The Washington times., 1922-06-10
PR0BE.R.s'
REPORT IS
REJECTED
Attack on Financiers Too Wig
orous, Verdict Of Committee
Ordering Survey Be Revised.


orous, Verdict Of Committee
Ordering Survey Be Revised.
Mrs. Ell Helmick. chairman of
the housing committee. thinks
Washington's housing situation IL
SO bad that ,financiers and builders
have apparently combined to pre-
vent the erection Of low-priced
houses. & .-.. t,.
When Mrs. Helmick expressed
these views in q draft Of q report
of the housing committee yester-
day. the report was PROMPTLY re-
jected and ordered rewritten.
Vote, IL to S. a ,
The committee, meeting In the
District building yesterday after
noon ,-voted eleven to five to return
the report to the steering COMMITTEES.
The report was vigorously attack.
ed, some members declaring II was
libelous. The report contained eight
pages and outlined q condition In
Washington which many members of
the committee refused to believe
existed.
The report will be rewritten, this
time by Mrs. Helmick and the chair
men Of the seven subcommittee
Next Thursday a second draft will
be submitted for approval.
Summary Of Report.
The report drawn up by Mrs. Her.
rick says, briefly: -
That needed and suitable housing
facilities are not available for a large
part OF the population here.
That needed and suitable housing
facilities cannot be made available
under the present practices Of financ-
ing local building operations.
That builders and financiers are
apparently so combined as to re-
strain the building OF low-priced
houses. r..
That the only remedy lies in cor.
rective legislation. -
That q Congressional investigation
Of the housing situation should begin
immediately. Reason: The local hous-
ing committee, being without legal
authority to summon witnesses and
examine books, has been handicapped
In its work and has been unable to
obtain many important facts.
That the committee encountered a
quiet but deep hostility from the va
rious interests most closely connected
with housing and building conditions.
That the alley law should not go
into operation next fall, but should
be extended two years.
The report also contains a brief
summary of the reports Of the seven
subcommittee. 1t contains three
recofnmendations-o for a Congress
sional investigation. one for exten-
sion of the operation OF the alley law
and one for the discharge Of the COM
mittee.
Mrs. Helmick spent nearly an hour
yesterday reading the eight-page re-
port to the committee. The commit
tee adopted . motion, to refer the
report back to the steering commit
tee. This vote was:
Ayes-E. C. Graham. Frank ].
Hughes, c. Clinton James, Mrs.
Adolph Kahn, Thomas w. Marshall,
Mrs. ]. p. s. Neigh, julius I. Pey-
ser, Samuel ]. Prescott, r. e. Walk
er, Walter 8. Ufford and Frank Up
man.
Noes-Charles A. Baker, William
Deane Ham, John Ihlder, John II.
Payneter, and the Rev. ]. Milton
Waldron.
Not voting-Dr. John M. Cries.
Final Report Delayed.
Mrs. Helmick called on Commits
sioner Rudolph this morning and
told him the final report of the
committee would be delayed as
result of the action taken at the
meeting yesterday.
Commissioner Rudolph said Mrs.
Helmick told him that before the
report was brought to the commit
tee yesterday she submitted 1t to a
lawyer for an opinion as to whether
II was hbelous. She was told that
1t was not.
Mrs. Helmick explained that she
believed the report gave a clear
statement Of conditions here. but
added the committee did not agree