Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-29
BUR[ES0N TO SHUT
EAGLE HUT POSTAL
BRANCH ON SUNDAY
Action Ends Long Contro-
versy Between Officials.
Market Merchants Hit.

Center market postal station. To-
Gated in the Y. NJ. C. A. Eagle Hut,
9Th street and Pennsylvania avenue.
is to be closed Sunday by order of
the Postmaster General. bringing to
an end the controversy which has
been waged for more than six months
between the Washington city post
office and the District Commissioners.
1t was understood today that the
determination of the Postmaster Cen
eral to close the Center market sta
tion was arrived at after Conmis-
sioner Brownlow called at the Post
Office Department and asked that
such action be taken.
Closing of the postal station and
the consequent raZing of the Eagle
Hut will be carried out despite the
determination of the District rent
commission and requests from mer-
chants and others in the Center mar
ket district.
What effect the removal of the
station will have upon the rent SIT
uation in the District is oeyohd tne
vision of experts at this time. 1t IS
known that members of the District
rent commission are fearful OF the
result.
The Attorney General has asked the
Postmaster General for an expression
from Postmaster General Burleson Is
momentarily expected
CITY Postmaster Merritt O. Chance
would make no comment TO-DAY upon
the matter.
ola imed jurisdiction over the land on
which the Y NJ. c. A. Eagle hut is
situated, and desire to put the land
back to it's pre-war state. and then
convert it into a suitable park space
for the vicinity
VIII Cause Inconvenience.
1t was the opinion of representa-
tive merchants of the Center market
section today that the inconvenience
which will be caused them by re-
moval of the postal station from their
vicinity will be chargeable TO the
District Commissioners.
It is known that the city post
Office has not been able TO find {.
suitable site for the Center market
station. and it is anticipated that re.
moyaI of the station Sunday Will
mean the complete extinction OF. an
office that did thousands of dollars
worth of business during the nrs'
seven months OF 1920.
The District Commissioners, after
the determination of the rent com
mission warning them to let the
postal station alone. notified the CITY
postmaster in a letter June rs. l92o.
Thai they would undertake to re-
move the Eagle hut" August J.
The removal of the hut VIII also
do away with the club quarters for
service men maintained by the Ma
tional War Work Council of the y.
NJ c. A. there.
The attitude of the members of the
District rent commission in connec-
tion with the eviction of the branch
most Office from the hut. in the face
;Sin of "a
against such action, is shown IN the
brjef presented at the White HouSe
hy commissioners Sinclair and Tay-
lor.
Not Competent to Assume Power
Declaring that sit is manifestly not
competent for litigants, whether ad-
ministrative officers or others, to take
the law into their own hands. ana,
without any judicial process, forclbly
eject persons whom the rent commls-
sion has adjudged to be lawfully In
possession. the brief cites the action
of the District Commissioners in no.
tifvine City Postmaster Chance to re-
move the branch once iocated III 'he
hut.
Among other charges contained are:
That the action of the Commissioners
is "a blow directly against the eff
fectiveness and usefulness of the rent
that its obvious tendency
lis to ODSlruCt anu eiipdi ass 'He
rent commission" and aggravate the
"yerv conditions which Congress"
sought to avoid, that the move by the
District government is "'in sharp con-
trast with that of the executive de-
nartments of the federal government"
and that the District Commi missioners.
in effect, have served public notice
to the landlords of Washington that
they consider the Ball rent act mere
waste paper" thereby encouraging
in rents and widespread
eviction of tenants.