Evening star., 1945-02-26
Three Present
Opposing Views
On SIun,s Bill
Gorrett, Nelson Bock
McCorron Plan; Grant
Prefers Copper's
By DON S. WARREN.

rreferS OupPers
BY DON S. WARREN.
Hearings begun today before
Senate subcommittee on bills
chart the course of the District
future slum clearance program
showed agreement on the need 70
q quick and wide attack on blighte
areas, but continuing disagreement
as to details OF the proposed legis
lation.
The bill sponsored by Senator Nc
Carran, Democrat, of Nevada, wa
supported by the first two witnesses
Van Holt Garrett, president of tn
National Association of Real Estat
Boards, and Herbert U. Nelson, ex
ecutive director of the Urban Lam
Institute, but was frowned on by tn
next witness, Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant
III. chairman of the National Capt.
tai Park and Planning Commission
Gen. Grant championed the re
vised form Of the bill of Senate
Capper, Republican, of Kansas
which, unlike the McCarran meas
ure, would continue in operation
the National Capital Housing Au
thority, focal point of much of tn
opposition of private enterpriser
against public housing"
New Agency Proposed.
Gen. Grant brought out that tn
competing McCarran and Cape
bills were similar in many respect
and that one of the chief difference
was that under the McCarran meas
ure new agency would be createt
which would have the tasks of as
sembling sites for slum clearanc,
and redevelopment of blighted area
and also of doing the redevelopmen
work if private business failed t.
take offered projects.
Il think that would be a seriou.
mistake" Gen. Grant told the Sen.
ate District Subcommittee in charge
of the slum bills. THE position oI
the new agency would be an impos.
sible one, for it would be open te
accusations that it was favorine
either private enterprise or of favor.
ing public housing. 1t would be sub.
ject to embarrassment If it were moi
enthusiastic for its work as a public
housing agency"
Under the Capper bill new
agency would be created to acquire
sites and if redevelopment work were
to be performed by public agency
instead Of private concerns, this
would go to the National Capital
Housing Authority. ~
Mr.. Garrett said the National
Realtors organizations did not be-
lieve that public housing had
worked out WELL and that private
enterprise stood ready to do the
work if Government power of con-
demnation were made available for
the assembling of project sites.
Both bills permit use of the power
of eminent domain for this purpose
Nelson Backs McCarraa Bill.
Mr.. Nelson, in supporting the
McCarran bill, said he feared "con-
fusion and disorder" would result
If there were more than one agency
given the power to condemn sites
for development of blighted areas.
Gen. Grant emphasized that the
Park and Planning Commission,
which has the work of planning
Washington's development, is not
connected with any real estate in
terests or with public housing agen-
cies of the Government. Therefore,
he said, It can look at the problem
in an unprejudiced way. He said
the land agency that will be needed
to assemble slum redevelopment
project areas should be left in the
same unprejudiced position.
Mr.. Garrett took the opportunity
to deny that the National Associa-
ton of Real Estate Boards favored
the Capper bill, specifying that he
was testifying in support of the Nc
Carran bill.
In opening the hearing, Senator
McCarran said that while he hoped
a bill would be reported promptly
Il shall not be satisfied until I am
convinced that the final action of
this subcommittee will result in leg
islation which will guarantee the
rapid elimination of slums and will
provide ways and means of prevent
ing their temperance.
Would Give Enterprise Incentive.
II believe, too, that insofar as is
humanity possible, private enterprise
should be given every incentive and
inducement to build and operate
low-rent housing, and that public
housing should be the last and not
the first alternative"
Under the McCarran bill, private
builders would be given first year
of opportunity to develop a project.
II no acceptable offers were sub
mitted after year, however, the
new land and redevelopment agency
would start development of one
third of pending projects and offer
the other two-thirds for auction.
II private business still was not in
terested, the whole project would be
done by the land agency.
! Under the Capper plan the land
agency would do no development
work itself, but would leave that
either to private corporations or to
the NCHA.