The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-20
6AHAM'S BILL
0NLY H0PEF0R
!. S. PAYMENTS
:, Nav See Way Clear for Tempo
= nrv Care of Large Housing
instruct Paving Costs.

u.vor Harry NJ. Schriver receiy-
latter this morning from Con-
.man W. J. Graham in which
savs that he has introduced
=, n the house giving the United
s.tes Housing corporation power
settle up all its outstanding
s.;r,s of which this city has be-
1ss an. $50 900 and $4,000 due on
ling improvements made under
sstra Ira with the housing corpora
IN but on which no payments
ave been made. x
Congressman Graham says that
"a housing corporation has the
-oaey TO pay such bills, but that 1t
- been acting in the belief that it
ii NO power to liquidate such
AIMS. The situation is of inter
= here and the congressman says
81 II the matter can be confined
: the written contracts of the cor
.aration, there should be no trouble
& obtaining passage of the bill. His
i.,ter TO the mayor follows:
aThe situation here is as follows:
II have introduced a bill giving
no housing corporation power to
ssttle I'D all the outstanding claims,
believe the corporation has such
aver under existing law, but the
authorities seem to doubt this. l
n informed the corporation has
efficient money to pay all claims
arising out of written contracts
rhich. of course, would include
ears. The matter is complicated,
somewhat, by a number of cities
uhich have no written contracts,
but where lands have been with
drawn from taxation because of
eoyernment use, and where these
titles have claimed a refund of
such taxes. If we can keep the mat
Ter confined to the written con-
tracts. we shall have no trouble
with the bill.
Try to Rush Hearing.
"The house committee on public
buildings and grounds is favorable
10 it, and the secretary of labor is
approving the bill. l believe, on
next Monday. we will be able to
get some action, and it will then,
il voted favorably, go on the house
calendar 1t must then come up
in its regular order. unless a rule
is granted to bring it up specially,
which rule l viii try to obtain il
The bill gets on the calendar. 1t
will then have to go through the
house, and ] naturally expect some
opposition, but believe that we
can muster enough to get it
through. In the senate we have
been able to enlist the sympathy OF
about 20 of the senators who have
signed a memorial to the secretary
of labor about this, and with their
help think we may be liable to do
something if the bill gets to the
senate, if it gets that far.
In any event, l should think it
would take two months to get the
bill passed, if we get it passed. The
chances. however, are more than
fair that it will become the law.
The fact that it has the support of
the labor department gives it a
good standing l will push it just
as fast as l can.
81 regret exceedingly the situa-
ton, but it is not one that any of
Us can help, and We must make
The best of it. / might suggest
that it may be possible for you ID
get the payment of the bonds post
poned for a time, say from three
to six months, or that possibly some
arrangement might be made with
some of your local banking institu-
tons, to take them up and hold
them for that period.
These are all the suggestions
that | can make at this time, but
assure you I will leave nothing
undone which I can do to hurry the
matter up, as I realize the great
importance of it."
City Has Some Leeway.
Mayor Schriver and City Clerk
NJ T. Rudgren issued the joint
statement today that the city may
De able TO take care of the situation
ior the time being, pending the pas
sage OF the bill as announced by
congressman Graham.
The installments were due Jan.
:, and payments on bonds are due
req :. The city clerk said that
mere are city funds out of which
such payments may be cared for
temporarily and at the council
meeting next Monday moves toward
ms end are looked for. However,
.ae city's final support must come
through just such a bill as Con-
sressman Graham has introduced.
Is with work already done and
with a contract held with the hous-
Jug corporation to pay all bills. the
oIy hndS itself dependent on a