The Washington herald., 1922-06-03
Finance Subcommittee Is
Abolished for Fail
ure to Function"
RESPITE FOR ALLEY
RESIDENTS ASKED
Building Material Retail
ers Accused of Absorb
ing Price Cut.

Charges were made that although
a 90 per cent reduction has been ef-
fected in the wholesale price OF
building materials. no change has
resulted in the price Of newly con-
structed houses.
John b. Larner and z. c. Graham,
prominent Washington business
men. resigned from the subcommit-
tee on finance Of the Commi issioners'
housing committee. and the entire
subcommittee was abolished with
the recommendation that a now
body be appointed at an early
| period"
A resolution was approved calling
upon the District Commissioners to
bring about a two-year extension
/ Of the alley closing law-which he
comes effective November Z. th,s
year-owing TO the scarcity ot
homes TO care for the 1000 alley
dwellers
These were the latest develop
ments in washington's housing
l enigma yesterday as advanced dur
ing meeting of the Commission
ers' housing committee In the board
room Of the District Building.
-FniIed to Function
suoc"ri nlIttee on hhance' of
lho,has bohes was chairman
! pE una hItl"us Nnte
! ss,., iu", I'm. IN m"t'"h
.anoi.,.. Ior ,h- earls
80 ., tr,.a.,, DF,-. Iil
as ., roIs,os q h,,;,s,, .s..t-
rho a., a. ,Ii,
co,,r,i,,oa - e' - l me
af,er can, T,,,i,,. -.
her ~ the coror,i,,o. ro-o-,a. -,
n, h.d .,t.r,p,c5 - ..,I -.
hers into session after tbs resJr,s-
tIon Of Bones and ,b.t Al, 80 -
forts had failed Jobn r Tar,ar
and f. c. Graham followed tho lead
of Bones and refused 10 have anv-
thing To do with the committee.
Cbarx~. Of Pront.c1,r
To can the cI,r.x -, .,..,,-
replete with charges and c6u-ter-
4 charges. Frank y Hughes. rreSi-
dent Of the Hughes Finance cor-
noration and fiscal advisor Of the
! National Mortgage and Investment
! Corporation. took the floor IN de-
fense of these organizations ? ga nst
attacks made on their business
methods.
Hughes challenged wIllIau, n-,ne
Ham to prove the charges tha- he
had made in a letter To Mrs. rU
Helm'ck. chairman ~ the general
committee. that the organization.
were collecting exorhitant commits
sion on second MORTGAGES Ham
Immediately accepted the challenge
and rose with copy of statistics
in hand. hut tho committee mem
hers persuaded the two to rrc-r-t
their facts before the suhcom N ttes
on finance that is to he appointed.
Intimations 81 proftee-inr by
building material dealers were con-
tained in the report submitted bv
pr. I"hn u. Cries. chairman ~ the
subcommittee on buildinC materials
ana chief OF the housing bureau
Of the Department Of Commerce.
Refused In Answer
! ..,
10. 70.
~" ~ tnah '.
per ceht IN tne "h"lesale prices OF
H'ateriaiS. Srles stated. is eVi-
oeh' 'hat someo"oS locally must
ne absorbing these reductions in
costs ana that they do not reach
the purchaser Of homes"
Cries charged that the dealers
and contractors refused TO coop
crate with the committee 10 the
extent Of telling what they paid
for materials or what they were
selling for. He stated that out ~
thirty-one letters 10 contractors
asking for prices paid he received
one renlv- while but two on. ~ six
deorers renlIed ana that most
,,c,gerlv
rh. ra,o-. shows ,b., hr,a,,o
materials are stiu IS per cent higher
than in 1918 and that It is not to
he expected that prices will soon
return to the 1913 level.
wouId CompeI Te.timopv.
n,..,.,. .,,,,.si., 8 "a. ,.,,t,,
II,.n,t. ~-io "a ~, -,
M ~ ~
tns - S'sa. =, ~ ~
s,to g. ~ - - t,,'tia,.
n,nr,a,. ,,iI ,ha .,,1r,1 - hoO,sas
~ 'iaNeI taiS ~ ui'e-i w II-fls %
s ~ a., -, - nv
i.- -. ,s.-.", ,,..ti,-
I.t,Ss -. 80 - -. -
dnc,i"n .hso,haS "a 20, ro,.h ~.
,,,roh.sar
III also Is true tha, ,be conn