The Washington times., 1919-06-26
KUTZ FAVORS
HOUSING FOR
ALLEY PEOPLE
Engineer Commissioner Would
Build Municipality Construct
ed Homes For Poor.
By BILL PRICE.

Engineer Commissioner huIE laNOiS
rnunicipalIy constructed housing for
something like 10000 people who will
have 70 leave the alleys Of Washing
ton one year after peace is proclaimed
The Commissioners as a whole may
endorse the bill Of Senator Jones OF
Washington or some other measure OF
the same sort. Mr.. Jones bill pro
vides $500 900 for construction OF
small houses, with modern facilities
to be rented to those who Will be dis
placed when existing houses in Wash
ington alleys are torn down. These
alley houses were scheduled for ex-
termination after July l. 1917, but
the war came on, and with it the pour
ing IN of thousands Of people who had
TO be housed. Congress extended the
{ determination law until one year
= after the proclamation Of peace.
Steps must be taken within that
wear to house the occupants Of alley
dwellings. They would be homeless
and forced to leave Washington If the
law were in effect today. The same
situation will prevail a year from
now unless steps are taken to provide
homes. Private contractors and
builders have no plans to build suit
able houses at reasonable rents.
No Other Way Out.
So Colonel Kutz cannot see any
other way out than for Congress to
direct the District to construct sani-
tary homes and rent them upon a
basis yielding or Z per cent return.
These houses should be comfort
able, but without frills," said Colonel
-.
a minimum standard Of housing with
modern facilities insuring sanitation"
A number Of years ago philanthro-
pic WashingtonianS, including the
late General Sternburg, q: S. A, or
Eanized q sanitary housing associa-
ton and constructed in southeast
Washington a number Of small. but
attractive houses which were rented
TO poor people on q per cent return
basis. Because Of the low rents,
houses were never vacant Tenants
who took care Of their homes and
kept them in neat condition were
given q rebate for December rent
the Christmas season, and this was q
big inducement for responsibility
among tenants.
Colonel Kutz has this experiment.
in mind a. one that could properly
be conducted by the municipality If
IL should be impossible to have in
dividuals begin construction
Rent Situation GeneTaIIy.
Congressman william R Wood. Of
Indiana, q member of The House Dis
trict Committee. calling ct the Dis
trict Building today. eaid he believes
the housing and renting situation in
the District by far the most important
Al - k0V
supply, such as is proposed in the
Zihlman bill passed by the House, is
the next important. he thinks.
Mr.. Wood Is IN grave doubt, though,
as TO how the rent problem should
be handled. He frankly admits that
landlords are entitled to reasonable
increases Of rent owing to the heavy
costs OF repairs. The question with
him, as with all others who have
been studying the matter. is how to
psrmit fair returns to owners of
houses and at the same time stop
outrageous profiteering on one side
and utter disregard OF fairness by
some tenants on the other. He does
not wish to do anything to discour
age erection OF pew houses. which
must necessarily bring rents much
higher than in pre-war days because
Of the increase in cost Of over so per
cent
Mr.. Wood has been thinking Of a !
rent commission, fashioned something
after the Public Utilities Commission, |
which would pass on questions Of
reasonabIeness Of rents. but such q |
commission, II Is indicated, would re-
ouire an army OF assistants and |
clerks.
Commissioners Give Il Up.
The District Commissioners some
months ago evolved a plan Of trying |
TO bring landlords and tenants to-
rether in some sort Of arbitration, the |
District code permitting arbitration /
in litigation before the courts. The /
commissioners, however, found the /
whole problem so involved and in
tricate that they decided TO take no /
action
The Commissioners see the same |
thing that everybody else sees-the /
rfghteousness Of fair raises in rents
under some conditions-but they like
wise know that under the guise Of al
legged fair increases many landlords
are profiteering TO an extent that
ought to be punishable by imprison-
ment
The Commissioners have not made
recommendations to Congress for the
reason that they cannot see how
law can be passed that will be equita-
BILE or that will not interfere with
new const ruction 50 badly needed in
town. Each individual case Of rental
is different from another, and = uni
form law would work injustices AL
most as manifold as now exist.
whether Washington desires II or
not, though, legislation OF some sort
seem inevitable, inasmuch as dozens
of Senators and Congressman are try
ing to work out solutions for presen-
tation TO Congress on the basis that
extortion must be stopped.