Evening star., 1921-05-29
PLANNING TO REDUCE
WASTE IN BUILDING
Secretary Hoover Will Enlist Experts in
His Effort to Relieve Housing
Shortage

regard be given 10 the rights OF com.
patirE materials.
Data for rPoposed bureau.
So when Congress shall have passed
as is expected soon--the Calder
Tinkham bill to establish division
OF housing in the bureau OF sta andards
Department OF Commerce. the or
ganiZed industries throughout the
country in all lines Ilated to the
building business will already have
been mobilized to give their expert
technical and practical advice and
assist through their national organic
zation in bringing about reforms Tie
federal division will he clearing
house for the latest reliable informa-
tion of interest to the building in
dustry.
The national voluntary committee
of experts already appointed will get
out Pamphlets in the form of reports
and distribute them through the ma
tional associations. through boards
OF trade. chambers of commerce and
other organizations. setting forth
what the specific difficulties are. what
the expert technical and practical.
! builders OF the country recommend,
and then the membership of those or
Ganizations throughout the country
can exert their influence locally to
have the reforms adopted and build
inf codes amended. These pamphlets
will present the best knowledge of
the day from builders, engineers ana
architects on how to cheaper cons
struction and improve present meth
DDS, Secretary Hoover feels certain
that self-intcrest will show the peo-
pie ali over the country that the inn
provements thus outlined should be
adopted.
VIII Assemble Recomme endntions.
| The national committee already ap-
pointed will put all of these recon-
mendations in order. edit them ana
vouch for them as the best advice OF
practical men who know what they
are talking about. There is no at
| tempt TO write a full building code.
| but first to knock off some of the
rough edges. and then gradually and
persistently to file and smooth of and
polish until the most economically
efficient building codes have been de-
veloped-for the best interests Of all
concerned.
| So much for the first step-to get
practical and efficient economy con-
sistent with safety on the few ma
terials most flagrantly wasted Then
will come a second step toward stand
ardisation. The aim of this is to get
improvement in having things ft to-
gether and SO effect a real economy
on labor costs. This will be deveI-
oped more and more and will proba-
bly, result in a voluntary committee
on Standardization.
Matters for Other Committees.
Then there are other matters like
ventilation. fire protection. etc, COM
| ing under what are termed tenement
house laws"-making the buildings
At places to live in. The relationship
OF the building to the width of the
street. the saving of waste through
deterioration. zoning systems and
city planning are matters for other
committees that may be organized
One of the big aims is to give a
guarantee to the citizen that if he
buys . home it will not deteriorate
while he is paying for it, and that
| agencies are at work to make his
holding more valuable all the time
Tins Secretary Hoover is working
systematically. with q definite vision.
to get all tho people OF the country
architsctz builders. supply men and
labor. a. we'll as the people who are
to occupy the homes-pulling with
him for an effective solution Of the
housing problem through a realizay
don OF their self-interest to be ad-
vanced through the various steps of
reform