Evening star., 1941-12-09
More SIum Clearance
Additional Rental
Homes Held Need
Housing Authorities
Agree War Emergency
Makes Situution Acute

The national beauty of the Capital
Is only skin deep and this is badly
blemished by slum areas and poor
housing conditions within sight of
the Capitol which must be remedied,
the annual public meeting of the
Washington Housing Association
was told last night, in effect, by
three Of four guest speakers at the
United States Chamber of Com
merce.
John H. Fahey, chairman of the
Federal Home Loan Bank Board,
declared that "after a trip through
an area in southwest Washington.
only q few blocks from where the
Congress of the United States is
in session, or through numerous
other long neglected districts; one
has to look a long time at the
White House or the National Gal
lery of Art to erase some of the
disturbing impressions from ones
mind"
With new Government employees
arriving at the rate of more than
1000 a week, Washington is still
unprepared to take proper care of
reasonable proportion of these
newcomers"
Rental Places Needed.
Sullivan Jones, chief of housing
priorities section of o. P. M, de-
clared migrant workers coming here
are not interested in buying homes,
but rather of seeking rental places
within their means. He criticized
the lack of rental accommodations
here as offered by private agencies
and intimated that the Government
may step in with tighter control and
Federal building projects to offset
the lethargy shown in some quar-
ters by private owners.
AS OF last Friday, he said. there
was shown by special survey that
preference by defense workers was
given for $4,000 private rental
dwelling units, of which 1000 were
located here. Migrant workers, he
explained, are reluctant to to buy
homes, because Of the nature of
their work. He declared that in the
District the trend has been for the
Government to develop defense
housing units In the downtown sec
tions while private operators have
moved to the suburbs and nearby
communities.
Mr.. Fahey declared that cit NAV
be argued that all this was not
clearly apparent until recently but
it can not be denied that If Wash
lngton's housing problems had been
tackled with greater imagination
and determination long ago. we
certainly would be in a better posi-
tion than we are now"
THE failure 20 deal with this
situation adequately is not due to
the neglect of public-spirited citi-
zens, the civic associations. the
Washington Housing Association.
the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission. the District
Government or officials of our sew
eral Federal housing agencies" All
OF them for years, he said. have
been working toward constructive
action.
City Acts Too Slowly.
However, he added, Washington
mas not moved fast enough or far
enough and this apathy is due to
residential and congressional neg
lect. The emergency has brought
upon Washington a housing problem
which has long term implications
through those who may wish to re-
main here after the crisis. Speed
in providing the necessary dwelling
facilities Is paramount and this is
the objective of those responsible
agencies now seeking improvement,
Mrs. Dorothy Rosenman, chair
man of the National Committee
on the Housing Emergency, told
the group of more than $50 men
and women interested in housing
problems, that 1T is anticipated
that $6,270,000,000 may be spent by
public and private sources to build
low-priced homes for defense work.
ers."
However, she warned that site
plans should be carefully considered
for there lis no telling how long
the emergency will last and there
is always the chance that war plants
may be converted to some peace time
activity"
Mrs. Rosenman warned against
wholesale dumping of property
when the emergency is concluded
since this may give an advantage
to a proflteer when low-income
groups may need these shelters.
She expressed the hope that Con-
greSs would be able to find a way
to find a proper solution to the
problem.
She concluded with the declara-
tion that there was a great need
for clarification of the entire re-
lationship between public and pri-
vately financed building, and for
a close coordination of the work
of public and private endeavor
in this field.
Renah F. Camalier, counsel for
the Senate District Committee. pre-
dicted that District real estate
owners would not require legal re-
strictions during the war because
of their patriotism.
He declared that washington
today is the cradle of the liberty
baby" and that District property
owners owe war workers proper
housing accommodation while they
are away from their home towns.
He warned that Congress is alert
to their needs and then reviewed
the tenets of the new District rent
control measure. This, he added,
means a stabilized and unified city
and better course of defense and
the will to hold many emergency
workers here after the emergency
Gougers and rent profiteers are as
extinct as the dodo" in this city,
he declared.
Seton Darr, director of the as
sociation. presided in the absence
of j. Bernard Wyckoff, president of
the group.