Evening star., 1918-02-18
VOICE
SOUGHT FOR BILL
Officials Will Ask Mr.. Wilson to
Urge Passage of Housing
Measure.
STEPS TAKEN TO SPEED UP

President Wilson will be asked by gov
ernment officials interested in the labor
situation to urge the passage OF the $780,
600. 900 bill for housing OF munitions plant
workers if Congress shows disposition
to delay action upon it.
Setps to speed up action on the measure
were taken today when Representative
Frank Clark obtained consent of the House
to conduct sessions of the committee on
public buildings and grounds during ses-
sions Of Congress- in order to bring to an
earlier conclusion the hearings on the Dill.
Intertwined With Disputes.
Experts of the shipping board. of the
Labor Department and of the Council
of National Defense believe the housing
problem is closely intertwined with
disputes and shortages in connection
with munition manufacture.
1t was stated today that President
Wilson. who strongly favors proper
housing provision of workers as a
necessary measure toward producing
war materials. will act in behalf of the
bill if it becomes necessary for him
to do SO.
One appropriation of $5O.OOO.00O to
provide for housing of shipyard work
ers and employees in allied trades has
been passed by both houses and now
is in conference. second. providing
a similar sum for housing of munitions
plant workers. was presented to the
House, was thrashed out in hearings
before the labor committee, but later
was transferred to the committee on
public buildings and grounds as a re-
suit of jurisdictional dispute.
If Congress grants $5O,ooe.ooo Tor
H@p of 11o n n.
vided in an administration bill. none of
the work will be done under the cost
plus" system, which has been criticised
in Congress. Otto Eidlitz. director of
today told the House public buildings
and grounds committee that he was op-
posed to the percentage profit system
for government work.
Housing in Great Britain.
1t was pointed out today that Great
Britain already has spent $700.O00.0o0
on a housing program since the war
started. 1t is not intended that any
such extensive project of permanent
character as in England shall be un-
dertaken by the United States. For
one thing. the physical size lof this
country. as compared with England.
would make it vastly more difficult.
The effort to get government aid in
the building of homes for labor is an
emergency measure, based upon tmne-
date waF-time needs, and is the result
of two reports. one by q scommfttee
headed by Philip Hiss. last summer,
and a second by Otto n. Eid1itx, who
recently has been named director of
housing for the eLDepartment of Labor.
Behind the appointment Of Mr.. Hiss,
1t was learned today. was the intention
of removing objections that arose in
the House to placing such sum at the
- hA pf ~ h4p
already overburdened with duties and
considered to have no practical admin
istrator for this particular task. So. Mr..
Eidlitz, one of the largest builders in
the country. who gained the confidence
of members when he appeared in behalf
of the shipping board bill. as well as
that of the Department of Labor. was
named director of housing for the De-
partment of Labor.
Plan for Building Houses.
Mr.. Eidlitz has worked out. in con-
junction with committee. plan both
for financing the building of homes in
communities where they are needed,
and he also helped work out the
financing arrangement embodied in the
bill now pending. That provides that
the government shall lend 80 per cent
to a joint corporation in the community
where homes are to be built that the
rentals shall be adequate only to meet
the cost and Eunning expenses of the
project, and that at the end of fifteen
years the corporation shall repay the
government loan and take over the
houses.
In this plan are none of the features
which aroused criticism in early plans,
which were considered to provide too
many esthetic and altruistic features.
The homes to be built under the plan
now proposed will be comfortable and
adequate, but not ornate
Reports at the Labor Department
show that many munitions plants suf-
fer from lack of labor because living
conditions are intolerable. In some
places men have utilized beds in shifts,
one group retiring to them as soon as
they were vacated by others. In a num-
Der of places skilled workers have de-
clined to stay or to go at all with their
families. because of the utter lack of
places to live.