Evening star., 1937-06-23
.GREENbEIT RENTS
TOO LOW TO COVER
u. s. EXPENDITURE
But Estimates of $500 to
$1,000 Twice as Much as
Economists Allow.
PROJECT is EXPECTED
TO COST s12,000,000
q
Persons in $1,000 to $4,000 In. I
come Range Would Pay Out
Half of Salaries. =
BY BLAIR BOLLES,

The Government expects to take
loss on its Greenbelt, Nd. low-rent
housing project, and to take it with
a smile. Whether subsidizing the
tenants of that shaded Elysium off the
Baltimore Boulevard near Berwyn,
Md, will cost sl2,00O,OOO or a lesser
figure is something Resettlement Ad-
ministration mathematicians have not
yet figured out, but r. A., whose first
head, Rexford Tugwell, dreamed
Greenbelt. is building it for poor peo.
pie and plans to tenant it with poor
people. r
Only six weeks ago c. B. Baldwin,
assistant administrator Of Resettle.
ment, told the Senate Appropriations
Committee that Greenbelt is meant
to be haven for persons in the in.
come range Of $1,000 to $4,000 year.
A rental to compensate the Govern
ment for its investment in the project
has been computed Informally in the
range from $500 to $1,000 a year.
half OF the income OF the tenant or
twice as much as economists allow for
housing.
original Twoold Purpose.
When TugWell. now in the molasses
business in New York City, announced
two years ago this August that Green
belt was to be constructed, he gave it
a tWofold purpose-to provide work
for transient reGef-recipients, Of
whom Washington was caring for
thousands, and to afford some rent
relief to loW-paid Government work.
ers and other small-salarled persons
in and about the District. The use OF
relief labor put on w. P. A. rolls
raised the cost of building far above
what careful economy would permit.
The cost Of Greenbelt, as yet un-
finished, through June l is S10,2OO,-
59484. That includes not only labor.
but the purchase of a great deal OF
building material, some of which has
not yet been used, but will be in
corporated into houses and other con-
struction before the project is thrown
open for use.
Thousands Apply.
The lucky tenants of this grassy
community, far from city noises and
close by neat. man-made lake, have
! not yet been chosen. r. A. IS SWIM.
ming in a sea of figures to determine
the proper rental. The agency's files
are bulging with thousands Of letters
from prospective tenants, whose names
are carefully guarded and whose quail
| ifications will be checked on the flu
rure day when r. A. decides Green
belt is far enough along for the gates
to be thrown open.
Many of these applicants wish to
mix dwelling with business. Here is
an open-handed prospective keeper Of
the law:
Il would like to have one of them
fine houses out in Greenbelt, Md, only
self and wife, but need five rooms.
as we have lots of company. I am
on the police, age So, and as have
| % years experience at police and
detective work. I wish to put my
name in for chief of police at Green
belt"
| Argument IOT DedulltIdHs
Does any Greenbelt tenant want
her hair waved? Here is the answer:
MY wife is a beautician, and every
little community needs one as much
as they need a grocery store. I
haven't seen it mentioned yet as one
Of the towns contemplations. so I
presume they have forgotten the
women of Greenbelt. Yet perhaps
there might not be any objections
to turning one of the homes into a
beauty parlor. Please let me know
if there is.
Remember, the women Of Green
belt must be kept as beautiful as the
community"
This family hopes Greenbelt would
permit reunion of all its members:
I'VE are q young couple with one
child. Our marriage five years ago
was at the worst possible time for
boy OF 81 and girl of l8, and for
the first four and half years we had
quite a difficult time. Our families
prepared us with social assets and
educations, but neither they nor we
were prepared for such an early mar.
riage
Struggle for Job and Money.
I'VE lived partly on the charity Of
relatives and on the small salaries my
husband earned at jobs that were hard
to find and harder to KEEP. Our young.
ster will be 3 years old next March,
and she has only lived with us for six
months of her life At present, she is
with my parents in North Carolina
and we are trying very earnestly to
manage financially so that We can
bring her here to live with U.s."
This couple wants to expand, with
Greenbelt's aid:
I'VE are young married couple with
no children as yet, but are looking for
ward to Greenbelt to solve that priv.
| uege, as we have not, heretofore, felt
that the high rent here in Washington
gave us a right to have child on our
modest income"
Here is note from a woman almost
desperate:
| AAAS SARSAASSo AVA AAAy ApeAC 6AA AdSb
two operations have handicapped mo
so that 1t is next to impossible to make
ends meet, and I simply must have a
decent, clean and healthy place for
these youngsters which cannot find In
or around Washington for the amount
Of money I can afford to pay.
my need is desperate from the
financial standpoint and also for my
children's health sake. My salary being
only 81, ,440, out Of which I have s21 q
month to pay for old hospital and doc
tors bills. This you can readily see
leaves me very limited income to
cover the little girls care, rent, food.
transportation and clothes"
Many moderately wealthy persons al
well as the poor have applied for
quarters 1t 0reeubelt.