Evening star., 1949-06-01
|hIder Forecasts CosI
|W SIum Clearance
Here al 100 Million

John Ihlder. executive officer
of the National Capital Housing
Authority. estimates the cost Of
clearing 10000 unfit slum dwell
ings In Washington by public
agencies" would run TO about
500, ,00o, 900.
He sent the estimate to Chair
man Sparkman Of the Senate
Banking Subcommittee on Hous-
ing and Rents. who Is making a
long-range study Of Washington
housing and slum problems.
Senator Sparkman. in making
public the letter. said he had no
comment to make on it. MIR. Ihl-
der was asked by the Senator to
submit his recommendations on a
broad gauge program OF slum
clearance. =
Should Enforce Probe.
Estimating there are 10000
"substandard" dwellings in the
city, MIR. Ihlder said the public
would and should not be required
to bear the cost" of acquiring all
Of them for clearing their sites.
Enforcement Of housing code
provisions should obviate the
necessity Of razing $4,000 dwell
ings, he said, and owners should
be compelled to raze 5000 unfit
houses. This, he said, would
leave 10000 to be acquired and
cleared by public agencies.
Much of the estimated $780,
o00. 900 estimated cost. however.
Mr.. Ihlder said Should be re-
covered through sale Of cleared
sites by the Redevelopment Land
Agency"
Experience Of the NCHA. he
added indicates that the assembly
of many small lots into large.
usable parcels enhances the value
Of the land. permitting some
sites assigned to higher income
use to be sold at . profit.
Three Agencies Responsible.
Pointing out that three public
agencies have responsibility for
dealing with the slum problem.
Mr.. Ihlder listed the District
government primary through
the Health Department. the Dis
trict Redevelopment Land Agency.
and the NCHA.
Each Of these, he said. "is sup
Elementary and complementary
to that Of the others. but each
must have autonomy II it Is to
be effective.
He predicted. however. that
with these three autonomous
agencies there will be differences
Of opinion among them. differ
ences that, because they are auto
nomous will probably be publicly
expressed"
A complete program Of slum
clearance and construction OF pub
lie housing to accommodate low
income families. Mr.. 1hlder esti-
mated, would take from Is to 20
years.
Stressing the need to provide
dwellings for families displaced by
slum clearance. Mr.. Ihlder esti-
mated $4,000 dwellings would be
required for low-income families.
Total cost of constructing 10000
dwellings. he said. would be from
$1l2, ,00o, 900 to $l3s,o 100000. But
he explained. however. all would
not be at public cost.
Loans at Going Rate.
The construction funds. he said.
would be on the basis Of loans
repayable at the going Federal
rate of interest. "The net cost to
the Federal Government" he ex-
planned. would be the annual con-
tribution which cannot exceed
AZ per cent OF the development
cost, and 20 could not exceed from
$5,040.000 to $6,21o,oo0. even If
and when the total estimated need
Is fully met"
More legislative authority for
District agencies Is needed, Mr..
Ihlder said. He listed as essential:
Enactment of the Senate-passed
National Housing Act now pend
ing in the House; statutory au-
thority for the District Commis-
sioners for more adequate inspec-
tion personnel to enforce the pre-
posed housing code. and amend
ment Of the District Alley Dwell
ing Act to enable the NCHA to
provide for families whose in
comes are too low to secure proper
private housing.
This latter amendment. he said,