Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-30

which will support a conclu-
sion that regulations to pre-
vide non-discriminatory use Of
housing facilities are. either
necessary or unnecessary. -
Mr.. Phillips said that adop-
ton of anti-diScrimination reg
ulations by the Commissioners
would quicken the exodus Of
the higher income residents to
the suburbs.
1--WE suggest that the Com
miSsioners move cautiously as
did the administration and adj
ditionally find means for CO.
ordinated action throughout
metropolitan Washington be-
fore adopting regulations cover
ing only one-third of the COM
munity," Mr.. Phillips said.
The Washington Urban
League submitted a statement
that housing segregation costs
the Districts Negro residents
about $4.5 million each year in
excessive rents and mortgages.
The president of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations,
James A. Wiley, argued that
anti discrimination regulations
are not needed to protect the
community well-being.
Mr.. Wiley challenged the
opinion from the legal office
that the police power of the
c ON missioners can be
stretched so far as to bring
within its purview regulations
drastic in scope that they would
infringe upon the historical and
constitutional right of a home
owner to deal with his own
property as he sees fit"
Called Necessary
Hal Witt Of the National
Capital Area Civil Liberties
Union, said "In our view, such
a regulation (anti-discrimina-
tom is of the utmost necessity"
in erasing health. safety and
general welfare setbacks result
ing from segregated housing.
Doyle First Witness
The first witness. Phil A.
Doyle, director of the District
Redevelopment Land Agency,
said he was appearing at the
hearing:
e. because Of my convic-
ton that the health, comfort
and quiet of all persons in the
District of Columbia is ad-
versely affected by the discrim-
inatory use of housing. :"
Mr.. Doyle said he believes an
anti-bias regulation would help
wipe out housing .discrimina-
ton.
Action by the District, he
said, would encourage the
growing number of residents
outside the District who believe
in equal treatment of all citi-
zens" to accelerate their efforts
to win similar action in their
own Jurisdiction.
A major point in Mr.. Doyle's
speech was that District i'm
provement projects are being
delayed because there is an
acute shortage of decent nous
ing for the relocation of the
persons who would be moved
out by the construction.
1T is clear that in this con-
text discrimination harms the
entire population to the extent
that the city is harmed by the
delay in essential construc-
Etion."
Other scheduled statements
included an argument by Allen
Taylor, of the Washington
Chapter, Americans for Demo-
cratic Action, that the regula-
tons are needed to ease raciaI
tensions.
During the closing days OF
Congress, the House District
Committee requested" the
Commissioners to defer any
action leading to the adoption
of anti-discrimination housing
regulations.
The committee, which han
dies the Districts legislative
requests, said it wanted ar
opportunity to hold full-scale
hearings on the proposed regu-
lations during the next Con-
gress.
In calling today's hearing
the Commissioners noted this
action by the congressional
committee. The statement by
the Commissioners was that
they would be "derelict in their
responsibilities to the commu-
nifty" if they held back on call