Evening star., 1938-04-10
SLUM CLEARANCE
LONG SOUGHT HERE
Board OF Trade Inaugurated
Efforts Here Over So
Years Ago.

The history Of efforts To rid the Ma
tlon's Capital OF It's slums and alley
dwellings goes back many years. and
one OF the organizations prominently
identified with this work in the early
lso0s WAS the Charities and Correc
tionS Committee OF the Board OF
Trade.
Actually the committee has been an
important factor in working toward
better housing conditions all along,
but the records show that as far back
aA 1903 the committee appointed
special subcommittee to confer with
the District Commissioners on the SUBJ
iect OF clearing out slums and alley
homes to reduce crime and disease.
Organized in the early years of the
Board Of Trade as a Committee on
Charities, the unit in 1896 found its
work had grown considerably broader
In scope. The name then was changed
to the Committee on Charities and
Corrections.
Victory Heads Committee.
The committee. which now is headed
by John F. Victory, executive secretary
of the National Advisory Committee on
Aeronautics, has always dedicated its
efforts toward aiding the less fortunate
Of the city. 1t played prominent
part in obtaining municipal hos
pital-in fact, as early as 1899, 1t
asked Congress to provide for such a
hospital.
Nf aJt{o tA
committee in 1900 reported that Con-
eress had enacted legislation providing
for Board of Charities to administer
the charities of the District. In that
same year, it was reported, Congress
passed a law providing for municipal
hospital.
In the early 1900 special subcom-
member. started movement to send
some of the less fortunate families of
the city out into the country on out
ings. Some 6,733 mothers and chill
dren were treated to these excursions
in 1902
Juvenile Court Sought.
The committee asked establishment
OF Juvenile Court in 1916. and two of
its members were named to a special
committee, appointed by the Attorney
General, to investigate the need for
such court.
First mention of the Community
Chest was in the report for 1923, when
the committee took the Chest idea
under consideration. At that time the
Idea did not meet with immediate
approval by the membership of the
board.
In 1928, however, after hearing
talk by John Ihlder, who is chairman
Of the units Subcommittee on Relief,
the committee went on record as being
in favor of the Chest principle for
Washington and asked that such an
organization be set up if it met with
the approval of the Council Of Social
Agencies.
Meet In Institutions.
During the last year the committee
has adopted a policy of holding their
meetings in various institutions in the
district, so its members could be af-
forded an opportunity to get first
hand view of conditions. So far they
have met at the Receiving House for
Children, the National Training School
for Girls, and only recently the men,
bers toured the District Jail.
The Board of Trade and the COM
mittee have done a great deal of work
in connection with problems of relief
and charities during the last year. The
board itself probably has followed
these subjects closer than any other
problems, except, perhaps, taxes and
the budget.
Ray H. Everett, executive secretary
Of the Social Hygiene Society, is vice
chairman of the Charities and Correc-
tions Committee, and John F. Hillyard
of the National Bank of Washington |
Is secretary. Capt. Chester Wells is a
member of Mr.. Ihlder's subcommittee.