Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-25
WWLisfs 100 SEEKING
Surplus HousingWhen
Units Are PUT on Sale

The District Department, veter.
ans Of Foreign Wars. has taken ap-
plications from more than ioo|
Washington area veterans who
want to buy surplus war housing
units when they are released for
sale here, it was learned today.
More than 5000 Of the units,
built to house war workers and
military personnel, are expected TO
be released from Government con-
troll here. The VFW office set up
an office at 1919 K street NV. this
week to take applications for the
units, after the Government an
nounced plans for disposing of
them on a veterans priority basis.
VFW Comdr. A. M. Armstrong
outlined the plan at q meeting of
veterans organization leaders yes
terday in the Veterans Service Gen.
ter, Fourteenth street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue NV.
Advised Against High Hopes.
Wesley D. Pearce, vFW national
housing oficer, said he expected to
discuss the project this week with
the director Of the New York office
Of the Public Housing Administra-
ton. which will handle actual dis
position of the properties.
Mr.. Pearce said he had been
informed that disposal of about
400 of the units near Washington
would begin almost Immediately"
A PHA official, however, told The
Star there is no indication yet how
many Of the units would be put up
for individual purchase.
Veterans are in danger of having
their hopes smashed if they count
this early on getting the units" he
said.
Some responsibility for dlsposing
Of the projects will be turned over
. to the National Capital Housing
Authority. The District Commits
sioners and government heads in
nearby areas also will be consulted
about their ideas for disposal of the
units, 1t was explained.
Most Units Now Occupied.
None Of the housing has been ap-
praised yet, the official said, and
some, located on leased land, will
have to be moved before 1t can be
sold.
Another barrier to quick occu-
pancy of the property, the official
pointed out, is that nearly all the
projects are occupied now. No &C.
cupants will be evicted without at
least 80 days written notice, and
local laws will govern evictions.
Finding a house or apartment in
Washington today is more difficult
than during the war, according to
officials of the Veterans Service
Center at 14oO Pennsylvania ave-
nue. NV.
Shortage Factors Listed.
They told commanders of Dis
trict veterans organizations on
tour of the center yesterday that
the current shortage is intensified
by the following factors:
A greater demand for permanent
housing, unwillingness of a larger
number of landlords to accommo-
date families with small children,
almost half the applications at the
center are from military personnel
transferred here, slowness in build
ing new houses because of lack of
materials. refusal of many single
girls to give up apartments they OBJ
tanned during the war, housing re-
quests from governmental and mil
tary officials who come here for
short periods.
Col. Waldron E. Leonard, center
director; Miss Mary Mahoney,
housing supervisor, and Bernard R.
Gollinger, the center's liaison man
with veterans organizations, led the
tour of the establishments and ex-
planned the housing situation as re-
f1ected in applications there. Engi-
neer Commissioner Gordon r.
Young brought the group to the
center.
Veterans organizations officials
who visited the center were District
Comdrs. Owen C. Holleran, Amer
lean Legion; Dave Bowman, Cath
Ole War Veterans; Donald Dunn,
Disabled War Veterans; Albert
Armstrong, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, and John r. Richards, Ma
rine Corps League.
On the average day, statisticians
say, % Americans die as result of