shall at any time place any incumbrance or obstacle upon any fire escape or upon any platform, ladder, or stairway leading to or from fire any escape.

SEC. 8. Any person failing or neglecting to provide fire escapes, guide signs, guide lights, exit lights, hall and stairway lights, standpipes, fire extinguishers, alarm gongs and striking stations, or other appliances required by this Act after notice from the Commissioners so to do, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $100, and shall be punished by a further fine of $5 for each day that he fails to comply with such notice. Any person violating any other provision of this Act or regulations promulgated hereunder shall be punished, upon conviction thereof, by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $100 for each offense.

"SEC. 9. The notice from the Commissioners requiring the erection of fire escapes and other appliances enumerated in this Act shall specify the character and number of fire escapes or other appliances to be provided, the location of the same, and the time within which said fire escapes or other appliances shall be provided, and in no case shall more than ninety days be allowed for compliance with said notice unless the Commissioners shall, in their discretion, deem it necessary to extend their time.

"SEC. 10. Such notice shall be deemed to have been served if delivered to the person to be notified, or if left with any adult person at the usual residence or place of business of the person to be notified in the District of Columbia, or if no such residence or place of business can be found in said District by reasonable search, if left with any adult person at the office of any agent of the person to be notified, provided such agent has any authority or duty with reference to the building to which said notice relates, or if no such office can be found in said District by reasonable search if forwarded by registered mail to the last-known address of the person to be notified and not returned by the post-office authorities, or if no address be known or can by reasonable diligence be ascertained, or if any notice forwarded as authorized by the preceding clause of this section be returned by the post-office authorities, if published on ten consecutive days in a daily newspaper published in the District of Columbia, or if by reason of an outstanding unrecorded transfer of title the name of the owner in fact cannot be ascertained beyond a reasonable doubt, if served on the owner of record in the manner herinbefore in this section provided, or if delivered to the agent, trustee, executor, or other legal representative of the estate of such person. Any notice to a corporation shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to have been served on such corporation if served on the president, secretary, treasurer, general manager, or any principal officer of such corporation in the manner hereinbefore provided for the service of notices on natural persons holding property in their own right, and notice to a foreign corporation shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to have been served if served on any agent of such corporation personally, or if left with any person of suitable age and discretion residing at the usual residence or employed at the usual place of business of such agent in the District of Columbia: Provided, That in case of failure or refusal of the owner entitled to the beneficial use, rental, or control of any buildings specified in this

Act, to comply with the requirements of the notice provided for in section 9, the Commissioners are hereby empowered and it is their duty to cause such erection of fire escapes and other appliances mentioned in the notice provided for, and they are hereby authorized to assess the costs thereof as a tax against the buildings on which they are erected and the ground on which the same stands, and to issue tax-lien certificates against such building and grounds for the amount of such assessments, bearing interest at the rate of 10 per centum per annum, which certificates may be turned over by the Commissioners to the contractor for doing the work.

"SEC. 11. The Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, in term time or in vacation, may, upon a petition of the District of Columbia, filed by its said Commissioners, issue an injunction to restrain the use or occupation of any building in the District of Columbia in violation of any of the provisions of this Act.

66 SEC. 12. As used in this Act

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"(a) The terms apartment house', 'tenement house', and 'flat' mean a building in which rooms in suites are provided for occupancy by three or more families.

"(b) The term 'rooming house' means a building in which rooms are rented and sleeping quarters provided to accommodate ten or more persons, not including the family of the owner or lessee.

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"(c). The term 'lodging house' means a building in which sleeping quarters are provided to accommodate ten or more transients.

"(d) The term 'hotel' means a building in which meals are served and rooms are provided for the accommodation of ten or more transients.

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(e) The term 'elevator shaft' includes a dumbwaiter shaft. (f) The term 'fire escape' means an exterior open stairway or arrangement of ladders constructed entirely of incombustible materials and of approved design, or an interior or exterior stairway of fire-resistive construction with enclosing walls of masonry with fireresistive doors and windows.

"(g) The term 'standpipe' means a vertical iron or steel pipe provided with hose connections and valves, so arranged as to supply water for fire-fighting purposes.

"(h) The terms fireproof' and 'fire-resistive' have the same meaning as is ascribed to the term 'fire-resistive' in the Building Code of the District of Columbia.

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SEC. 13. All Acts or parts of Acts inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed."

Approved, June 4, 1934.

(S. 1780]

AN ACT

To provide for the discontinuance of the use as dwellings of buildings situated in alleys in the District of Columbia, and for the replatting and development of squares containing inhabited alleys, in the interest of public health, comfort, morals, safety, and welfare, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That to enable the President, in the interest of public health, comfort, morals, safety, and welfare, to provide for the discontinuance of the use as dwellings of buildings situated in alleys and to eliminate the hidden communities in inhabited alleys of the District of Columbia, and to carry out the policy declared in the Act approved May 16, 1918, as amended, of caring for the alley population of the District of Columbia, the President is hereby authorized and empowered, within the limits of the amounts herein authorized—

(a) To purchase, or acquire by condemnation or gift, any land, buildings, or structures, or any interest therein, situated in or adjacent to any inhabited alley in the District of Columbia, and such other land, buildings, or structures, or any interest therein, within any square containing an inhabited alley as he may determine to be necessary for the replatting and improvement of said square pursuant to the provisions of this Act;

(b) To replat any land acquired under this Act; to pave or repave any street or alley thereon; to construct sewers and water mains therein; to install street lights thereon; to demolish, move, or alter any buildings or structures situated thereon and erect such buildings or structures thereon as deemed advisable: Provided, however, That the same shall be done and performed in accordance with the laws and municipal regulations of the District of Columbia applicable thereto;

(c) To lease, rent, maintain, equip, manage, exchange, sell, or convey any such lands, buildings, or structures upon such terms and conditions as he may determine: Provided, That if any such land is required for the purposes of the government of the District of Columbia such land may be transferred to the said government upon payment to the Authority of the reasonable value thereof; and

(d) To aid in providing, equipping, managing, and maintaining houses and other buildings, improvements, and general community utilities on the property acquired under the provisions of this Act, by loans, upon such terms and conditions as he may determine, to limited dividend corporations whose dividends do not exceed 6 per centum per annum, or to home owners to enable such corporations or home owners to acquire and develop sites on the property: Provided, however, That no loan shall be made at a lower rate of interest than 5 per centum per annum, and that all such loans shall be secured by reserving a first lien on the property involved for the benefit of the United States.

SEC. 2 (a) The President may designate, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, such official or agency of the Government of the United States or of the District of Columbia (hereinafter referred to as "the Authority") as in his judgment is deemed necessary or advantageous, and the Authority shall have or obtain all powers necessary or appropriate therefor, including the employment of necessary personal services; but (1) all plans for replatting and/or method of condemnation under the provisions of this Act shall be submitted to and receive the written approval of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia: Provided, however, That (a) failure of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission or of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia to formally approve or disapprove in writing within sixty days after a plan has been submitted shall be equivalent to a formal approval, and (b) disapproval shall be accompanied by a written statement giving all the reasons for disapproval; and (2) any plan which shall involve action by any department, bureau, or agency of the United States or of the District of Columbia shall be made after consultation with such department, bureau, or agency.

(b) In the event condemnation proceedings are required to carry out the provisions of this Act the same shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Act entitled "An Act to provide for the acquisition of land in the District of Columbia for the use of the United States", approved March 1, 1929.

(c) If the Authority determines in the case of any alley that it will be more advantageous to proceed in accordance with sections 1608 to 1610, inclusive, of the Code of Laws of the District of Columbia, the Commissioners of the District of Columbia shall be notified of such determination and proceedings shall then be had as provided in such sections for alleys and minor streets, except that if the total amount of damages awarded by the jury and the cost and expenses of the proceedings be in excess of the total amount of the assessment for benefits, such excess shall be borne and paid by the Authority.

SEC. 3. (a) The President is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to make immediately available to the Authority for its lawful uses and as needed, from the allocation made from the appropriation to carry out the purposes of the National Industrial Recovery Act, contained in the Fourth Deficiency Act, fiscal year 1933, now carried under the title, "National Industrial Recovery, Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, Housing, 1933-1935 symbol 03/5666, not to exceed $500,000 of any amount thereof dedicated for low-cost housing and slum-clearance projects in the District of Columbia, to be set aside in the Treasury and be known as "Conversion of inhabited alleys fund" (hereinafter referred to as the "fund").

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(b) The Authority is hereby authorized and empowered to borrow such moneys from individuals or private corporations as may be secured by the property and assets acquired under the provisions of this Act, and such moneys, together with all receipts from sales, leases, or other sources, shall be deposited in the fund and shall be available for the purposes of this Act.

(c) The fund shall remain available until June 30, 1935, and thereafter shall be available annually in such amount as may be specified in the annual appropriation Acts.

(d) The total amount paid for property or properties acquired in any square shall not exceed 30 per centum over and above the present assessed value of all the property or properties acquired in any square to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 4. (a) The objects set forth in section 1 of this Act shall be accomplished as rapidly as feasible and to this end the Authority shall, in its report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1934, set forth what it purposes to do during the next succeeding fiscal year. In each succeeding annual report it shall set forth its proposals for the next year.

(b) On and after July 1, 1944, it shall be unlawful to use or occupy any alley building or structure as a dwelling in the District of Columbia.

(c) No alley dwelling shall hereafter be constructed in the District of Columbia, nor shall any building or structure be moved, altered, or converted for use as an alley dwelling.

(d) Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Each week of seven days of the continuance of any such violation shall constitute a separate offense.

SEC. 5. (a) The Authority shall make a report to the President, which he shall transmit to Congress at the beginning of each regular session, giving a full and detailed account of all operations under the provisions of this Act for the preceding fiscal year.

(b) Upon completion of the work contemplated by this Act the President shall submit a complete report to Congress giving a full and detailed account of all operations for the entire period of operation. If such work is not completed by July 1, 1944, the President shall, on July 1, 1944, or at the opening of the next regular session of Congress after such date, make a report to Congress covering the operations under this Act for the entire period to July 1, 1944, including a statement of what further work remains to be done, and recommendation for further legislation if in his opinion such legislation is necessary.

(c) It is hereby declared to be the purpose and intent of Congress that the objects set forth in section 1 of this Act shall be accomplished, if possible, on or before July 1, 1944, except that loans made under this Act may run for periods extending beyond such time.

SEC. 6. There shall be published three times each year during the month of January in a newspaper of general circulation published in the District of Columbia a notice to owners and tenants of alley dwellings and of other property in squares containing inhabited alleys, that alley dwellings in such squares may be demolished, removed, or vacated, and that the squares may be replatted on or before July 1, 1944.

SEC. 7. As used in this Act

(a) The term "alley" means (1) any court, thoroughfare, or passage, private or public, less than thirty feet wide at any point; and (2) any court, thoroughfare, or passage, private or public,