Evening star., 1925-02-01
ALLEY HOMES PROBLEM MAKING
SLIGHT HEADW4Y TO SOLUTION
" hat to Do if Euiction LalU Is Upheld Worries
COmmissiOners--Other Cities Trying Less
Drastic Course to Lessen EuiI.

| negligible number, situated on al
| leys which have no sewer or water
| main. A new law should be enacted
| providing practicable method for
| the conversion of alleys, capable Of
such conversion, into streets and for
| the gradual vacation of dwellings in
| other alleys"
There is now in existence in Wash
| ington a skeleton organization which
| has considered steps toward allevia-
| tion Of the conditions sure to arise
! with the wholesale eviction of thou
! sands of alley dwellers. This is the
Washington Housing Council, 8 yet
only an organization on paper, which
has never held an organization meet
ing. but which is prepared to go ahead
with it's projected work If funds can
be found to carry on such work. This
organization had its beginning in the
Washington Council of Social Agencies
and analogous bodies doing sociologi-
cal work, and Mr.. Ihlder is its chair
man.
Conversion Into Streets.
At the time of it's tentative Or
ganization several months ago it was
proposed that a study be made of
alleys which could be converted into
satisfactory minor streets, so allow
ing the continuance of dwellings
which in themselves are habitabIe.
The outline of work also Contemplat-
ed a study of existing street houses
available or capable of being made
available for alley dwellers. impress
sion at the time of the projected
survey being that there were no
vacancies in habitable street houses
which come within the means of
alley dwellers. This impression still
exists.
There are. however, many vacant
houses in disrepair the council found
from survey. and concluded that
IL is possible an appreciable number
of these can be made habitable. The
council also had in consideration a
study of the possibilities OF rehousing
considerable proportion of the alley
dwellers in suburban communities,
either within the District or across
the District line in Maryland and
Virginia, and had under consideration
a study Of the possibility of construct
Ing new houses near their present
dwellings, either for the alley
dwellers or for those just above them
in the economic scale who by vacat-
ing their present dwellings would
leave space available for alley
dwellers.
In several cities, business organiza-
tions interested in the welfare of
their employees have undertaken and
successfully financed the construction
OF homes for their workers, according
to DR.. Cries and Mr.. Ihlder.
Municipalities have not undertaken to
finance such construction work to any
extent. DR.. Cries said. but a notable
example OF the financing of home
construction by business organiza-
tions is furnished in Troy. n. Y.
where the business men OF the city
got together when the poorly-paid
workers OF the city faced eviction
from their homes and constructed
homes for them to be either rented
or bought. The homes were sold
virtually at cost.
PnralIeIed in south
Both DR.. Cries and Mr. Ihlder said
the conditions existing in Washing
ton are not paralleled in Northern
cities, although conditions in some
Southern cities are analogous to those
in Washington. There was no record.
however, of municipal activity in the
South with regard to financing of
homes for poor persons in Southern
cities.
Notable work was done by the Gov
ernment during the war in housing
its employees who formed a part of
the great war machine when wartime
production was at it's peak. This
activity, however, was backed by two
appropriations. totaling S109,000,O00.
and out Of it there was built a total
of 5000 houses in % communities
The United States Housing Corpora
tion, an agency created by the Coun-
Gil Of National Denfense during the
war. spent about $40, 900, 900 of the
100000 900 building permanent but
small homes for the Government en-
ployes.
The major portion of these homes
have been sold to the employees who
rented them during the war, allevi-
ating the housing situation in the
industrial communities in which they
We're built. The houses were con-
structed to rent for IS a room and
ranged from the small three-room
house to a pretentious eight-room
house. The Housing Corporation has
been engaged now for five years in
program Of liquidation, during which
it has found q pressing need appar-
ent for small homes at small rentals
or a moderate purchase price. AL
ready the liquidation program has
resulted in turning back to the Treas
ury $55, 100000 Three million dol
lars was spent by the corporation in
construction and equipment of the
Government hotels here, which rent
single rooms now for S505O a month