The Washington times., 1935-09-30
u. 5. WORKERS
HEAR HOUSING
PROJECT
BY J. EARLE MOSER

By J. EARLE MOSER
Only a message Of hope has rO-
suited thus far from efforts Of
Agriculture Department employees
to obtain relief from the current
housing situation via adequate
apartment accommodations Of the
low-cost type.
Although some progress has
been made by Secretary Wallace'S
organized personnel in the matter
Of a home community near Alex
andria, which is said to have at
tracted already almost score of
purchasers, efforts to obtain apart.
ment construction financed either
by the Government or private
capital have not yet achieved
success.
Since last winter, when 1000
Agriculture workers were can
vaSsed by QUESTIONABLE on the
housing situation, a rent and
housing" committee has been
working on behalf of personnel
under the Craftsmanship of Frank
l.. Lombard, prominent welfare
figure at the department.
Tailed answers revealed, at
that time, that 1000 employees
were especially interested in apart
ment at a rate Of $12 per room,
kitchen and bath being termed
one room. At present apartments
in the District are renting from
$18 to $40 per room, it is claimed.
Only few workers evidenced in
terest in cooperative apartments,
so that the Agriculture group has
been forced to seek some agency
willing to provide a p a rt ment
housing on a straight rental
basis. PWA officials declared it
was against policy to provide, by
public construction, a 2,000-fam-
lily, self-liquidating apartment pro-
ject, and the recent collapse Of
two-thirdS of the Districts low
cost housing projects under PWA
stops any expectation of large
scale Federal aid.
An exception to this is Resettle-
ment Administration, which has
announced plan to build 600 liv-
ing units near Beltsville for low
salaried workers, according to the
Rent and Housing committees
report.
Although no definite answer
has been received, the sole hope
remains in private financing, four
concerns planning developments
to average $3.50 rental per room
having been contacted by the
committee. 1t is hoped that nego-
tiations can be concluded with at
least one firm before long, with
a possibility that from 200 to 300
apartments will be made available
to those interested.
Today is the final date for
applicants to file for the follow
ing civil service tests physio-
therapy aide, $1,000; physiother-
apy pupil aide, $1,440; senior
safety engineer, $4,000.
AOCdA NO. IO4, MITE, composed
Of War Department workers,
meets tomorrow at ITO Fourteenth
st. N. w. at 8 p. m. On Friday
the colored local, No. II, will meet
at the same time and place, while
the executive council of the Dis
trict of Columbia Federation Of
Federal Employees is to confer
there at p. m. Friday.
One Year Ago, Federally-
George Buckley, former Chicago
newspaper publisher. quit NRA
for FHA, to serve as assistant to
the Administrator hitting at po-
litical appointments, Civil Service
Commissioner Leonard D. White
said the Government service needs
"a permanent, well-trained staff
of executives" .FERA lodge, re-
Gently admitted to the AFGE, de-
cided to exclude executives, who
might intimidate worker-mem-
bers" Ira D. Scott was the new
president Of the D. c. Depart
ment, AFGE.
Under supervision of WPA, be.
tween 5000 and 5000 employees
will be included in the National
Health Inventory, announced yes
terday by Miss Josephine Roche,
assistant secretary Of the Treas.
ury in charge of the Public Health
Service. The average employment
will be approximately $500, the
former figures representing the
peak number to be taken on.
The project is to include 10
States. and enumerators are to
canvass 100000 representative
families for confidential infor"
nation not now available to
health authorities from the usual
records.