Evening star., 1933-06-11
ALLEYS Blot on Capital
Cpper Hopes Get Bill Through Congress

in the case of the alley dwellings. Un-
der the law II building is so per cent
damaged it can be retired and the owner
required to tear 1t down. However, the
interior Of house can be in extremely
bad condition from the point Of view Of
the comfort and safety Of those who live
in 1t, and the building still not come
within the classification of being so per
cent damaged. Also. II the owner Of q
condemned house does not comply with
the law and tear down the building. he
can be prosecuted, but the District gov
ernment does not have the funds to tear
down the house in case he refuses or
has not the money to do It,
In the case Of minor repairs the
law provides that when an unsAnitary
condition Is reported an inspection
shall be made, and II the condition Is
found to be one which endangers
health the owner can be required to
make immediate repairs. There are 20
City Of Washington. They have been
called on to make as many as 10000
inspections In the alleys In one year.
and not one Of those inspections has
solved the problems of any one alley.
for the reason that the individual re-
pairs needed are so numerous and 80
constantly recurring.
1t has been said that the people who
are now iniiabiting the alleys would not
benefit by rebuilding program, that
the homes built to take the place of
the alley dwellings would be snapped
up by middle class people eager to re-
duce their rent. do not believe that
argument is sound. The houses which
the bill contemplates would not be such
as to attract those who can pay a
v~N npotn
rather those who can pay only the
minimum, or whose rent must be paid
by various charities. It was brought
out at the recent hearings that there
are in Washington at the present, time
two private agencies, the Washington
Sanitary Improvement Co. and the
Washington Sanitary Building Co.,
which are meeting with success In Just
this sort Of program. These organiza-
tions, which are supported by dona-
tions from philanthropic individuals,
build houses Of the simplest sort. with
only the minimum sanitary require
ments, but clean and decent. They
rent the houses or sell them, at ex-
tremely low rates. In the cases Of
those which are rented they make
periodic Inspections to see that the
tenants are maintaining their houses
In clean and orderly way. and where
they find conditions satisfactory they
give the tenant bonus In the form
Of reduction in rent ,.A =
The alley rebuilding program Is not
something which can be accomplished
all at once, but 1t should be- started
Immediately 4. It Is In full accord with
the slum clearance legislation proposed
by the President IN his recent message
to Congress In connection with the pub
lie works bill, and that public opinion
all over the country Is recognizing the
need for eliminating the slum setions
Of our cities is attested to by the. fact
that bills of the sort now before the
Senate are pending In 20 State Legisla-
lures, and Is seven States such mea-
sures have been passed.
Conditions like those which exist in
our alleys cost tremendous amount IN
health, In extra police activities, and
in caring for criminals and for the
sick. The taxpayer has to foot the bill
at one end or another, and certainly
it Is better. to accomplish the desired
result by removing these hidden COM
munities of sickness and vice from
Washington, which should never have
had them IN the first place, than by
trying to remedy the damage by caring
for the people who come out Of the
alleys, having been exposed to con-
ditions which render them UNIT a
citizens.