Evening star., 1933-03-05


in the November election was
mighty anxious to see him take
the office which that election gave him. She
wanted to come to the Capital but she feared
that expenses might be too great here during
such gala period.
You see" she wrote the Inaugural Housing
and Hospitality Committee. Il am woman Of
modern circumstances and every penny counts
right smart with me now" And she asked
the committee just how she might expect to
fare on pilgrimage to her Governors
Inauguration as her President.
Now, Mrs Blair Banister. chairman of the
Housing and Hospitality Committee, is an
understanding woman She knew exactly what
her anxious little upstate correspondent meant
when she wrote modern circumstances" In
fact Mrs Banister's sense of humor convinced
her that, in these days at least. modern
circumstances was much more accurately de-
scriptive than moderate circumstances, and
so she and her staff went to work
First railroad and bus excursions were
hunted down and their respective costs listed
Then a group of modestly- priced rooms in the
homes of WashingtonianS, who had listed them
with the committee was compiled. The con-
venient restaurants and boarding establish
ments, which had pledged the Inaugural Com
mittee to maintain fair charges for good food
were culled To this information was added
tayi and street car data and the whole inviting
Intelligence was mailed post haste to the wait
ing New Yorker.
Yesterday the little lady witnessed the great
uuadrennal pageant. And she did it secure
in the knowledge that the jaunt of her hearts
desire would not overtax her modern
circumstances"
The case of the little upstate New York
woman was only one in thousands that fell to
the lot of Washingtonians to handle during the
inauguration of President Roosevelt. While
she and legions like her were in moderate cir
curstances. thousands of the Nations patriotic
Door and other thousands of Americas wealthy
journey to the Capital to keep watch at the
altar of hope-and all were recipients of Wash
ingtonians hospitality and cordial welcome to
their own Capital.
Behind the cheering throngs which greeted
the new President yesterday is story which
was Washington's own. Here was a city which
= found itself confronted with the task of accom-
modating over night an influx of people which
increased its population by somewhere near
one-fifth its usual number. Virtually all of the
visitors arrived in the District at the same time
and all of them brought with them the same
requirements housing feeding and tranSpOr-
tation.
Upon Mrs. BaniSter'S Inaugural Housing ana
Hospitality Committee rested the chief burden
of meeting the situation. As chairman of this
group. Mrs. Banister attacked her assignment
many weeks ago.
FIRST of all. the committee had to locate
I facilities for housing Washington's guests.
Thousands of District residents had spare
rooms which they would be glad to make
available to the visitors The chief problem.
then was to get the prospective guests in touch
with the prospective hosts. Publicity of every
known type was resorted to two months ago.
Newspapers carried announcements of the
Housing Committee with its invitation to house
holders to list with the committee the rooms
which they could provide for the inaugural
crowds. Radio talks appealed for room listing.
Street car and bus posters carried the appeal
through every main thoroughfare.
Letters then were sent to every member of
Congress telling them of the Housing and Hos
pitality Committees work and asking them to
notify their home folks that their Capital City
would be prepared to afford them every hos
.pitality The Senators and Representatives
were invited to transfer from their own shoul-
ders to the shoulders of the committee the bur-
den which the appeals of many of their own
constituents for assistance in locating living ac
commodatons here could and did become.
But the committees work was not "only' to
locate rooms. The housing groups title
identifies it as hospitality Committee also