Evening star., 1942-05-28
A. D. A. Survey
To Be Madeby
Senate Unit
D. c. Subcommittee
Is Appointed at
Ihider's Request
By ]. A. OLEARY.

to study the progress made by the
Alley Dwelling Authority in clear
ing Washington of slum areas.
The action was taken at the re-
quest Of John Ihlder, executive Of
ficer of the agency. Senator Iyd-
ings, Democrat, of Maryland was
named subcommittee chairman
Serving with him will be Senators
McCarran of Nevada, Burton OF
Ohio, Hughes Of Delaware and Cap
per Of Kansas.
CONGRESS took steps recently In
the independent offices bill to
abolish the Alley Dwelling Author
ity's revolving fund, which has en-
abled it to keep its low-cost hous-
ing program on q sel1-suStalnlng
basis out of rents, and limited the
agency to a direct appropriation OF
only $4,000 for operating expenses
for the coming year. This has the
effect of depriving the agency OF
about $1e0, 900 Of its operating rev,
enue, by requiring all rents ano
unexpended balances to be deposited
In the Treasury.
Burton Support Move.
In supporting Mr.. Ihlder's re-
quest that the District Commlttee
eyaluate what A. D. A. has accom-
plished in seven years, senator
Burton said he believes the Appro-
priations Committee "misconceived
what the agency is doing" and might
not have moved to abolish its revolv-
ing fund if more information had
been available.
Senator McCarran added that, as
one member of the Appropriations
Committee, he knew he did not nave
sufficient information. and agreed
that the action taken in the in
dependent Offices bill may be a
step backward"
The slum clearance program Is so
vital to public health and involves
such a substantial investment that
some legislative group should be
suficiently well informed to pre-
sent the subject to Congress when
ever changes in policy are pro-
posed, Senator Burton declared.
IhIder Reviews History.
IN asking the District Committee
10 undertake that task. Mr.. Ihlde1
reviewed briefly the history of the
Alley Dwelling Authority in state
ment which read in part as follows
"As a pioneer agency, the Alley
Dwelling Authority formulated the
policy Of carrying out the task i'm
posed upon it at the least net cost
10 the taxpayer. 1t recognized that
II slum reclamation were attempted
upon the basis Of expenditures only
as IN the case of public parks, the
cost would be prohibitive. 1t there
fore set as its fiscal objective the
creation of values which would re.
pay expenditures.
Congress was asked TO sppro.
pirate 5000, 900 As q capital fund
for the Authority's work. It ap-
propriated $500, 900. In justification
Of this small amount 1t should be
said that no such proposal had evel
been made before, so there was nc
experience upon which to base
faith in its success
The next year the President al
located additional sums. bringing
the Authority's capital to a total oi
$865,000. With this fund the Au-
thority has reclaimed IA squares
containing inhabited alley slums
In the process, the Authority built
1O1 new dwellings and reconditioned
IL old ones, built five groups Of
garages and a repair shop on sites
not adapted, to housing and de-
I veloped an automobile parking lot
All these properties are managed
by the Alley Dwelling Authority.
] Other Funds Borrowed.
"Since then no money has been
appropriated or allocated to this
fund, because of the imminence OF
national public housing legislation
Since the enactment of the United
. States Housing Act of 1887 the
Alley Dwelling Authority has bor-
rowed $13,572,000 from the United
States Housing Authority. This
represents 80 per cent of cost. The
other 10 per cent is secured by sell.
ing A. D. A. notes to private in
vestors.
with these loan funds the Au-
thority has builty and is managing
1925 houses and apartments; 27e
. are under construction: a construc-
tion contract for AZ is to be exc
cuted today; plans for 736 are in
, final stages-a total of 2,781 dwell
ings. In addition, the A. D. A. leases
and manages Langston, 274 dwell
ing units, constructed by the P. w
A. housing division.
Under the terms of the Lariham
Act the A. D. A., as agent for the
Federal Works Agency, has built
two properties and Is managing
them as well as a third property
I built by the United States Housing
Authority. These three properties
contain 800 defense or war worke,
dwellings.
Demountables Program Advanced.
an February the President allo-
Gated $4,000 900 to the Alley Dwell
ing Authority for the construction
of $500 demountable houses. This
program is now well advanced
Since the reorganization of ma.
. tional housing agencies under the
name National Housing Agency
the demountable house program has
come under its supervision in much
the same way as are the U. S. H. A.
aided projects.
This statement gives q bare out.
line of the authority's work. 1t:
more significant phases are scarcely
indicated. For example, the Alley
Dwelling Authority from the begin
ming has set economic rents on all
its properties. Economic rents cover
all costs; interest, amortization, ad.
Elinistration, maintenance and re.
pairs, and full real estate taxes
This policy has now been incor.
porated in national legislation. The
Alley Dwelling Authority applied the
subsidy given by U. S. H. A. as q
supplement to inadequate incomes
To do this it devised the system ol
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