Evening star., 1947-05-10
Arlington Board
Drops lis Plans
10 Buy Projects
Stormy Session Decides
10 Keep 2 Apartment
Houses for Negroes

sNSSsSSS
The Arlington County Board today
decided to drop negotiations for two
Federal housing projects after q
sharp exchange between board menu
bers and a county civic federation
committee over proposed county
housing authority.
The board voted to inform the
Federal Public Housing Authority
that 1t favors continued occupancy
OF the two housing projects by Me-
groes. Previously it had asked the
FPHA to defer disposition Of the
projects until January, when the
board planned to ask the Virginia
Assembly for power to create limit.
ed housing authority.
A statement which led to the
boards action was read by Fred G.
Barthelmess, chairman of the Ar
lington Civic Federation's Parks.
Planning and zoning COMMITTEES.
It criticized board members r.
Freeland Chew and Leo Lloyd for
failure to attend public forum on
the housing authority question. 1t
also was critical of a report sub
mitted to the board by Common
wealth's Attorney Lawrence w.
Douglas, In whcih the official recon-
mended against establishment OF q
public housing authority.
Chew Denounces Statement.
MIR. Chew quickly retorted that
the statement was "damnable and
Answering the committees charges
that they remained away from the
forum, Mr.. Chew and Mr.. Lloyd
said that they did not attend be.
cause Of other matters and not be-
cause they did not want to-. Mr..
Chew said he probably was attend-
ing a session Of the United States
Senate, where he is employed as q
reporter, and Mr.. Lloyd said that
he was sick on the night in question.
The statement said the COMMITTEES
found it hard to believe" that Mr.
Douglas had been objective in his
report.
Mr.. Chew declared that the Com
monwealth's attorneys motives are
"above suspicion"
Survey Committee Recommended.
Mr.. Barthlemess' statement asked
appointment of a survey COMMITTEES
OF distinguished public-spirited Cit
izens and officials whose motives
would be above suspicion, who could
be depended upon to present facts
without distortion and who might
be expected to come up with re-
sponsible recommendations for ac-
tion."
Mr.. Barthelmess declared that It
is still not too late for the board
to act, pointing out that the FPHA
has agreed to delay disposition Of
the projects until at least July /.
The civic federation Tuesday night
passed a resolution asking appoints
ment of a public housing authority,
but the statement read today by Mr..
Barthelmess had not been SUBJ
mitted to the civic federation, Mr..
Barthelmess said later.
Residents Spokesman Heard.
Miss Natalie Moorman, speaking
on behalf Of colored residents inter-
ested in the projects, said 1--WE are
not going to- question your good
faith
She said that the colored residents
would have been very glad If the
board had seen fit to Great a public
housing authority. She said that .
group of citizens Is interested in
acquiring the two projects, the
George Washington Carver and Paul
Laurence Dunbar homes and fund
had been collected"
Miss Norman asked the board to
write to the FPHA indicating that
1t is the boards desire that the hous-
ing be retained for Negroes.
FPHA to Wait Till July.
The Federal Public Housing Au-
thority will wait at least until July
/ before taking any action to dispose
of the housing projects, the county
board was notified yesterday.
The decision to delay until July
was made after the County Board
requested that no disposition be
made of the projects until next
January. Oliver C. Winston, FPHA
field director, notified the, board OF
the authority's action.
It also was disclosed yesterday
that deposits for possible purchase
of the projects which had been put
up with FPHA by two groups of COLI
ored citizens had been returned.
The FPHA said that the deposits,
one for 1000 and second for s1o.-
900, were returned because the de-
positors represented private inter-
ests and not a mutual ownership
corporation.
The FPHA explained that a rnu-
tual ownership corporation made up
of tenants of the project have pri-
ority next after the county and that
private interests have the last pri-
ority.
n