Evening star., 1949-02-15
Public Housing
Called Cheaper
Than S|um Area
IhIder Issues Reply .
To Builders Charge
OF D. 6. Tax Loss
By Robert J. Lewis

py NODSIt ). LEWIS
John Ihlder. executive officer OF
the National Capital Housing Au-
thority. today said that slums cost
more than public housing, in a
statement replying to a charge by
the Washington Home Builders
Association that public housing
had cost the District 1904, ,468.12
in tax losses during the last fiscal
year.
Without directly challenging
figures offered by the Public Hous-
ing Committee of the Home
Builders group, Mr.. Ihlder declared
that NCHA now has 431 over
income tenants of public housing
who are seeking private housing
and who would appreciate offers
of decent dwellings in the District
for rent at rates within their
means.
Indicating that private builders
have not supplied rental apart
ments or houses for low income
families. Mr.. Ihlder said such
builders repeat the hackneyed
party line that public housing
has failed completely in its OBJ
jectives."
Suggests Comparison.
After recalling that the home
builders statement of February
II claimed tax loss to the Dis
trict of $204,468.12 in the last
fiscal year. Mr.. Ihler suggested
that this figure should be COM
pared with the more than a half
million dollars annually which
single one of the Districts pri-
vately owned slum areas cost the
taxpayers during the same year.
The statement did not specify
what Slum area was referred to or
what costs to the taxpayers were
involved, though in the past pub
lie housing supporters have cited
large public expenditures apply
ing to police protection and health
and welfare work in such areas.
The private builders organiza-
ton pointed out in it's statement
that the probable tax loss over a
54-year amortization period for
public housing would amount to
$11 ,041 ,278.48 at the present rate.
Ridicules Mathematics Used.
Mr.. Ihlder ridiculed the mathe-
mates by which the Home Build
ers produced the $11,041.278.48
cost by multiplying $2o4,46s.l2
by 81.
This method of getting stag
gering results" he said. would
really amaze us if applied to the
Districts present budget Of
$110,188,648.
IF we multiply that by 81, the
indicated cost to the taxpayers
would be $3.50, 1876, ,992.
But why stop at 81 years? The
District government will probably
be functioning in some form a
hundred years from now and tax
payers will still be paying taxes.
so multiply by 100. or, being
reminded by the sesquicentennial
that the District has already been
in existence $50 years, assume
that its future will be as long
as its past and multiply by 1907
That would give us a very inter-
esting total for whatever use it
might have"
Lists Other District Costs.
Mr.. Ihlder then detailed other
District government costs. includ-
ing $7,O89,0O0 for police this year,
and the cost of the Department
of Corrections, which he gave as
S3.039, 900 this year. He also mui-
tiplied these by 81 to give the
54-year cost of this service.
The same persons who today
are looking forward 54 years with
alarm. only five years ago looked
forward more optimistically to to-
day. Then they told the Burton
Committee of the Senate that
when controls were taken off
building materials, and military
priorities were ended, they would
produces four-room, row houses to
rent for $35 a month"
Mr.. Ihlder said that 8,146 pub
lie housing units are occupied by
low-income families in the District
area who cannot afford the rents
charged for proper private hous-
ing.
The authority" he said, has
graduated into private housing
1T of it's tenants who have pros
pered while they were it's tenants.
But these graduates have not Sc
cured a single dwelling from the
home builders, though 337 Of
them, month after month, made
application.