Evening star., 1936-10-20
HEARING THURSDAY
IN ABATTOiR CASE
Adolf GobeI, Inc, Asks Order
for Building Permit
in District Court.


Brooklyn. N, Y. packing house, for an
order to compel District officials TO
issue q building permit for construc-
ton of an abattoir at 3737 BENIN ::
road northeast. is scheduled for hear
ing in District Court Thursday.
Plans to conduct a slaughter house
in the Greater Washington area have
aroused both oficial and civic protest,
and struck a snag when Building In
spector John w. Oehmann, on request
Of "one or more OF the District Com
missioners," refused a few days ago
to grant the permit. although authori-
zations for the excavations, the foot
ings and the foundations already had
been issued.
Asks Writ Of Mandamus.
The company brought suit late yes
terday for writ of mandamus against
the Commissioners and Oehmann to
compel issuance Of the building per-
nit. Justice Joseph W. Cox ordered
the defendants to show cause Thursday
why the writ should not be granted
simultaneously with the filing of
the suit. v. D. Skipworth, president of
the Gobel firm, issued a statement 70
the press. assuring citizens Of Wash
ington that the proposed plant would
not constitute a nuisance as some
have feared.
He stressed that it would be oper-
ated under Agriculture Department
supervision, and that there would BE-
no fertilizer manufacturing opera
tions conducted. The latest types OF
deodorizers will be used and, N addi-
ton, the plant will give work to sew
eral hundred persons. he said. H,
added that 1t would not really be an
abattoir. but manufacturing estab-
lishment engaged in the preparation
OF meat and meat food products.
Housing Project Nearby.
Protest against construction Of the
plant has come from several sources.
Secretary of Interior Ickes has called
attention OF the Commissioners to
the presence of a low-coSt housing
project on Ridge road, half a mile
from the abattoir site; Frederic A. De-
lano. head of the American Civic As
sociation and uncle of President
Roosevelt, objected to the project on
behalf OF the association. and H. P.
Caemmerer executive secretary of the
Fine Arts Commission, has expressed
his personal opposition to it. The
fine arts body Is scheduled to con-
slider it at its meeting Friday. Some
time ago the commission went on rec
ord as of the belief that no slaughter
house should be permitted in the
Greater Washington area.
In its suit yesterday. the packing
house contended the refusal of Och
mann to authorize a permit for erec-
ton Of the structure was Illegal and
unreasonable. The court was told the
inspector was about TO grant the per-
nit when for some unknown reason
one or more of the District Commits
sioners" requested that action be de-
ferred
The plaintiff said it owned the
premises at 3737 Benning road since
1887 and operated an abattoir there
until 1888. when fire damaged part
of the building. Since then, a resident
| engineer has been kept on the prem
ises at considerable expense to care
for the complicated" machinery, 1t
was stated.
Recently, architects plans for re-
| building the plant were submitted to
the Bureau of Animal Industry, which
approved them, the court was told.
The approval of the District Health
Department and ell other necessary
agencies also has been obtained, the
suit stated.
No new reasons for opposing the
abattoir can exist, it was asserted.
since the proposed building will be no
larger than the old one, nor its opera
tion different in any way, except that
the machinery used will be more mod
ern and efficient.
On September the firm filed plans
with the building inspector, and eight
days later obtained permit for the
necessary excavation. On October l
a permit for the footing was issued
and october the foundations permit
was authorized The foundations now
are being completed and will be en-
tirely finished in five days, the suit
declared.
Asserting hundreds of residents Of
Benning would be given employment
il the abattoir at 3737 Benning road
northeast is reopened, the Benning
Citizens Association last night went
on record as favoring granting of a
permit to rebuild the slaughter house.
At special meeting called by Presi-
dent Frank James to consider this
matter, the association adopted a
resolution which said reopening Of
the plant would not only afford en-
ployment, but would tend to raise the
value of property and enlarge the
community.
The citizens associations resolu-
tion declared that las citizens of this
district in which the abattoir is To-
Gated, We are the most vitality con-
cerned, and We have no complaints
against the plant"