Evening star., 1942-02-12
LanhamHousinq
Bill for D. T..
Goes 10 Senate
Meets Brief Delay;
Committee Head
Pledges Quick Action
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

Dy JAMLS Z. Sh1ININs
Rushed through the House, the
Lanham bill authorizing an appro-
priation of $5O,OOO,0O0 to provide
housing and public works facilities
for Government workers in WASH
ington and it's surrounding Metro
politan Area today faced a brief de-
lay In the Senate.
The Senate, in recess until to-
morrow, must decide on which COM
nittee the legislation is to be re-
ferred for consideration. 1ndlca-
tions are it will be sent to the Edu-
cation and Labor Committee headed
by Senator Thomas, Democrat, OF
Utah-the same committee which
handled the original Lanham bills
authorizing appropriations for de-
fense housing and community facii-
ties in industrial areas throughout
the country.
senator Thomas said If the bill is
referred to his committee 1t would
be handled expeditiously."
The House late yesterday passed
the Lanham bill by record 3O3-to-
18 vote following a debate Whlcn
lasted about two hours.
Better Attacks Land Purchases.
Nearly all of the House members
who took part in the discussion,
with the exception Of Representa-
tive Better, Democrat, of New YORK
stressed the need of the $50,0OO,OOO
to alleviate Washington's wartime
shortage of housing accommodations
for Government employees as well as
school, water. hospital and other
necessary facilities.
Mr.. Better unloosed an attack on
the Defense Homes Corp, and
charged it had been buying "expen-
sive tracts of land in fashionable
areas of Washington, presumably as
sites for low-cost housing units for
Government workers"
Centering his criticism on the
purchase of Friendship on Wlscon-
sin avenue from Mrs. Evalyn Walsh
McLean-an elaborate estate OF 70
acres-for which he declared the
Government paid s1,00o,oO0, Mr..
Better declared:
Think of it. well over $4,000 for
each acre of land. And this does
not take into account the ex-
penditures to be made for the actual
housing itself, the utilities and in
cidental appurtenances. This IS eX-
travagance that is nothing short OF
. public scandal"
Suspect Social Deal.
Later Mr.. Better added:
The fact that some officials Of the
Reconstruction Finance Corp. nearly
always attend the cocktail parties
and gold plate breakfasts Of Mrs.
Mclean may have no bearing on
the fact that they were willing to
pay her s1,000O00 in cold cash
for a comparatively small tract. OF
land. On the other hand, it looks
suspiciously like drawing room
deal and if there is an explanation,
I think it should be forthcoming
quickly"
Mrs. Mclean, by the way, is the
same dowager whose property at
1000 Massachusetts avenue now Is
being leased by the Government at
SIS 900 per annum. She is the same
Mrs. Mclean whose town house
property was purchased by private
construction group financed by the
r. F.. c. to be used as site for the
building which now houses the r.
F. C.
Representative Better appar-
entity was referring to the old
Walsh mansion, 2020 Massachu-
sets avenue, which has been oc-
cupied rent-free by the District
Chapter of the Red Cross since
June Of 1910 through the courtesy
Of Mrs. Mclean The chapter has
been using all 65 rooms of the
house as headquarters for the
present war fund drive Spokes-
men for the chapter said the Red
Cross pays only for heating and
lighting the premisesD
"All of which leads us to believe
that Mrs. Mclean and the R. F. C.
are on good terms, if not actual
cronies. If I am wrong in my con-
clusions, I am perfectly willing to
be corrected, but want an explana-
ton of some kind before I am will
ing to vote to extend the borrowing
capacity of an organization which
Congress created to assist business
and winds up, instead, giving aid
and financial comfort to Washing
tons fashionable set"
Cites Purchases in Counties.
Mr.. Better also called attention to
sites purchased by the Defense
Homes Corp in Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties, Md, and
property at Sixteenth and Euclid
streets NV, on which a dormitory
for Government girl war workers is
being erected. In this connection,
he declared:
Need for additional hospital facili-
ties was stressed by Representative
Norton, Democrat, of New Jersey,
former chairman of the District
Committee. She also made a plea
for decent" housing accommoda-
tions for Government girl war
workers in Washington.
Girls from the rural districts are
coming to my Office and telling me
they have no place to stay" she
said. That's a dangerous thing.
The protection here is not all that it
should be. More men should be
added to the police force"
Representative Randolph, Demo-
crat, of West Virginia, interrupted
to remark that additional police are
"a very real need"
Representative Carlson, Republi-
can. of Kansas complained about
the lack of adequate school facilities
for children in the Anacostia area.
He said the Anacostia Junior Senior
High School is so overcrowded pupils
not only are on a two-shift basis
but have to attend classes in the
cafeteria and gymnasium. The new
Stuart Junior High School, now
under construction and designed to
relieve overcrowding in that area,
he said, is to be taken over upon its
completion as temporary Govern
ment Office building.