Evening star., 1944-01-30
Senator'S Weigh
P!!eastoRep|ace
District SIums
100-MiIIion Program
Over 20 Years Urged
In lhIder Summary

everyone agreed that the District!
clums are bad and should be re.
claimed, the Senate District Sub.
committee on Housing tomorrow
will take up the controversial ques.
tion Of whether the reclamation
should be handled by public hous.
Ing agency or entirely by private
builders.
John Ihlder, executive officer ol
National Capital Housing Author.
1ty, who has proposed that his
agency be given approximately
100000 for 20-yesr anti-slum
program, will be the first witness
His testimony is expected to touch
off heated battle between the ad-
vccates and opponents of public
housing
In his statement to the subcom-
mittee Mr. Ihlder is expected moi
only to defend the record of the
Housing Authority and ask funds
for resumption of its slum pro-
gram but also to launch an at
tack on an alternative method OF
slum reclamation proposed by Wa
verify Taylor and other members OF
the Washington Home Builders
Association.
Builders Offer Plan.
Under the Home Builders plan
the NCHA or some other Govern
ment agency would condemn exist.
ing slum properties, clear away the
ramshackle buildings and then sell
the land to private builders for re-
development. The builders would
construct low-cost housing on the
former Slum sites, agreeing to
charge rents that would yield them
only a fixed small profit. Fami-
lies with incomes insufficient to nav
these rents would receive direct re-
lief aid from welfare agencies rath-
er than rent subsidies of the type
granted by the NCHA.
In preparation for their appear
ance before the subcommittee, rep
resentatives of the Home Builders
Association yesterday made a six
hour formal inspection tour of more
than a dozen slum areas and Gov
ernment low-rent housing develop
mentS.
Those making the inspection in
cluded Mr.. Taylor, Edward Carr,
Munro Warren N. C. Hines, Donald
Chamberlain, Myron Davy, Harry
Poretsky, William Banks. Joseph
B Deckman, Frank w. Cortright.
Nathan Raf1er, and James E. Wilkes
and Wesley E. Mcdonald, attorneys
for the builders association.
Satisfied About Enterprise.
At the conclusion of the tour.
builders in the group fatty declared
private enterprise could, at less
cost. erect buildings of the same
quality as those in the Government
developments.
In contrast to the public prop
critics, they visited Greenway, pri-
vate development where compara-
tive costs were said to be about one
half. Rents are somewhat higher
since the private builder was not
subsidized and did not have the
advantage of tax-free property, the
builders said.
Several references to the contro-
versy between the advocates and
opponents of public housing marked
the hearings last week before the
Senate subcommittee Most testi-
mony, however, established the ex-
istence of widespread slum areas
here and pointed to the role slum
housing plays in increasing illness.
disease, immortality, delinquency and
crime.
The principle that private build
ers should do as much slum re-
clamation work as they can profit
ably undertake was set forth by all
of the witnesses as we'll as by Mr.
1hlder. The belief that some public
housing would be necessary as a
supplement to the housing erected
by private builders was expressed
however, by Maj. Gen. q. S
Grant III, chairman of the National
Capitol Park and Planning Com
mission; Ray Huff, director of the
Board of Public Welfare, and Dis
trict Commissioners Young anc
Kutz.
Gen. Grant and the two Com.
missioners expressed definite opin-
ions that private interests, unless
subsidized, could not afford tc
provide housing at rentals most o1
the present slum dwellers would be
able to pay. Gen. Grant also at.
tackled the "Waverly Taylor pro-
posal' as burden on the tax.
noverc