The Washington times., 1922-06-03
HOUS|NCREPORT.
DRAFT STARTED
BY COMMISSION
Mrs. HeImick Directs Work,
Cost Of Building Materials
AssaiIed.

Drafting or the general report OF
the local housing committee. out.
lining conditions in Washington and
suggesting remedies. was begun to-
day under the direction OF Mrs. Eli
Helmick. Daniel J. Donovan. sec
retary and James c. Wilkes. as.
sistant secretary, are aiding Mrs.
Helmick.
Completion Of this report Is eX-
pected within a week. Mrs. Helmick
plans TO hold a meeting OF the gen
eral committee on June 9 when the
report will be read for approval.
The appointment Of sub-com.
mittee to take the place OF the
finance subcommittee which was
dissolved yesterday will be made
early next week. II was said today.
This committee will be put to work
Immediately.
The finance subcommittee has
been the center Of strife and critic
ism since its unsatisfactory report,
submitted a month ago, In which,
It Is charged, efforts we're made to
"whitewash" second mortgage men
In the District of blame for housing
difficulties.
Ousted Unanimously.
The subcommittee vas dissolved
by unanimous vote for alleged fail
ure to function. The motion called
for immediate appointment Of a new
subcommittee.
The finance committee smash be
gan with the resignation OF Thomas
Bones as chairman following the
first report. Following his resigna-
ton futile attempts were rlade by
Capt. Julius !. Peysyr to call the
members into session. He received
replies from several members that
agreements as to the mentioning OF
names in the investigation" had been
violated and that they would no
longer serve.
Captain Peyser charged that mem
bers Of the subcommittee had lost
sight OF the problem with wh1cA
we have to deal, and have reach'd
the point where they are trying 70
see how much injury they can DO
their fellow committeeman.
A second bomb was buried INTO tne
meeting when Frank J. HnGhes'
president OF the Hughes Finance
CORPORA ton and fiscal advisor OF the
National Mortgage and Investmcnl
Cornoration. challenged William D.
Ham to prove charges made by MN
that tho ORGANIZATIONS represented
nv Hughes were collecting "xhorbl-
tant commissions on second mort
cages.
Ham Immediately jumped up,
waving n bundle OF statistics. but
WAS choked off by an order that the
facts in the controversy be present
ed TO the subcommittee on finance.
which is yet to be appointed.
Material Costs Assailed.
The report OF DIR. John NJ. Cries,
for the subcommitte on building ma
terial prices. also evoked a display or
fireworks. DR.. Cries charged tnat.
though building material prices hau
undergone a reduction or ~ per cent
in wholesale cost, there had been no
drop In construction costs. lie IN,
timated pointedly that builders ana
contractors in Washington were
absorbing these reductions IN
costs"
He bitterly scored the builders
and contractors for failure to CO.
operate with the housing committee
IN it's investigation. and urged the
authorization of committee with
legal power to subponea witnesses
and order the appearance of books
and papers.
The report OF the housing com
mittee. headed by John Ihlder, pre-
cipitated adoption Of a resolution
calling upon the District Commits
sioners and Congress for a two-year
extension OF the alley-closing law,
which is to become effective in No
vember, because vr the hardShlp
which would be worked II 1000 alley
dwellers are turned into the streets
without any provision being maoe
for their care.
A fight was caused ny lne preeI ,he
tation OF the minority report oS tnr
Rev 7 Milton waldron, calling Tor
zonine OF the alleys and their clos
ing over a period Of three years, be,
ginning with the "crime zone
Saar from, next November.