The Washington herald., 1918-03-01
HOUSING BILL
IAPPROPRIATES
FIFTY MILLION
sl5O,OOO,OO0 Will Be
Needed, Says Represent
alive Clark, of Florida.

Fifty million dollars, provided for In
he housing bill, reported out Of the
blouse Committee on Public Grounds
and Buildings yesterday, is only q be-
ginning of that which will be required
II the war continues. according to
Chairman Frank Clark. of Florida,
who submitted the bill, together with
q report. explaining the measure.
Supplementary to the explanation
accompanying the amended bill, Rep
resentative Clark declared in state
ment to The Herald last night that
he believes the cost Of housing me-
chanics and other workmen in gov
ernment Industrial plants will not
tarry short of sl50.Ooo0Oo. and that Il
Il not at all improbable that 1t will
far exceed this figure.
He said the workers must have ade-
uuate shelter at reasonable cost II the
war program is carried out on sched-
ule. Lacking residential facilities, he
says, the nation will suffer.
Amount VIII BE Large.
Il am not going to attempt to place
an exact estimate upon Just where the
itsm of expense in housing these
worlzaen vii STOP Mr.. Clark said.
NY Judgment is that this measure,
II Il becomes q law and thus carries
the $S0.0o0,ooO appropriation, will pro-
vide only a beginning in the matter
OF expense. To me the immediate
perspective discloses the need Of $50, :
10000 and the amount finally required
may exceed this figure very material
~.
''Our workers In munitions plalts
and every other character OF in
dustry that provides either ordnance
or other essentials for the war ma
chine. must receive just as great con-
sideration as that accorded the night
ing men. Their products are alb
sofutely necessary to the successful
! prosecution of the conflict. Homes for
the men are Just as essential as Is
munitions for the trenches. Men who
Bare employed in these plants want
their families with them. for 1t must
! be admitted that a mans efficiency
Is impaired If separated from his
family."
Gives Power to Secretary.
The housing bill confers practically
3absolute power upon the Secretary Of
Labor, who, according to its provis-
Icuting the campaign of home building
1t even delegates to him the right 10
commander street car lines or other
transportation facilities for the pur-
pose of conveying workmen to and
from places where homes may be Sc
cured, II in his judgment that course
would be cheaper than the actual con-
struction Of temporary houses.
Broadly speaking, the measure pro-
Vides capital for use in whatever man
ner the Secretary of Labor may see
ut to expend it in an effort to obtain
relief from the conditions now pre-
vailing. which, in his report, Chair
man Clark describes as alarming.
The available cash will be used in
construction Of homes for workmen
at any point where Industrial plants
kre operated by the government In
&urning out war material
IN Late yesterday afternoon q report
l was current to the effect that the
housing bill as submitted by the Com
rnfttee on Public Buildings and
Grounds Is discriminatory against the
District Of Columbia.
Nothing to the -rumor," declared
Mr.. Clark THE measure provides for
housing for men working at govern
ment plants anywhere and is apph-
cable to the District just as it Is to
any other section of the country or
city where the industries are located.