Evening star., 1939-02-24
House Group Cuts
100000 Loan for
D. {. 5|um Clearing
Reduction Of Fund to
$500, 900 Threatens Alley
Reclamation Policy
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
When Congress authorized the
A. d. A. last June to borroW
$1,000 900 from the Treasury in
fire annual inStdllments, it neg
lected to appropriate for the first
loan. A deficiency bill is erpect-
ed to propide this Overdue
amount. Meanwh1e, the A. d. A..
has depleted its oWn funds for
alley reclamation and is depend
ent solely on borrowings from
the United States Housing Au-
thority for separate program of
subsidized housing.
A threat against the established
policy of Federal financing of alley
reclamation in Washington was
raised in the House. today when the
Appropriations Committee approved
the subcommittee reduction of
1000, 900 Treasury loan reccm-
mended for the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority by the Bureau of the Budget
to $780, 900 for the. next fiscal year.
The action of the committee,
taken in reporting the bill to the
House, also was at variance with an
act of June 25, passed at the sug-
gestion of President Roosevelt, au-
thorizing the A. D. A. to borrow
100000 annually from the Treas
ury for the next five years.
In recommending the cut, Chair
man Ludlow of the Appropriations
Subcommittee said some of the COM
mlttee members had questioned the
policy of Federal aid to slum recla-
nation in Washington and had sug-
gested part of the work at least
should be financed by local taxation.
Will Slow Up Work.
The action in slashing funds for
the independent program of the
A. D. A. by one-half will tend to
slow up the work of reclaiming the
remaining alleys in the Capital.
Officials of the agency, however,
were disappointed but not sur
prlsed at the reduction. Since the
A. D. A. has obtained a loan of
S6,6OO, 900 from the United States
Housing Authority and expects to
borrow from that agency up to SIS
100000, it was pointed out the loss
OF a half-million dollars will not
prove serious handicap. The U. S.
H. A. loan, however, is for subsi-
dizeu housing in the District.
Addressing the House on the bill,
Chairman Ludlow said the Alley
Dwelling Authority "envisions a
large ultimate program against i'm
proper living conditions and attend
ant vice and evil caused by crowded
and unsanitary living quarters" It
assumes, he said, there are zoe to
$50 squares in the city of Washing
ton that need to be dealt with.
While final estimates are unavail-
able, Mr.. Ludlow said, something
was said about $20,000,0OO."
Members" Sympathetic.
Every member of our subcommit-
tee is sympathetic with the efforts
to improve improper living condi-
tions wherever they may exist, but
We felt that some questions may
properly be raised in respect to this
activity. Washington is tradition
ally known and advertised as one of
the cleanest and best governed cities
in the world where living conditions
probably are as ideal as in any center
of population on the globe. To use
the assistance of the Federal Treas
ury here and deny it to many cities
of the United States where slum
conditions are worse appeared ques-
tionable, and the further inquiry
was made as to whether this prob
lem, which is distinctly a local one,
should not be financed, in part at
least, by local taxation, since WASH
ington is known as city for large
per capita wealth"
Mr.. Ludlow told his colleagues in
the House that it seemed to some
members of the committee that If
the Federal Government "is to go
into this sort of enterprise in WASH
ington it would be logical to expect it
to do so in every city in the country
where slum conditions are as bad
or worse and there is not money
enough in the world to take on
such activities"
NA1s