Evening star., 1934-12-16
MORAL ISSUE SEEN
IN ALLEY PROJECT
Proper Housing for Persons
Removed by Clearance
Held Necessary.

The Alley Dwelling Authority has
the moral responsibility OF assuring
that there will be proper housing for
persons now living in alleys as well
as the legal responsibility of rede-
veloping alley dwelling areas, John
Ihlder, executive officer of the board,
declared last night.
He outlined this point as one of
three major principles in the oper-
ations of the agency, which was Gre
ated about a month ago to carry out
the special act of Congress providing
q revolving fund" of $500,O00 for al
ley dwelling clearance.
The authority, he said, must do
three things at virtually the same
time: First, secure the property at a
fair price; second, secure purchaser
or a tenant who will make proper use
Of the redeveloped property and pay
price or retnal that will reimburse
the authority, and, third, assure that
present alley dwellers have oppor-
tunity to find other homes that COM
ply with the District standards.
Aid of Agencies Sought.
The appropriation, he explained, was
made only to carry out the legal re-
sponsibility placed on the board. Seek
ing to accomplish the second objective,
the authority is asking the cooper
alton of other agencies interested in
proper housing he said. Among these
is the agencies giving relief, which are
interested because many Of the alley
dWellerS are on relief lists
Discussing principles of the boards
work, Mr.. Ihlder said:
"The Alley Dwelling Authority has
divided its work between a short
term program and long-term pro-
gram. 1t has 10 years in which to
finish its job and when that job is
finished the authority's hope is that
1t will stay finished. WilloWtree alley
is an illustration of what it wishes to
avoid. More than 20 years ago Jacob
Riis, the New York housing reformer
and friend of President Theodore
Roosevelt, visited the Washington al
leys and then testified at a hearing
before the Senate Committee on the
District. He described a house in
Willowtree alley whose inmates were
suffering from tuberculosis and from
a venereal disease In that house" ="
he said, It saw the towels of the
Senate barber shop drying" The Sen
ate voted promptly to buy up the
houses in that alley and convert their
sites into a playground.
Authoritity's Advantages Cited.
"Willowtree playground was created
20 years ago. 1t has never pleased
the playground people, for they OBJ
ject to a hidden playground just as
we object to the hidden alley dwell
ings. But more than that, this rush
lob left in existence several alley dwell
ings. Since the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority was created there have been
demolished four of the seven alley
dwellings that have continued to exist
there these 20 years. Three still re-
main.
THE advantages the alley dwelling
authority have are these: Choice
among more than 200 alleys, of which
it can handle only few at time,
the fact that after 1914 no alley
dwelling may be used as a dwelling
and the fact that it can condemn
The short-term program of the
authority will deal with those alleys
where there are few complications.
The longaterm program will deal with
squares whose redevelopment involves
city planning problems or co-ordina-
ton with the program of another
agency, such as the public schools or
the Fairgrounds department. The
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission has plans for District de-
velopment into which the alley pro-
gram should fit. 1t also Is necessary
to consult with branches of the Dis
trict government to assure for ex-
ample, that the redeveloped square
will help. not hinder, the fire depart
ments work.