Evening star., 1937-08-22

is another side which deserves no
less publicity
First there are some big items to be
written of at the outset-items over
which there can be little debate.
approximately 4 half million dol
lars worth Of land, At present valua-
ton, Mr.. Richards says, WAS passed
over TO the Department Of Agriculture
for the Beltsville experiment station.
The project was started with
transient labor The cost of housing,
feeding and' transporting these men
from Washington and Baltimore ran
close to another 350O000. This is
entirely aside from their efficiency
as workers
Greenbelt was never intended as
business proposition" Nobody ever
intended that it would be put up a.
cheaply as the same job would be
done by private contractor. Nobody
ever has claimed that relief labor Is
ef1icient. BY and large. it is grossly
uasteful. Its interest is to prolong the
job. 1t lacks pride Of accomplishment.
The bad must BE- taken from the good
The force cannot be reduced in slack
times. 1t must be paid in all sorts OF
weather.
It's IS Per Cent ef Cost.
So big is this item. Richards says,
that the Works Progress Administra-
ton calculates conservatively that it
amounts TO IS per cent Of the labor
cost of a project. There is no dispo-
sition on the part Of the Resettlement
Administration to deprecate the quail
ity Of relief labor. Some Of it proved
very good indeed. But. by and large.
poor workers are more likely to be
on relief than good workers and even
the good ones have . very human OBJ
lection to working themselves out OF
a job.
When this IS per cent u knocked
of the labor costs. the total for
Greenbelt begins to come some where
within reason
The project includes 1900 acres.
purchased for an average cost of 500
an acre. This is far more than the
space occupied by the townsite. Upon
it Greenbelt can expand to MANY
times its present size. Recently 216
acres was appraised at $4,000 an acre
and 500 acres more at 81, 900 an acre.
It Is fitted with. sewers. water mains,
etc. The remainder would be valued.
Mr.. Richards believes. at from $500 to
81 900 an acre. He believes the total
land value today will run close to
$4,000, 900. representing an enormous
profit to the Government. 1t cost
3400, 900.
Whether built on or not. the cost
OF the land and the improvements are
charge against 0reenbelt to be
pro rated-if one wants to calculate
that vay-Against the individual
house cost.
LAndsoapinS, Toe.
A total of $500, 900 has. been scent
for schools, 100000 for water and
sewage facilities. These have been in
stalled not to serve SIS houses, but
5000 houses. But the cost must be
assessed against the SIS. The same
must be said for one item which has
been much ridiculed-S46O,0 900 for
1andscaping." This includes Sl75,0O0
for building An artificial lake and the
costs OF parks. Fairgrounds. sidewalks,
tennis courts, bathing beach, etc.
They have been built to serve . much
larger population than Is expected at
oreenbeh for years to come.
There are, besides, certain intansi-
bles which hardly can be entered on
the books Of an accountant. Most Of
them could be grouped under the sen-
eral heading Of experiment" It
would take = far-seeing prophet u
predict how much Of American life
will eventually be affected by what
has happened in two years In this
Maryland wasteland.
1t has been fare more than an ex-
pertinent In city planning. although,
Mr.. Richards says. some Of the fore
most private builders in the United
States have looked over the project,
gone carefully into its costs, estimated
It's mistakes, and started to firlre
On plans for similar communities out
side American cities. The investment
required, even without schools, roads.
ETC.. probably will always remain far
beyond the reach Of any individual.
Greenbelt might have been built by
q private contractor, Mr. Richards be-
lievss, for about $1,000, 000-with the
same quality Of houses but without the
provisions for expansion. At this ng-
tsre It would BE- made reasonably profit
aoae. at rents considerably below the
average.
But even more It has been = 30
cial experiment.
Here A what Greenbelt offers-A
three-to-eight-room house Or 4 two
eo-hve-room apartment, garage, flower
eoontinus4 q fsos o-a.l