Evening star., 1918-05-18

the housing of its employees. The
Pennsylvania field men report to their
chief, who sends on report to Mr..
Shannon. Suppose they find that there
are two sites available and suitable.
one of thirty acres held at $500 per
acre and another of forty acres held
at 500 per acre.
The bureau sends to the Pennsyl-
vania state agent nearest to Pitts
burgh, asking for an appraisal and
he in turn sends it on to the local
committee of five. A request is also
sent to the Chamber of Commerce of
Pittsburgh for an appointment of
committee of five members with the
restriction that none of these men
shall be in the real estate business.
Then a committee of five members
from the Pittsburgh Rotary Club is
selected and their appraisal is filed
with the department. Lastly, the may
or, and possibly some other member
of the political Organization in power.
is called upon for an appraisal. So, 1t
will appear that at least seventeen
opinions of value are taken upon
every piece of property considered by
the government.
No request is made to keep the mat
ter secret, and sooner or later it is
bound to get into the Pittsburgh
newspapers. and the public press may
be relied upon to bring out the argu-
ments for and against each parcel
considered.
Suppose 1t is decided that the thirty
acre parcel is to be taken. The price
offered is usually a compromise of
the figures of the seventeen men. If
the offer made is accepted. the matter
is closed. II the owner does not ac-
cept, the governments proposition is
final. There is no dickering in the
bureau Of housing. no offers and
counter-o1ers are allowed. We are at
war, and speed Is essential.
fa
eminent pays him IS per cent OF Its
offer. and the owner Is then free to
present his claim for any amount
which he deems proper compensation
over and above the amount paid. His
attention will be called to the fact
that the Court of Claims is about to
adjourn and is not likely to reconvene
until the termination of the war.
1t will also be shown to him that
when the war is over and his claim
comes up for settlement his chances
of prevailing against the government,
with its backing of seventeen pa
triotic citizens, are very small indeed.
In most cases the government is going
to get what 1t wants without a law
suit.
The bureau needs all the co-opera-
tion II can get, and every local real
estate board in this country ought to
hasten to put itself on record. offering
to do everything in it's power to aid
the government in procuring neces-
sary sites at reasonable prices. Their
services should be rendered free Of
charge. Surely this is little enough to
ask from the real estate profession.
The duties Of the housing admins
tration are twofold-to buy land and
build. In nearly every case where the
government builds directly the hous-
ing will be of q temporary character
end the cost will have to be written
OF at the end of hostilities as q wal
expense. Ten million dollars is being
appropriated by Congress for the
housing of government employees In
the District Of Columbia alone Fifty
million dollars is beng appropriated
to relieve housing in the munitior
centers. outside of shipbuilding.
A large proportion of this construc.
tion will be temporary. but when the
need is found to be permanent. and
time permits. permanent housing will
be done. Lawrence WELLER, secretary
Of the National Housing Association
and one of the leading authorities II
this country on industrial housing
has submitted set of rules govern.
ing such work. and upon complained
with certain other hxed rules loan,
will be made on such houses up to 81
per cent of cost amortized over I
period of fifteen years at 4 per cen
interest per annum.
Rules governing the sale. rental ant
management of such properties will
be made a condition precedent to suci
loans. Only a small percentage of thu
cost under this plan need be writer
off as a cost of war. and 1t is not un
likely that government aid of thii
sort will continue after the war
Nearly every country in the world ha.
extended similar credit to industria
workers and there is no reason VIII,
we should not continue this practice
Fifty million dollars Is but a drop il
% a billion doIIars aiready and he,
S.S5lem is not yet solved. but W