Evening star., 1934-06-02
SLUM CLEARANCE
|BEG|NS HERE SOON;
bill SETS UP FUND
Signature of President Will
Release S5OO,OOO for
First Work.
PUBLIC AGENCY TO BUY
| LAND FOR Improvement
Measure Calls for Complete Elm
ination of Alley Dwellings
in Ten Years.

Gradual elimination Of the inhab-
tied alleys of Washington appeared
nearer reality today than at any pre-
vious time as the bill creating q
$4,000 revolving fund for that pur-
pose awaited only the Presidents sig
nature to make it law.
The final legislative step came late
yesterday when Chairman King Of the
District Committee obtained unani-
nous consent for Senate approval OF
the House amendments.
The President is authorized by the
bill to designate a public agency to
handle the alley rehabilitation pro-
gram, and he is authorized in his
discretion to make available imme-
diately to such agency s500,o0o OF
public works money to start the re-
volving fund The money would be
taken from that part of the P. w. A
money allocated for low-cost housing
projects.
To Clear Structures.
With this fund, the agency, selected
by the President, could acquire the
property in an inhabited alley or In
the surrounding square. Undesirable
structures could then be cleared away
the area replatted and sold. leased OF
developed by the agency itself fol
housing or other useful purposes. The
funds collected by this procedure
would 60 back into the fund ano
could be used to repeat the process in
another alley area.
The public agency selected to ad-
minister the plan also would nave
authority to aid in equipping, man
aging and maintaining houses OF
other buildings in these reclaimed
areas by loans to limited dividend
corporations-imit to dividends OF
per cent year-or to home own
ers, to enable such corporations OF
owners to acquire and develop the
property. Such loans would have
to bear not less than per cent in
terest and be secured by first lien on
the property.
Ten-Year Program.
The bill is described as one to elm
mate hidden communities in the
alleys and states that this objective is
to be accomplished as rapidly as Is
feasible To this end the bill stipu-
lates that on and after July /. 1914
it shall be unlawful to occupy any
alley building as a dwelling. 1t also
provides that no more dwellings be
erected in these hidden communities
The replatting of the areas acquired
will be for the purpose Of changing
them from hidden communities Il
open streets.
If the program contemplated by
this measure Is not completed by 1914
the President Is authorized to make
a report to Congress at that time, de-
scribing what remains to be dcre to-
gether with any recommendations fol
further legislation. Loans made TN
der this measure may run beyond
1914.
Senator King got this bill through
the Senate at the last session, but II
did not pass the House until early
this week. Further action by the Sen
ate was necessary yesterday on two
House amendments. One of these
amendments prohibits payment Of
more than 80 per cent above the as
sessed value for any property to be
acquired.
This measure holds greater hops
for getting rid Of the Inhabited alley
in the interior of city squares thar
any measure Congress has passed
since the alley improvement move
ment began more than 20 years ago