Evening star., 1918-06-01
PRIVATE BUILDING.
! WILL GET IMPETUS
Treasury Department Gives
/. Encouragement Because
| of Housing Needs.
OTHER. OFFICIALS SPEAK

With many of the cities of the country
short Of present requirements for the
housing Of many thousands OF workers
who have fiocked to them because OF
war work. Senator William Calder OF
New York has succeeded in winning
new hopes for builders the entire coun-
try over, not only from the Treasury
Department. but from W. p. G. Hard
ing, governor Of the Federal Reserve
Board, to the end of determining the
steps that should be taken to make
private building operations possible"
according to the Dow service daily
building reports.
; Private building construction through
out the country normally totals billion
and half dollars year. The year 1913
will not develop more than $500, 900. 900.
This has been due to the belief Of bank
ing and mortgage lending institutions
that 1t is the wish of the Treasury De-
-partment that no loans be made on pri-
.vate building work.
5 Assurance From Mr.. McAdoo.
After ascsrtaining that the conditions
regarding available housing, storage IA
cilities and industrial space existing in
New York are proportionately existent
in many other parts Of the country,
Senator Calder took the matter up Off
cially at Washington, with the result
that Secretary McAdoo assured him that
any hesitancy on the part of banks and
mortgage companies to make loans on
projected building operations or inn
provements has not been due to advice
from the Treasury Department against
making such loans
On the contrary. the Treasury De-
partment went on official record ad-
'visfng these banking and mortgage
Treasury Department has been, that
capital which Is needed during the
period of the war should not be en-
sployed in the construction of unnec-
essary buildings at this time. But
there has never been any suggestion
that buildings actually needed for
the health and protection of the civil
population or for the conduct of es-
genital business Of the country should
pot be constructed during the period
6f the war. Where it is a question
of need-be it on account of sanitary
conditions or because without such
new CONSTRUCTION other operations es-
Eential at this time for the welfare
bf the country would sufeer-there Is
no doubt that the work should be un-
dertaken. This applies equally to
zconstruction work in cities. towns
and in farming districts" The fore
going is an extract from an official
letter to Senator Calder, signed by
Secretary McAdoo-
Attitude Of War Board.
y Equal assurances have been given
TO Senator Calder by Bernard NJ.
tBaruch director Of the war industries
board. that it was not the intention of
his board to issue any order stopping
private building work. He then adj
dressed a communication to William
r. g. Harding. governor OF the Federal
ernment has taken up the matter Of
meeting the shortage in housing ia
cilities as it applies directly to people
employed directly on government
work. but unless some further relief
comes we viii face a serious situa-
I would be glad If the Federal Re
serve Board and the War Finance
Corporation will take under advise
ment the question of whether 1t
would not be best to encourage the
construction of some new buildings.
particularly homes. The
situation would change II there were
some encouragement from the Ped
eral Reserve Board and the War
Finance Corporation"
Mr.. Harding's reply was that he was
ready to take up this matter at any
time and he suggested that the new
capital issues committee be apprised
Of the very critical trend of affairs
IN the national building situation as
Soon as 1t meets. which will be in a
lew days.
Ready to Furnish Materials.
The relation between the shortage
Of housing and other necessary war
time area space and the supply Of ma
terials and labor with which to con-
struct these buildinga is very close.
Investigations made as to conditions
Of supply Of materials available for
both government and private build
Ing prove conclusfvely that once the
lending institutions let down the bars
on the demand that has been strain
i1ng at the leash for expression ever
since the country went into the war
the building material manufacturers
would bring their resources into play
10 see that neither the government
nor private building interests suffered
from lack of materials. The fact Is
very clear that the minute some form
of onicial encouragement can be is