Evening star., 1954-06-02
.UnifiedAgency
IoFight S|un's
Studied Here :
License Department
Would Contuin Unit
Under New Proposal
BY Miriom Ottenberq

.
entire program for blocking the
spread of slums by putting all
housing inspection and enforce
ment in one agency was under
serious consideration by the
District Commissioners today.
The agency would be in the
Department of Licenses and Ina
spections. The Health Depart
ment would share in setting
standards and some of it's in
Spectors would be transferred
to the new unit. but the respon-
sibility for inspections and en-
forcement of laws for existing
housing would be in Licenses
and Inspections.
Reasons for Proposal.
The expected decision to unity
the city's housing program is
prompted by:
l. The admitted breakdown in
enforcement of tenement reg
ulations.
2. Protests from property
owners aired in letters to the
Commissioners and in Capitol
Hill testimony about present
housing procedures.
8. Fears that the housing
code-in the process of being
drawn for the past eight months
will fall into the same hope
less pattern as the tenement reg
ulatlons, through divided re.
sponsibility.
4. The progress being made in
other cities to cope with slum
housing through a single inspec-
ton and enforcement agency.
3. The expense to the city OF
duplicate inspections by various
agencies and the irritation of
property owners caused by this
duplication.
Idea Offered by Prentiss.
The reorganization idea was
first broached by Engineer Com
missioner Louis w. Prentiss. who
instructed Assistant Engineer
Commissioner Giles Evans. ir..
TO get together with Director of
Administration Schuyler Lowe
and come up with a plan by to.
morrow. Gen. Prentiss envis.
aged single inspection and en-.
forcement for housing under
roomlng and tenement house
regulations and the proposed
housing code.
Commissioner Samuel Spencer
went along with the plan today.
He said putting all inspectors for
housing under the Department
OF Licenses and Inspections Is
desirable and ought to be done.
The Commissioners, he said. will
discuss it at their board meeting
tomorrow.
Commissioner Renah Camalier.
who has jurisdiction over the
Health Department, said he be-
lleved some health aspects Of
housing should be handled by
men trained in these matters
but If it is possible to transfer
some trained men from the
Health Department to the De-
partment of Licenses and In.
Spections - as is contemplated
under the plan-he will approve.
City's Expressed Goal.
The city's expressed goal IL
to raise the living standards Of
its low-income inhabitants with
out creating either more slums
or imposing impossible condi-
tionS on property owners.
1t has sought this goal through
a Stepped-up program for the
condemnation of insanitary
dwellings, through the tenement
regulations and now through the
proposed new building code.
On the condemnation program
the District has asked Congress
for law to force owners to re-
pair OF demoliSh condemned, in
sanitary buildings. Hearings
brought property owners out in
force to protest that they never
knew how much repair was re-
quired when they started, that
different inspectors told them
different things and that if they
made expensive repairs in ac-
cordance with rigid standards
they would have to raise rents.
Chairman OHara of the House
District Subcommittee holding
the hearings commented that
there does seem a need for great
er coordination to make a de.
sirable program work.
On the tenement regulations,
more than 5000 persons have
applied for licenses to operate
(See SLUMS, Page A-2.)