The Washington times., 1920-07-27
"HUT" TANGLE
NEARING END
Y. M. c. A. and Postmaster
Notified That Possession Will
Be Taken August |.

Before the end OF this week the con-
troversy over the possession of Eagle
Hut. at Ninth street and Pennsylvania
avenue northwest. will be ended. This
Is the information today from official
sources. although none OF the parties
TO the controversy, the postmaster.
the Commissioners and the Rent Com
mission would give out any official
word.
The Commissioners have given no
tice to the Y. NJ. c. A. and the city
postmaster that they Will take pos
session of the hut on August i and
will tear II down. The controversy
has been taken before the Presi-
dent, but no word has come from the
White House as to what stand the
President took in the matter.
The postmaster and the Y. M. L. A
have said that they will Ecate as
soon as they can get quarters in the
immediate neighborhood, but to date
neither has obtained suitable place.
william Knowles Cooper. genera
secretary OF the Washington Y. M
c. A. said today that the Y. NJ. e. n.
was in tho position OF an innocent
bystander in the case. He SAID that
as soon as '1e District Commissioners
notified him to vacate that ne hau
served notice on the postmaster 10
get out. but that the postmaster had
refused
Mr.. Cooper said that for the past
six months the officials of the y. NJ.
C. A. had endeavored to obtained
suitable quarters in the downtown
section Of the city. but their ehorts
had been of no avail. Several OF the
small hotels in the downtown section
Of the city had been looked at ana
also a theater. but il was found that
none of the property looked at was
suitable.
According to Mr.. Cooper, the Y. NJ.
c. A. plans to obtain building In
the downtown business section or the
city for the use of the soldiers. They
plan to reproduce the arrangements
at Eagle Hut on the ground floor and
use the upper floors for sleeping
quarters and shower baths. The
greatest need now. Mr.. Cooper said,
was to obtain rooms for soldiers pass
ing through Washington.
Just what the outcome OF the con-
troversy will be could not be learned
today.
The fight over the occupancy OF
Eagle Hut has been one of the Bit
terest intcrgovernmental contests
that have taken place in Washington
for some time. and reached such pro-
portions that the aid of the President
was sought.
The hut occupies space on the
Government reservation at Ninth
street. Some time ago the commits
sioners decided that the use for which
the property had been put should be
discontinued. Accordingly notice was
served on the Y. NJ. c. A. and
knights Of Columbus. who had
erected huts there during the war.
to vacate The knights OF Column
bus vacated their space and razed
their hut. They also sent a check
fray the cost of putting the ground
in shape again.
APPEAL TO PRESIDENT.
The Y. NJ. c. A.. however. backed
UP by the city post office refused to
move and applied to the Rent Com
mission for a stay. The stay was
granted. The Y. NJ. c. A., it was
brought out in the controversary, had
rented part of it's hut to the city
| post office which was using the rented
space as a branch postoffice for tho
use of the merchants in the Center
Market and the business section Of
| Seventh and Ninth streets.
The Postmaster got up a petition
which was signed by the majority OF
| the business men in that section of
the city, asking the Commissioners
! to recede from their action. but the
Commissioners refused. The Rent
Commission brought relief. however.
and the hut remained. Several weeks
ago the Commissioners served notice
on the Y. NJ. G. A. and the Postmaster
to vacate and gave them until August
|, to get out.
The order of the Commissioners
| followed closely on the heels of the
decision of the District Court of APP
peals, which ruled that the Ball rent
act was unconstitutional and that
the Rent Commission was acting
without authority of law