Evening star., 1921-10-11
PLANS LAW CHANGE
| FOR ALLEY HOMES
D. C. Surveyor Would Elm
mate the Danger q Eiec-
ton Of DWeIIers.

Several thousand alley dwellers in
the District. who face election from
their homes with the going into ef-
feet Of the alley law. a year from the
day the peace treaty Is ratified. are
promised relief in = plan worked out
by Melvin c. Haxen, District sur
veyor. which will be submitted to the
Commissioners In the next few days.
Congress directed the law should
not operate until year from the
ratification OF the treaty. This means
that unless an extension Is granted
or the law Is amended q situation
will obtain In the National Capitol
In about q year which may find hum
dreds Of families without abodes.
Mr.. Hazen would not further delay
the going into effect of the law. but
he would change 1t so as to eliminate
the danger Of q considerable portion
Of the city's population being made
homeless
Would Alter Housing Provisions.
His plan would not hold up the
streets. as contemplated by the law,
but 1t would alter certain of the
housing provisions SO that many per-
sons would not be required to move
from the dwellings they now occupy.
The law REQUIRES the cutting
required they shall have a uniform
width of forty feet. The surveyor
is in sympathy with the first PROPOSE
tion, but thinks the second should be
amended. He states that approx
mately SO per cent of the alleys now
objection to retaining this width
when the alleys are connected with
the streets. II this were done. he
points out, it would not be necessary
to demolish or relocate the houses
now fronting on the thirty-foot al
leys. In other words. about half OF
the alley population could remain
where it is. the only change erected
by the law being the cutting through
of the alleys to the streets.
Offers Another Amendment.
Another provision of the existing
statute the surveyor would amend is
tire requirement that. in converting
ernment shall demolish the houses
standing in the line of the improve
ment. Mr.. Hazen proposes that m
stead of demolishing property, the
government relocate 1t on the lines
of the minor street. so that 1t still
will be available for occupancy.
He points out that, in some squares.
the running through of alleys to the
streets would bring irregular out
lines to certain lots and reduce their
injustice being done in this direction
Mr.. HaZen proposes an excess con-
demnation" plan. under which the
government could condemn all prop
erty affected by the extension of the
alley and resubdivide the square. This
plan. it is urged, should satisfy the
owners. while the resubdivided lots
would have an increased value. and
the government, as the owner of the
property. could sell it. probably at a
sufficient profit to cover the cost of
the alley Improvement.
Changes Assessment Law.
Mr.. Hazen also proposes that the
provision of the present law assess
ing the entire cost OF the alley i'm
provements against property bene-
fitted should be changed. In many
cases. he suggests. construction of
the minor streets would necessitate
the acquisition Of valuable property.
and the cost would be SO great that
to assess it as a benefit against other
property would amount practically to
confiscation. The change he advocates
would give the condemnation Jury
the right to say what part of the cost
of the alley improvements should be
assessed as benefits against property
owners, with the balance to be paid
by the government.
Summed up. Mr.. HaZen'S plan calls
for starting, as soon as the law lis
operative. the work of converting the
Districts alleys into minor streets.
but in a way to disturb as little as
possible the occupants of alley dwell
lfngs. He would tighten the burden
on property owners in the matter of
paying for the improvements and he
would make the law secure against
attack on the ground that it is con-
fiscatory and, therefore. unconstitu-
tional.
Sees Serious Crime Connection.
AS to the need of converting the
alleys into minor streets. Mr. Hazen
said today he regarded the alley sit
uation as having a more serious
crime connection than at the time the
law was passed. Bootlegging has
f1ourished under alley environments.
he stated. 1t is his opinion that the
widening and cutting through of these
interior travelways to the main
streets, which will be followed by the
lighting Of the alleys. will operate as
an effective deterrent upon law vio-
lation and crime.
No recent estimates have been made
as to the number of alley dwellers
who will be forced to look for new
homes. if the alley law goes into op-
Grafton as it now stands. In 1909 the
alley population was found to be
$4,000. It dropped to 10000 In 1912,
and 1900 in 1913. The last statis-
tics gathered indicated there were
5000 alley houses and about $500 al
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