.
In some cases owners have refused or
neglected to sign release agreements.
but in only two cases so far have
the owners refused to accept the COM
BY means of this power to requisition
rooming accomm odations have been
provided for approximately 1900 war
workers in Washington.
"The act creating the corporation
provided that the houses on square
~ at
ed by the United States government
could be turned over to the corpora
tion together with any other houses
in the District owned by the govern
ment and not then occupied.
The houses referred to on square
633 were owned by the Department
of Interior. which turned them over
to us in September. 1918. There were
in all twenty-five houses, of which
five were vacant. The others were all
occupied by tenants who were paying
from 81 to IS per month rent The
construction division thoroughly re-
paired the five vacant houses and they
were rented through the office of the
Washington division as lodging
houses for war workers.
six tenants of the Department Of
the Interior on New Jersey avenue
agreed to make readjustments of
their rents in view of repairs which
we might make. The construction
division, therefore, proceeded to put
these six homes in good condition, but
stopped, because of the signing of the
armistice, before the work was COM
pieted. The six tenants, although their
houses were filed with dodgers. show
ed no disposition to make what we
considered reasonable adjustments of
rents and the Salisbury resolution
made it impossible for US to raise the
rents without the consent of the ten
ants AS they We're alb tenants orig
I inally of the Department of the In
terror. it was, decided that that de-
partment could best handle the situa
ton. and all the aforementioned
| the Department of the Interior.
Eighteen houses insthe southeast
section of Washington. the fees in
which properties We're taken in con-
nection/ with the Washington navy
yard project, have recently been turn
ed over to the Washington division
/ for management They have been
put into habitable condition and the
! Washington division has leased them
to the occupants at the same rents
/ that they had been paying"
! Dormitories About Finished.
The report stated that the dormi-
! tories erected for the woman war
workers on the station plaza ARE
now practically completed"
Numerous handicapping delays oc-
Cured" the report continued, due to
difficulties in securing building ma
terials and equipment. The contract
was let August 2. The signing Of
armistice and the consequent uncer-
I tainty of the future of these buildings
. was responsible for further delay.
"ln spite Of all these obstacles. how
ever, the first unit of $50 rooms was
opened on December 10. 1918, four
months and seventeen days after con-
/ tract l had been let Tin twelve units).
! The twelve units are designed to
accomm odate 1913 guests. and are
over 80 per cent occupied. There are
two dining rooms with a seating
capacity of some 500 each. There is a
small infirmary and a small recreation
hall. The dining room in the plaza
group opened on March 8, 1919, and
! has since been taxed to the limit
The dining room in the Capitol
group was opened May 10, 1919, in
| charge of a trained dietician, who is
/ expected to provide wholesome, pala-
table meals suitable for indoor work
ers. The government employees who
live in the residence halls pay $45 n
month for room and two meals on
work days and three meals on Sun
day.
The residence units are designed to
provide maximum number of small
single rooms supplied with running
water and having convenient access
to bathrooms. There are general liV-
ing in each 70