Evening star., 1946-04-14
|42% Of Patent Staff
Will Need DC. Homes
In Move From Virginia

The return to Washington of the
Patent Office divisions which are
still in Richmond, would require
housing facilities for only AZ per
cent of the 464 persons employed in
the Richmond Office.
This is shown by answers to a
QUESTIONABLE submitted to the
Richmond personnel by Patent Of
flee officials. The personnel which
still remains in Richmond is part
Of the large staff which was moved
there in January, l942, as a tenn
porary wartime measure Some
have been moved back to Washing
ton and most of those still in Rich
mond have been waiting anxiously
for orders transferring them back
to the capital.
The survey made public yester-
day by Commissioner Casper w.
Ooms shows that of the 464 persons
employed in the Richmond Office,
100 will not return to WASHINGTON.
The other 1854 who will return in
clude 264 professional personnel and
100 clerical personnel.
ITO Already Have Homes.
OF the 1854 who will come back,
ITO already have houses or apart
ments here, the survey shows. The
number which will require family
dwelling units on their return to
the Capital is 129, and the num-
ber requiring only rooms is SO.
The survey does not explain why
the number which has housing here
plus the number which will need
housing total four more than the
number which will be affected by
the move. 1t was suggested, how
ever, that the discrepancy may be
due to some home owners, having
leased their dwellings, requiring
other living quarters until the leases
expire.
Ninety-one of the ITO in Rich
mond who have houses or apart
ments in Washington use the living
quarters here themselves. That is,
their families live here and they
have living places in Richmond and
return to Washington for week
ends.
The Washington homes of 48 of
the Richmond workers are occupied
by others, while 81 to whom a
QUESTIONABLE was submitted said
their Washington homes were va
cant, or made no notation on the
QUESTIONABLE.
The survey also went into the
question of the eviction of tenants
now in the Washington homes of
the Richmond personnel. Fifteen
OF the Richmond personnel said
they intend to repossess their WASH
ington homes regardless of the date
of their transfer back to Washing
ton, and 90 said they would eyict
tenants only when transferred.
Many employees of the Richmond
Office pointed out that the housing
situation there is critical and said
Richmond real estate agents would
not rent to Patent Office employees
who are regarded now as transients.
Breakdown of Needs.
The survey lists four divisions of
the Patent Office in Richmond,
which could be brought back to
Washington with no demand for
housing units here. In the case of
three other divisions, only one
housing unit per division would be
needed here, while IL divisions
would need only two housing units
per division here.
The Richmond employees were
concerned over the announcement
three weeks ago that mo more
major movements of Government
workers back to congested Wash
ington" would be recommended by
the Budget Bureau without prior
consultation with the Office of
Housing Administrator Wilson w.
Wyatt. 1t was not made clear
whether this would apply to the
Patent Office personnel in Rich
mond, but Patent Office employees
assumed it did not when the House
Appropriations Committee reported
out a deficiency appropriation bill
including money to finance the
move.
David Hermann. chief examiner
of the tobacco division of the Patent
Office in Richmond. pointed out to
The Star that the return of the
Richmond personnel would leave
their living quarters and office space
to employees of the Veterans Admin
istration regional Office there.
Mr. HprTyro onr, 70
for his family at 1701 Juniper street
NV. and is one OF those who com
mute" to Richmond.