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

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
. 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 redevelopment; the
Redevelopment Land Agency.
which has the overall responsible
tty for getting the job done, al
though it lacks funds at this time,
and the National Capital Housing
Authority, which constructs low
rent housing. The National Cap
ital Housing Authority has re-
stored to it, in the new Housing
Act of 1949. the power Of going in
and condennning land for its
work.
Plan to "Clear 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 a 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
~ mum Housing Standards and
Oil it 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
for 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 1t
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. 1--WE do not want to be
brought in after the plan is fin
ally made" hs 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
there may be a better place to
start but did not name any.
Want to Get Started.
1--WE want to get slum clear
ance actively started in Washing
ton" he said. IF there are too
many difficulties in Marshall
Heights. let's start somewhere
Else. Private industry y11ust do a