Evening star., 1954-11-12
Southwest Area
Public Housing
Plan Attacked
Building Owners
officiuI Declares
Project Is SociuIistic
By Hector McLeon


< Construction OF a 456-unit
public housing project in South.
west Washington was opposed
today at a public hearing in the
board room of the District Build
ing.
Charles J.. Bauer executive
director of the Building Owners
and Managers Association Of
Metropolitan Washington. urged
the District Commissioners to re-
fuse to approve boundaries for
the two proposed project areas.
He called public housing an "un-
American idea, uneconomical
and wrong from the sociological
standpoint"
Suggests Rent Subsidies.
Mr.. Bauer suggested that ir-
stead of providing Governments
owned housing for low-income
families. they be given a direct
rent subsidy.
This, he said. would permit
families forced out of Washing-
tons Southwest redevelopment
area to select homes of their
own choosing like other Ameri-
cans"
The project areas for which
the National Capital Housing Au-
thority requested approval Of
boundaries are located. between
First and Third streets S.W. and
I and N streets. Z
James Ring, director Of the
housing authority, said the two
projects would house 456 families
in 1876 row and group houses and
800 apartments. Two eight-
story elevator apartment build
ings would be included for the
benefit of persons unable TO
climb stairs.
Several Favor Project.
! Approval of the project bouf1.
daries was requested by Mr.. Ring.
| John j. Hoskins. Washington
/ Housing Association: John
Ihlder, chairman of the Hous-
ing and Development COMMITTEES
of Americans for Democratic
Action; Mrs. Sarah F. Schroeder.
chairman of the Public Realtions
Committee. american Associa-
tion OF Social Workers.
Other supporters we're Leon s.
Calhoun, president, Southwest
Civic Association, and Mrs. Ethel
Strong. Federation of Civic Asso-
Citations.
i A second opponent Of the prof.
ect was Clarke. Daniels. chair.
man Of the Public Housing COM
mittee, Metropolitan Washington
Homebuilders' Association.
He called public housing $50
cialistic" and urged that the rent
of low-income families be sup
plemented through public wei.
fare"
Mr.. Ihlder, former director
of the NCHA, attacked the sug.
gestion for rent subsidies, de-
claring, ''it is very expensive
because it has to include profit
as well as cost,
''The idea has been long de.
bated elsewhere" he continued,
"but never has gotten far Mr..
Ihlder contended private build
ers had promised a decade ago
to build low rent housing which
would rent for $8.75-a-room q
month.
Cites Rental Figures.
"The lowest they have done
SO lar, ne Sa1d, is Sl7-a-r00m
a MONTH" This is the mini-
mum rental proposed by pri.
vate builders who will construct
new homes and apartments in
the Southwest Redevelopment
Area.
! Mr.. Ihlder charged that as
many as 1000 low income fami-
lies may be displaced by redevel-
opment In the Southwest. The
presently proposed 456-unit prof.
ect will not begin to handle them,
he said.
Mr.. Bauer, who also opposed
construction of elevator apart-
ments in the NCHA project on
grounds they would initiate costs,
urged the Commissioners to hold
the project in abeyance and
asked Congress in January for
direct rent relief to families be.
low certain specified income lew
els"