Evening star., 1943-11-14
Burton Group 10 End
Inspection Tours Of
Housing Wednesday
BY JOHN T. LUTER.

BY JOHN T. LUTER.
The Senate subcommittee inves-
tigating housing conditions in the
District will make another tour at
10 am. Wednesday when it hopes
to complete its month-long series
Of inspections of developments op-
Grated by the National Capital
Housing Authority, Chairman Bur-
ton Of the subcommittee said last
night.
Among the NCHA properties to be
visited are the Lily Ponds Houses
and the Calvert Houses, built under
Government restrictions limiting
the total cost for land, site develop
ment, and construction at $4,000 for
each family unit.
The 1000 dwelling units included
In these two developments represent
the NCHA'S "demolishable" war
housing, type which John Ihlder,
executive officer of the Housing
Authority, has termed more ex-
travagant" than either demountable
or permanent dwellings. Mr.. Ihlder
has advocated that all future public
housing here be of permanent con-
struction, since the "demolishables"
will have little salvage value when
cleared away within one year after
the end of the war emergency period.
Burton Visits Virginia.
So that he might compare them
with the Lily Ponds and Calvert
Houses, Senator Burton yesterday
visited five large developments in
nearby Virginia, erected by the Fed
ieral Public Housing Authority under
the same $4,000 cost limitation.
These were the George Carver,
George Pickett, j. E. B. Stuart,
Henry G. Shirley and Jubal Early
homes.
Senator Bourton also viewed sew
eral other FPHA developments in
nearby Virginia yesterday, including
trailer camps set up as temporary
housing measure. He was accom-
panied on the tour by Oliver C.
Winston, regional FPe1A director;
Joseph c. Gray, assistant regional
director for project management;
Mr.. Ihlder, and Walter Hudgins, su-
pervisor of NCHA properties.
Mr.. Winston indicated the FPHA
may find it necessary to supply
furniture in order to obtain full oc-
cupancy of the Henry G. Shirley
and George Pickett developments.
Only 101 of the 800 units in the
Henry Shirley Homes are tenanted,
and though 400 of the remaining
units are being held vacant for later
occupancy by torpedo plant en-
ployes, rental has been slow because
of the lack of furniture, Mr. Winston
said. In the 500-unit George Pickett
development, 200 units are being
reserved for possible use of the Navy,
but only $50 of the remainder are
rented. Both properties are for
white war workers.
Furnished houses operated by the
FPHA are fully occupied, Mr.. VIM
ston pointed out.
Trailer Camp Removed.
Mr.. Winston also disclosed to
trailer camp on Queen street near
Columbia pike in Arlington is being
removed, because the camp is in run
down condition and no longer salts
factory.
Approximately so of the colored
tenants already have been moved
from the camp and others will be
evacuated in the near future, he
said. About IS of these families
are being given quarters in the
George Carver Homes, while ap-
proximately As will be moved to a
better trailer camp near Glebe and
Seminary roads.
The trailers were placed on the
Queen street site more than two
years ago to provide temporary ac-
commodations for colored families
who were forced out of their homes
by the construction of roads around
the Pentagon. Because of the criti-
cal shortage of housing for Negroes
in Arlington, the FPHA has been
unable to place these families in
better quarters until now, Mr.. Win
ston explained.
Continued existence of the Queen
street trailer camp was condemned
several months ago by subcommit-
tee of the Emergency Committee on
Housing in Washington, which
charged that the trailers were de-
teriorating and insisted that plan
ming for more permanent structures
was mandatory"
Mr.. Winston told Senator Burton
that in the next few weeks the
.FPHA will call for bids for con-
struction of 100 permanent dwelling
units for Negroes, to be located in
the Green Valley section of Arling-
ton. Another 100 units are to be
constructed by the Alexandria Hous-
ing Authority adjacent to slum
clearance development in Alex
andria.