The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-06-19

! sociations. and George ID. Poe rep.
resenting apartment house owners
to check the findings Of the
housing survey for accuracy.
Poe Immediately declared the
whole survey incompetently done,
Those who conducted the survey,
he insisted, didn't know what a
major repair was. Chairman
Andrews answered that the stand
ards of housing set up by the
USHA were followed strictly.
Practically An"
Tn how many cases did you dis
agree on the need for repairs ?"
Andrews asked.
Practically ALL" asserted Poe.
He said he hadn't noted which
ones. though.
Then you couldn't object TO us
sending someone out with you to
double check, could you ?" An
drews asked him.
Poe agreed to that but repeat
edly came back 10 an assertion
that he wouldn't advise spending
81, 000, 900 on a basis Of the hous-
ing authority's report.
While the meeting officially was
of the housing authority, Chairman
Andrews turned to the audience to
answer statements made by the
real estate dealers at their mass
meeting Monday night, principally
one that under the housing plan.
1,4I2 buildings in Tacoma would be
condemned as sub-standard and
torn down.
205 Family Units
Mayor Cain said at most the
federal funds would build 2Os
family units here and defied any,
one to show there were not that
many buildings in Tacoma which
should be condemned as sub-stand-
ard.
1t was explained that the prob
able course. once the housing prof.
ect is built, would be that the
health officer. who has the author
ity now, would give notice to
owners Of sub-standard dwellings
TO bring them up to standard or
vacate. The new housing units
would be available only To persons
now tenants in sub = standard
places.
2.S52 Sub-Standard
To go stronger on the figures,
Andrews said, the completed sur
vey now shows 2,s52 sub-standard
dwellings in the areas examined,
or approximately SO per cent. At
that rate. over the entire city
there would be 4,279 sub-standard
units.
We didn't allow our enumera-
tors to go into the tideflats area,
Andrews said.
Another point at issue was def
milton Of Stun. Andrews denied
any parts of the city ever had
been designed as Stun areas. That
was defined further by DR.. Lee
Powers, city health director, who
also addressed the council cham
Der audience.
Il hope you don't think the
health department would condemn
houses in which people owning
them live he assured the group,
countering Poe's warning OF homes /
TO be condemned for lack Of bath I
tubs or other plumbing fixtures.
Health Officer Speaks
we don't have any Stun areas
rs defined In any OF the large .
cities" DR.. Powers said, but let's
come back TO some Of these old /
frame structures. and some Of the
brick ones. too. Some Of them are
as close 10 stun dwellings as any
have ever seen anywhere.
4 think we could find al least
z05 units which should be con-
iemned among those old apartment
rouses alone. Some have as high
- 20 people using one bath and
1ne toilet Fl
Il feel very strongly that there
s a need IN isolated areas for q
housing project"
Andrews pointed out that the
ow-cost housing units would Be
limited 10 families with incomes
II not more than five times the
,asic monthly rental Of SIG.
Introduces Ash
He also noted that Seattle al
ready has three such projects
started and applications in for two
more. To discuss those. he intro
5uced Eliizh Ash, assistant direo-
or Of the Seattle Housing sB-
-hority.
We find an actual comeback In
private enterprise in Seattle in the
areas where unsightly places have
been torn down and new ones
built" he said New stores have
come in. owners Of adjoining prop
erty have repaired and renodeled +
and values Of the district generally
have been increased.
But let's not confuse the basic