Evening star., 1943-05-17
Building Official
Sees Easing Of
Housing Crisis
Commissioners Told
Autumn May See
Vacant Apartments

A prediction that by late fall or
early winter Washington's housing
situation would be relieved" though
not back to normal" was made
today by Rufus S. Lusk. representing
the Builder Owners and Managers
Association.
His statement was made during a
public hearing before the Commis-
sioners over proposed temporary
regulations governing safety meas
ures in boarding, rooming, lodging
and apartment houses. Mr.. Lusk,
who testified for the. Washington
Taxpayers Association as we'll as the
other group, declared that probably
by winter there would be vacancies
In apartments.
He did not give the basis for his
predictions, but explained there are
two different methods of calculating
housing shortages. One is that of
the practical" man and the other
Is based on the viewpoint OF the
social worker he said.
Compares Attitudes.
Saying that he was a spokesman
for "the Tories" he said he looks at
housing as a question of whether
there are places to put people. :"
The social worker, he continued, is
concerned with the "underfed, i'll
housed. underpaid" groups and that
therefore from the social viewpoint
there always will be lack of adequate
housing.
The hearing was called for a dis
eussion of housing conditions gen.
orally and for consideration of
greatly modified fire safety rules
which District officials have pro-
posed for use during the war and
for six months thereafter. Under
these. boarding, rooming and lodg-
Ing houses not more than three
stories high would be exempt from
present requirements as to fire es-
capes, fire extinguishers and other
appliances which are not available.
Owners of apartments not over
three stories high would be permit
ted to erect wooden fire escapes in
stead of metal ones.
Proposal Applauded.
The more than 100 persons at
tending the hearing burst into pro-
longed applause when Charles j.
Rush, secretary of the Washington
Real Estate Board, urged the Com
missioners to drop from their rules
limitation of the number of stories
and to use instead a measurement
Of 80 feet from the ground to the sill
Of the highest window in determin-
ing the need for prescribed safety
measures.
He pointed out there has been
considerable confusion under the old
rule, in which the basement is count
ed as a story if its. ceiling is as much
es feet above the adjoining ground
level.
Commissioner Guy Mason inter-
jected that he could not see the
sense of the 4-foot rule, asserting, "A
person having to jump from an
upper story, in case of fire. would
not Jump down into the basement"
Paul Miller, representing the
Washington Guest House Associa-
tion, also urged that the 30-foot
measurement be used as stand
ard, instead Of the number of
stories.
Joint Committee Asked.
Mr.. Miller also presented q long
series of recommended changes in
existing regulations. making spe-
cial demand that the same defini-
tions be applied in all of the codes,
such as building, health, electrical
and plumbing, to avoid confusion.
Mr. Lusk reiterated former recon-
mendations that in work on the pro-
posed new safety regulations and on
revision of other codes the Commis-
sioners should appoint joint COM
mittee of District officials and in
dustry representatives. He pre-
dicted much better rules would re-
suit, and quicker.
He referred to experience of British
leaders in the last war in finally
deciding in munitions production
management to throw out the ex-
perts and put man on the job"
He praised the Commissioners for
faving given reconsideration to their
proposals on fire escapes and hous-
ing rules, finding this was responsive
to public wishes and he wound up
with this encomium:
The District has a government
about as democratic and represent
ative of its citizens as any in the
United States"