Evening star., 1923-02-21
BILL T0PAy D. c.
SURPLUS REPORTED
OUT BY COMMITTEE
Will Facilitate Passage When
House Gets Senate Rider on
Deficiency Measure.
MEMBERS FOR PAYMENT
WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY
Focht and Zihlman Delegated to
Urge Chance for Teacher
Bill Monday.

The House District committee. on a
motion pressed by Representatives
Zihlman of Maryland and Walters OF
Pennsylvania, today unanimously re-
ported out the Hardy bill, designed to
carry into effect the report OF the
Joint select committee investigating
the Districts surplus.
This bill proposes to place to the
credit of the District in the federal
Treasury the free surplus Of $4.43S,-
3b4.29 that the joint select committee
decided was due the District from the
federal government.
Representative Zihlman, in pressing g
for action at this time, explained that
similar measure had been placed by
the Senate as an amendment to the
deficiency bill. and when that de-
ficiency bill comes back to the House
with this legislative rider, 1t will be
strengthened by the fact that the
House District committee, with juris-
diction over such legislation, has
made favorable report.
Favored by Hammer.
Representative William C. Hammer
of North Carolina said:
We owe this money to the Dis
trict. 1 favor the report of the joint
select committee, having made a per-
sonal investigation which convinced
me long ago that the National Capital
is entitled to this money, and the debt
should be settled
Representative Walters of Penn
sylvania said:
Il am convinced that we owe this
money to the District"
Representative Zihlman explained
that the understanding is that
this fund will be used for a school
building program such as the mem
bers of the House District COM
mittee have emphatically favored.
The House District committee by a
unanimous vote instructed Chairman
t'ocht and Representative Zihlman.
the latter an active proponent of the
with Chairman Campbell of the rules
committee and with House Leader
Mondell, insisting that the commit
tee be given its regular day in the
House Monday, SO as to bring up the
school teachers salary bill under the
special rule authorized on Monday
by the rules committee.
Blanton Makes Motion.
Representative Blanton of Texas
made this motion after emphasizing
that this is the most important piece Of
legislation affecting the whole people
that has been before the committee. He
pointed out that next Monday is the
regular District day and that the grant
ing Of the rule makes 1t mandatory on
Congress to allow this bill to come UP.
. Chairman Focht explained that he
and Representative Zihlman, acting for
the committee, had called on House
Leader Mondell late yesterday endeayor-
bill, that they might prepare to present
it to the House. He said they made
their plea in all earnestness. and the
best reply they had been able to get
was facetious remark by Mr.. Mon
dell, Il guess March would be about
the best day to bring up that BILL
The House District committee today
approved a report from the special
tive Walters which has been conduct
Ing hearings on the Free bill to estab-
lish parental court in the District.
Want Bill Redrafted.
The Walters report recommended
that special subcommittee be ap-
pointed to Tedraft the bill SO as to
remedy imperfections in the existing
statutes. covering the matters in
vestigated. and that the report should
be made at the earliest possible mo-
ment
The subcommittee which has been
conducting the hearings was directed
to redraft the bill, being more famil-
iax with the "imperfections" than
other members of the full committee
AS Representative Hammer of North
Carolina mas been serving on the sub
committee during the absence of Rep
resentative Gilbert of Kentucky, both
Mr.. Gilbert and Mr.. Hammer were
made members Of the subcommittee
to draft the bill.
The committee today granted hear
ings on the substitute bill presented
secretary of the Emergency Housing
Association, Inc, which proposes a
zouing arrangement to close up one
third of the alley dwellings a year on
the first of each June. instead of in
November, as proposed in the Com
missioners' bill, previously fayorabIy
reported by the House District COM
mittee.
Dr.. Waldron Explains.
DR.. w. II. Waldron, pastor of Shiloh
Church, who is a member of the Dis
trict Commissioners housing commit
tee, said that the closing of these al
leyS udo l"ICS Oeeu poSlpOneO, houses
were deteriotating and the owners
would not improve them. He said
that there are $4,000 persons affect
ed and about $500 dwellings, He
advocated closing part of them, which
would serve notice on the rest that
they must be ready to get out in
year or two years. This would make
it easier to gradually absorb these
alley dwellerS in other parts OF the
city.
In reply to a question from Repre-
sentative Sproul Of Illinois as to what
they proposed to do with those liv-
ing in the alleys. Mr.. Mahoney said
that 1t would mean one person could
be absorbed by every forty-one other
persons in the District; that one
sixth Of the alley dwellers are white
and that some of the worst charac-
ters would be driven out of the city.
Miss Rhoda Milliken, acting lieu
tenant. of the woman's bureau, de-
scrtbed the worst condition as exist
ing right under. the shadow Of the
Capitol, where, she said, disease and
vice were fostering. She supported
the alley bill for the purpose of driv-
ing out commercialized vice. Repre-
sentative Blanton asked why the po-
lice department did not clean up AZ
street and tho neighboring alleys, and
Lieut. Milliken replied that perhaps
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column Z