Evening star., 1943-04-13
Roosevelt so. K.
Sought for DC.
Housing Funds
Money Not Doto,.
Needed to Meet Crisis,
D'AIesondro Says

Democrat, of Maryland expressed
hope President Roosevelt would re-
commend an appropriation to i'm
prove housing conditions in WASH
ington, as he recessed House hear
ings on the subject today until
Friday
AS the subcommittee on health
and sanitation of the House District
Committee took further testimony
late yesterday, Chairman D'Alesan-
dro noted that Mr.. Roosevelt had
just transmitted a supplemental esti-
mate of $247,OO0 for street cleaning
and the collection of city refuse dur
ing the remainder of this fiscal year.
Il would like to see the President
make another recommendation for
housing" he continued I'VE can
gather all of this information, but
what is needed is appropriations"
Earlier in the hearing, Mr.. DIAL
esandro called for stricter enforce
ment of sanitary regulations and
greater public cooperation in the
rat control program being carried on
under the District Health Depart
ment.
DR.. George Rutland, District
health officer, recommended that
sanitary inspectors of his depart
ment be uniformed in order to COM
mand greater public respect and
that the Police Department give
tickets and levy fines in cases where
garbage cans are found uncovered.
Ihlder Urges Funds.
John Ihlder, executive officer of
the Alley Dwelling Authority. told
the subcommittee that Washington
ultimately should get rid of 10000
houses" and that if his agency was
given s5,000000 a year for 20 years,
it could clear up situation. that has
been developing over a hundred
years.
Mr.. D'Alesandro told Mr.. Ihlder
the Commissioners have made the
argument that while the war is on,
critical materials could not be OBJ
tanned. The subcommittee chair
man suggested Mr.. Ihlder present
a postwar program.
Mr.. 1hlder said obtaining priori-
ties would be the job of his agency,
ard added, IF we had the money I
think we could get the materials.
The situation is such that I believe
we could convince the War Produc-
ton Board"
Discussing the lack of sanitation
here, DR.. Rutland revealed earlier
in the hearing that several cases of
typhus in the District have been
traced directly to fleas on rats. The
health officer also reported that
cases of meningitis so far this year
are about three times as numerous
as during similar period last year.
Attacking the housing of thou
sands of girls in. Government dor
nlitories with What he described as
no adequate medical supervision, :"
he said there should be a nurse in
each dormitory.
DR.. Ruhland also warned that
food. poisoningssmay be a danger
here during TIE summer months,
because Of the shortage of refriger-
alton.
Another high light of the AFTER
noon session was the testimony of
Judge Fay Bentley of Juvenile
Court that juvenile delinquency
cases have been on the increase here
since 1910, and that in March of
this year the number of complaints
against minors reached record
number of more than 379 for a
month.
Cites Housing Conditions.
In response to questions she said
the increase is partly due to less
supervision in the homes, and to "a
housing situation worse than it has
ever been in certain areas" If rec
reation facilities are not available
in crowded areas, she said, young
sters get into gangs.
Mr.. Ihlder explained how hidden
communities of alley dwellings grew
Up in the interior of large squares
in the older parts of the city. From
its creation in 1884 until 1910, he
reported, the Alley Dwelling Au-
thority razed 976 slum houses and
built or reconditioned 1,437. It is
now managing under lease 274, or a
total of 1899 low-rental dwellings.
Since 1910, he said, all of the ADA
funds have been for war housing.
To show the need for more low
rent housing, he reported that at
the end of the last fiscal year ADA
had received 17.700 applications for
low-rent accommodations (not war
housing) as against the 1899 it
could accept.
Hopes for Funds.
Detailed studies of the remaining
substandard housing areas are i'm
practicable now, he said, because all
OF the authority's slum reclamation
working fund has been cut off. He
expressed the hope, however, that
the fund may be restored, as it is
essential to a carefully considered
and economical program. Congress
last year required the ADA to de-
posit its rents and other revenues
in the Treasury, instead Of using
them as revolving fund. and left
the agency with a small direct ap-
preparation for operating expenses.
Asked If there Is any chance of
converting existing buildings for
dwelling purposes, Mr.. Ihlder said
he understood the Hole was look
ing into that possibility, but he
expressed belief the number of such
buildings is small. -
Lodge Questioned on Inspections.