Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-27
Witnesses Hit
Public HOUSING
Policy in DC.
Lusk Charges Poor
Are Denied Space
As Others Benefit
BY DON S. WARREN.

OciudAuS tndt III Lne future re-
development Of Washington,s blight.
ed areas only the lowest income
families be permitted to OCCUPY
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES housing-to
the exclusion of those able to finance
their own homes-today highlight-
ed continuing hearings before a
Senate District Subcommittee on
the Districts slum clearance bills.
During an attack on the policies
OF both the local and national pub
Lie housing agencies, two witnesses
before the McCarran Stun Clear
ance Subcommittee charged that
the National Capital Housing Au-
thority had permitted persons to
continue in "low rent" housing when
they were able to pay higher rents
elsewhere.
One witness, Rufus S. Lusk, pres
ldent OF the Washington Taxpayers
Association, in supporting the Nc
Carran bill, which would replace the
NCHA with a new agency, declared:
Public housers know the enact
ment of this bill will upset all their
plans to put one-fourth or perhaps
one-third of the population of our
cities IN taxpayer-supported homes.
To date the public housing program
has not housed and was never in
tended to house the low-income
groups. That kind of a tenant was
not wanted.
Won't Accept Poor.
1T is as difficult for a dweller in
Logan's Court or Temperance Court
to get into a publicly financed
project in the District as it would
be for him to join the Chevy Chase
Club"
He followed this with an attack
on Federal public housing authori-
ties for permitting a long list Of
Army and Navy officials with SAL
aries ranging from 1892 to 1862 a
month to become tenants of Mclean
Gardens, Government housing
project on Wisconsin avenue. The
list, he said, includes 2 briga-
der generals: 2 rear admirals, 6
colonies, 3 commanders, II lieu
tenant colonies, lieutenant COM
manders and a larger number Of
majors, captains and Ieutenants.
Coming to the defense of the
NCHA and the Capper slum clear
ance and redevelopment bill, John
1hlder, executive officer of the
NCHA, presented a comprehensive
discussion OF the past and proposed
slum plans of the District.
nsHEo,xIx
Defending the graduated rental"
systems employed in NCHA housing.
he said:
While it is agreed that public
housing should be for low-income
tenants, there is difficulty In de.
inning such tenants exactly. The
purpose is to assure that tenants
able to pay the rent of proper
privately owned dwellings shall live
IN those privately owned dwellings.
put that those who cannot afford
to pay the required rents shall be
provided for by public housing"
Attacking the plan of the McCar.
ran bill, which would prevent Gov
ernment-aided housing to rent for
more than $40 a month and pre-
vent its use by families earning more
than $500 a year, Mr.. Ihlder said:
Many attempts have been made
TO use dollars in defining the di.
Vldlng line. This has been unsuc-
cessful because costs of housing and
incomes Of tenants differ not only
from place to place but also from
time to time in any given place"
THE NCHA," he continued. "has
met the difficulty by setting its
maximum rents below the prevail-
ing rents and then graduating ten
ants when they can secure proper
privately owned dwellings at shell
ter rents not exceeding one-fourth
of incomes.
Private Property Unavailable.
But privately owned houses are
not available at such rents. As
consequence the authority has
tenants whose incomes are larger
than it contemplated. Despite the
granting of additional priorities for
housing, he added, there still are
no vacancies
Matthew G. Lepley, Washington
architect, who contended the Nc
Carran bill should be made stronger
by adding provisions for the custer
from NCHA- projects of those able
to. pay more than the graded rents.
protested that the taxpayers had
been given no part in the drafting
of either the Capper or the McCar-
ran bills.
This brought a prompt reaction
from Senator Capper, Republican,
OF Kansas who recalled that he and
other members of the Senate Dis
trict Committee had spent months
last year listening to the arguments
OF ANY one who wanted to be
heard" The committee policy, he
said, has been one of absolute
fairness" ~.
Senator Capper continued: "It is
outrageous that the people of Wash
ington do not have a direct particle
patton in their Government" but
the present lack of that, he added,
does not mean that committee
members have not listened to the
views Of taxpayers on slum prob
lens.
Other witnesses scheduled for to-
day were George NJ Golden of the
Citizens Council for Community
Planning; and Joseph H. Deckman,
of the Federation of Citizens As.
sociations.
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