Evening star., 1954-12-13
"A Compromise Is Necessary

On December 8, after the recent pub
lie hearings on proposed housing
code, Star editorial, entitled "A
Compromise Is Necessary" stated:
always there has been a tug Of war
between property owners who fear the
economic effects of code enforcement
and organizations and individuals in
tent on slum clearance and social i'm
provement. There are extremists on
both sides of this issue. . The code
recently drawn up with the aid of an
able citizens committee took into con-
sideration all interests concerned. It
has the virtue of not being weighted
toward any extremist view. Every
effort should be made to effect q COM
promise that will meet with widespread
approval, while protecting the inter-
ests of tenement dwellers. property
owners and the general public"
We do not know what is meant by
extremist view," nor can we ascertain
what kind of code The Star believes
can meet the prerequisites listed above.
since you have not stated the specifics
of an effective code. 1t seems to the
Washington Housing Association that
health and safety cannot be compro-
missed.
It Is somewhat ironic that just two
days after your call for compromise.
The Star carried a story under the
heading. Cleveland Probing Slum Fire
That Killed Five Small Children"
You wrote, "Fire flashed through the
third floor of an old and crowded East
Side tenement house today and killed
five small children in their beds. The
death toll prompted Mayor Anthony j.
.CelebreZze to demand a complete re-
port, promise stricter tenement house
inspection and urge speedup of the
city's slum clearance program" Your
article states further that the house In
which this tragic fire took place was
so years old, and occupied by at least
26 persons. 1t was reported that the
fire was due to defective wiring.
On the same day, the New York
Times reported "A terror stricken
woman-one of 20 persons occupying
five-room apartment-leaped, to her
death, and rescued youth was hos
pltalized, in the course of two tene-
ment fires In Harlem yesterday morn
ing" This article concludes with
statement by Representative Adam
Clayton Powell, who is calling FOR the
formation, of an emergency citizens
committee to consider ways and means
of preventing more such catastrophes.
MIR. Powell said, 'The specific emplla-
sis will be to ascertain why landlords
in Harlem continue to get away with
so many violations In housing that
cause hazards which breed iii health,
fear. discomfort. destruction and even
DEATH"
An effective housing code could do
much to prevent such tragedies. You
will note that the fires in both Cleve-
land and New York took place IN tene-
ments. May we point out that the
proposed code of November /, to which
there was so much opposition expressed
at the public hearing, permits the con-
tinuance of tenementS. under lower
standards than would be required for
other housing. The Washington HoIs-
ing Association believes that tene-
!, ments are menace to the community,
as proved in the news stories quoted.
To legalize substandard housing, as
provided by the November code,
seems to us to be a highly questionable
way Of attacking this problem. An
effective code would, of course, pro-
hibit the overcrowding which is con-
sidered major cause of slums, and
which certainly played part in the
tragedies mentioned here.
It seems to the Washington Housing
Association that we should be calling
for strong, truly effective housing