Evening star., 1943-12-12
Iher Urges Critics
To Make Better Study
OF Housing Plans

In letter to the presidents of
all Citizens Associations in the Dis
trict. John Ihlder, executive officer
Of the National Capital Housing
Authority, asked yesterday that the
associations make more thorough
study of the work of the Housing
Authority before adopting resolu-
tions opposing the Public Housing
program here.
Reports recently made to the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Association and
the Southeast Council of Citizens
Associations, which were adopted
by the two groups, are tied up with
vigorous Nation wide campaign
against public housing, Mr.. Ihlder
said.
a Here" he asserted, apparently
whose who are trying to destroy all
public housing have for the present
concentrated their propaganda on
the Citizens Associations. Rumors
are circulated that a public housing
project will depreciate neighboring
values and make home financing
more difficult"
Called National Campaign.
Mr.. 1hlder singled out the Wash
1ngton Taxpayers Association, the
Building Owners and Managers
Association and the Home Builders
Association as agencies whose rep
resentatives are behind the leaders
in the nationwide, antipublic
housing campaign. The Home
Builders Association is the local
branch of national organization
that is sending representatives from
one city to another to stir up op-
position, he said.
Reports condemning the NCHA
which were submitted to the Fed
Grafton and Southeast Council were
based on numerous misunderstand-
1ngs of fact, Mr.. Ihler maintained.
One of these reports condemned
the Housing Authority for not do
Ing enough in slum reclamation,
while, In fact, funds for additional
slum clearance work were not pro-
vided by Congress, he pointed out.
Observing that you can't make
bricks without straw" he explained
that the Housing Authority has
made and is making efforts to OBJ
tain additional funds for slum
eclamation-efforts which were
not mentioned in the reports to the
citizen groups.
Explains Difference.
Mr. Ihlder explained in his letter
the distinction between the slum
reclamation developments and the
war housing erected by the NCHA.
The war housing has been built at
the request of the Government. un-
der strict cost limitations, and will
be cleared away after the war. he
pointed out. While this war housing
appears cheaply built, it was neces-
sary as an emergency measure and
compares favorably with housing of
corresponding type erected in other
cities, he said.
Temporary houses that are
vacant today are vacant because
agencies responsible for the success
ful prosecution of the war, including
the Army and Navy, believe these
vacancies are necessary to recruit
essential war workers" Mr.. Ihlder
explained. These houses are be-
Ing held as reserve"
With its thankless emergency as
signment of providing war housing
now virtually completed, the NCHA
hopes soon to resume its slum recla-
nation work, Mr.. Ihlder said. Slum
reclamation is valuable, he observed.
because substandard housing costs
money to the owners of good prop
erty 1t has been estimated that in
one section of the District services
cost half million dollars annually
IN excess of tax receipts-a subsidy
that taxpayers pay so long as slums
exist