Evening star., 1943-09-08
SOCIETY AND
GENERAL

Officials Inspect Areas
Suitable for Housing;
$40. .M0, 900 Wonted
Commissioner John Russell Young
today. in formal statement.
pledged unanimous support of the
Commissioners for the proposed
long-range housing program to re-
place the Districts slums.
THE Commissioners are ,mani-
nous in their determination to do
something regarding better hous-
ing" the statement said. 1t was
issued as the result of three-hour
tour yesterday on which officials Of
the District government and the Ma
tional Capital Housing Authority in
spected existing housing projects
and areas suitable for future devel-
opment.
Sites Not Chosen.
Commissioner Young said that no
conclusions have been reached as
regards sites for proposed slum re-
placement projects, but said that
careful consideration would be given
the price, location and terrain OF
available areas, so that the best DOS
sible sites might be obtained.
At the conclusion of yesterdays trip,
which included hasty look at is
NCHA projects, several slum sections
and three possible building areas.
Commissioner Guy Mason went on
record in favor of starting the slum
clearance program as soon as pos
sible."
Commissioner Mason said he
hoped the present Congress would
vote "at least enough money to per-
NIT the planning.
Urges $4,000, 900 Fund.
He also said he thought that the
initial request for funds for the pro-
gram, soon to be made to Congress,
should be for SIC, ,000, 900, instead of
for the $4,000, 600 which John Ihlder,
executive officer of the NCHA and
chief sponsor of slum clearance here,
has indicated will be asked.
Outlining his plan for elimination
of the slums, Mr.. Ihlder explained
that loan" of $5,000000 to the
NCHA by Congress would permit the
retaining of one existing slum dis
trict and the construction of sup
Elemental low-cost living units in
one now vacant area.
Mr.. Ihlder pointed out that most
construction might have to wait
until after the war, because of the
shortage of critical materials. He
emphasized, however, that appro-
priation of the initial funds at this
time would enable the NCHA to 60
ahead with some building before the
wars end. in the event that military
demand for critical materials eases
enough to permit the use of limited
amounts for the construction of per-
manent housing.
Permanent Type Housing.
Under Mr.. Ihlder's proposal, all
public housing erected here In the
future would be permanent In type.
The eventual aim of the program,
which might take 5, 10 or even 20
years to complete, would be the elm
nation of the worst blight spots"
in the District. An expenditure of
$40, 0,000, 600 would wipe out the worst
OF these slums, though complete re-
placement Of all slum housing would
require in excess of 100000, 900, the
| NCHA director estimated.
Yesterdays tour emphasized the
severe shortage of vacant land
within boundaries of the District on
which much-needed low-cost hous-
ing for Negro families can be. con-
structed. The officials visited the
/ Marshal Heights area, bounded
roughly by Central avenue and by
Forty ninth, Fifty-f1fth and z
streets Sc; the Deanwood section,
bounded roughly by Benning road,
Deane avenue, and Forty-ninth
streets; and the vacant land In the
vicinity of Nichols avenue and
Sheridan road
"Open Land" Scarce.
In these areas, lie the largest
tracts of "open land" remaining in
the District, it was pointed out.
NCHA officials estimated that while
homes for 10000 Negroes could be
constructed someday in these areas,
that this would care only for the
number of Negroes who have come
into the District within the past
eight years.
Mr.. Ihlder said, however, that
the NCHA already has found sites
for the TAO public housing units for
Negroes that will be constructed
soon in the District, as part of a
total of 5000 temporary Negro
dwellings in this area for which the
National Housing Agency has
granted priorities.
Remarking on the growing scar
city of vacant land here, Commits
sioner Mason predicted that soon
er or later legislation will have to
be passed restricting the number of
persons who can occupy a room"
About 100000 people now are
crowded into the So square miles of
land area that comprise the District,
he pointed out.
Projects Visited.
The NCHA housing projects vis-
tied on the tour included jefferson
Terrace, Canal Street Houses, Sy-
phax Houses, James Creek DWELL
ings, Anthony Bowen Houses, Car
rollsburg Dwellings, Ellen Wilson
Dwellings, Barry Farm Dwellings.
Nichols Avenue Houses, Twenty
fifth Street Houses, Fort Dupont
Dwellings, Stoddert Dwellings, Lily
Ponds Houses, Parkside Dwellings
and Foote Street Houses.
The Commissioners made a close
inspection Of sample houses at the
Lily Ponds project, at Kenilworth
avenue and Polk street NE, where
about 460 out of 500 demolishable
temporary houses, built at a total
cost of So. 900 each including land