The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-11-30
RENT PROBLEM
FACES CAPITAL
SLUM PROJECT
"a a Room Monthly
Called Indefinite
BY EARL GOODWIN

BY EARL GOODWIN
What rent will they pay
these folks from the so-called
slums who will be benefited by
IS million dollars worth of Gov
eminent subsidized housing in
the National Capital?"
This is the question perSistently
put to housing officials, especially
John Ihlder, executive secretary
of ADA, who now becomes the
manager of the biggest housing
and real estate project ever
planned in the District of Colum-
bia-except the Federal buildings.
Mr.. Ihlder doesn't know. He said
at a crowded press conference in
the office of Nathan Straus, U. S.
Housing Authority. that the figure
of "a per month per room as just
bare rent-Shelter rent the experts
call it, are something to shoot
at"
DEPENDS ON DESIGN
Costs, real estate and building
costs, get in the way Of an exact
prediction. Then, too, there is gas,
light, heat. 1t depends on the de-
sign of the building. There may be-
central heating; there may be in
dividual heating; the tenants may
carry out the ashes; they may
have electric refrigeration-you
just can't tell yet. Therefore, 81
month per room-Which at that
is the lowest rent for any city the
size of Washington-iS still some
thing to be accomplished.
Nathan Straus, the man Presi-
dent Roosevelt drafted out of a |
nice comfortable business to come
to washington to ram home the
Governments 300 million dollar
housing project is as pleased as
Punch over the start of the Wash
ington project. It is another
feather in the Straus cap which
has been we'll be-feathered recent
~ by no less a person than Pres
ident Roosevelt himself who has
recently told intimate associates
that Nathan STauS had accom-
plished more wf9S fewer "SquawkS"
than many another Government
agency head under the New Deal.
LAUDS F. d. r.
But the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt have been Fostering
Nathan Straus about getting this
Washington housing development
started. They wanted to get the
alley dwellings down and out;
and the new buildings up. Mr..
Straus gives full credit for the
final development of Washington
slum clearance and new cheap
housing to the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt.
After having made this state
ment at his conference, Canon
Arson Phelps Stokes, president OF
the washington Housing ASSocia-
ton recalled the pioneer work
done by the late Mrs. Archibald
Hopkins, who, said he, aroused
the interest of Mrs. Roosevelt.
There is an alley dwelling project
now up which is named for Mrs.
Hopkins.
CAPITAL EXAMPLE
But one reason Mr.. Straus is
happy over the start of the Wash
ington project is because it will be
Exhibit A to Congress and visitors.
It will be planned, built, managed
by ADA, John Ihlder, executive
officer-but Congress can look out
of its various windows and point
out. the four projects O.K'd yeSter-
day and the four or more to come,
as examples of the Governments
new step in solving the low-cost
housing problem in 200 or more
American cities.
Five thousand individuals, ap-
proximately, are to be affected by
the present four projects; as many
more by the whole program. Fur
ther, Mr.. Straus predicted yeSter-
day that he believed this is the
start of a program wherein every
family in Washington is provided
with a decent home"
NOT ONLY PROBLEM
Building the far-flung new low
cost homes is not the only job.
There is the problem of getting
the Slum jewellers out of the slumS
and into the new homes. While
tearing down homes in which 300
or more families live in insanitary
conditions, where are they going
meantime?
Mr.. Ihlder has that problem
staring him in the face; he con-
fesses that it is one Of the big
problems, but he intimates he has
a plan to handle it. One way is
to have compromising dwellings
ready for families in areas about
to be demolished.
That would indicate new homes
on the outskirts ready for families
chased out by the wreckerS It
will not be as clear cut as that,
however.