Evening star., 1949-09-29
S|um Clearance
AdvisoryGrioup
For City Planned
Flanders, Sporkmon
Will Sponsor Unit to
Confer on Program

Nonrer on rro9fom
Two Senators plan to sponsor
within week a special advisory
committee, composed of repre-
sentatives from private and pub
lie groups. to confer with Federal
and District authorities on a
workable m-clearance, low-cost
housing and redevelopment pro-
gram here. -
Lawrence Henderson, legislative
assistant to Senator Flanders, Re-
publican, Of Vermont, announced
today the Senator is working or
this plan with Chairman Spark
man Of the housing subcommit-
tee Of the Senate Banking and
Currency Committee. They hope
to launch the new committee be-
fore they leave for Europe a week
from today to study private CO.
operative housing in Norway
Sweden, Denmark. Holland and
England.
Mr. Henderson said the advisory
group would hold round table
conferences and present a unified
program to Congress later.
Private Builders Ready.
Private builders are ready to go
into Marshall Heights and other
areas to construct low-rent homes
and have laid the groundwork for
q private corporation to get the
program started. but are now
halted until the Government Sc
cures the land, Edward .R. Carr,
former national president of the
National Association of Home
Builders, said. Mr.. Carr is also a
former president of the Washing
ton home builders group.
Mr.. Henderson said the advisory
groups membership probably will
include the Washington Real Es-
tate; Board. the Home Builders
Association, the Washington Board
Of Trade, private builders and in
vestors. the union building trades,
Chairman Sparkman and Senator
Flanders, members of the House
OF Representatives, the Federation
Of Civic Associations, the Fedora
tion Of Citizens Associations and
members at large. representing the
general public.
A number Of Federal and Dis
trict agencies have a hand in the
program. Included are: The Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission. charged with draw
ing the general plans: the District
Commissioners, who hold public
hearings on redeveiopnent; the
Redevelopment Land Agency,
which has the overall responsible
ity for getting the job done, al
though 1t lacks funds at this time.
and the National Capital Housing
Authority, which copstfucts love-
rent hoilsing. The National Cap
ital Housing Authority has re-
stored to it. in the new Housing
Act of 1949. the power Of going in
and condemning land for its
work.
Plan to "Ciear Away the Fog"
The new committee would seek
to clear away the fog by having
a greater number of people par
ticipate in drawing up the entire
plan," Mr.. Henderson asserted.
He said it is hoped the committee
"can iron out the thorny problems
In advance"
Last week, Mr.. Carr, Ernest F.
Henry, chairman of the Metro
politan Area Development Com
mittee of the Washington Board
of Trade. and Clarke Daniel, first
vice president of the Home Build
ers' Association here, conferred
with Senators Sparkman and
Flanders on the advisability of
setting up group on which pri-
vate industry would be repre-
sented.
Mr.. Carr said an existing COM
mittee, now working with District
officials on a new building code
for the District, might be en-
larged to form the new committee.
He said modernization of the
building code, slum clearance, low
rent housing and redevelopment
are all intertwined. The official
name of the existing committee is
the Committee on Enforcement of
Minimum Housing Standards and
on 1t the Washington Housing As
sociation, the Real Estate Board
and the Washington Board of
Trade are also represented, Mr..
Carr said.
Cites Congress Tieup.
The log jam consists of Con-
gress' failure to pass any funds
Tor the Redevelopment Land Agen-
cy. charged under the law with
the slum-clearance program, Mr..
Carr pointed out. His idea is to
clear up the machinery for work.
ing out a satisfactory plan and
present to Congress a program
on which all can agree.
Senator Sparkman Monday
night told the Washington Hous-
ing Associations annual meeting
that Congress did not clearly
understand the Marshall Heights
redevelopment program as pre-
sented. He declared that if it
understood the proposal, money
would be forthcoming.
Mr.. Carr said the committee
would not have to sit too often,
but it would be a clearing house
for ideas. "We do not want. to be
brought in after the plan is I'm
ally made" he said.
Mr.. Carr said he does not con-
cede Marshall Heights is the best
place in which to launch the re-
development program. He said