The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-04
ADVOCATES RELIEF
FOR u. 5. SHORTAGE
ON CONSTRUCTION
Urges Congress to En-
courage Private Initia-
tive in Building Work.
By SENATOR VIM. M. CALDER

When Congress enacted legisla-
ton in 1917. which provided for
government construction to house
men and women employed in war
work, declared on the floor of the
Senate that the action of the Treas
ury Department and of the Federal
Reserve Board in discouraging
loans for construction purposes
would finally bring upon US serious
shortage of homes. Since that time
I have been constantly urging that
Congress take action to encourage
private initiative in building and
that this Federal action should be
to remove obstacles and provide IA
cilities rather than subsidies.-Na-
tional Real Estate Journal.
AS many of the ladies and gen.
tlemen present knox. in April, 1920,
introduced a resolution in the
Senate which provided for an in
ouiry into this very subject. The
president of the Senate appointed
me chairman of the committee OF
inquiry and during the better part
of a wear this committee continued
its hearings and visited many OF
the larger cities throughout the ma
ton.
Shortage of Homes.
The committee realized that there
was a shortage of homes not only
in every city In the country. but in
nearly every hamlet, with a marked
increase in rentals from Cheyenne
wyo., to Lynchburg, Va. and from
Portland. Me-. to Los Angeles. Cal
The committee did not depend
upon its own observations and upon
statistics alone; the committee re-
ceived reports from the real estate
boards throughout the country
from the building and loan associ-
atoms and from the Industries as
we'll, and II called for the advice OF
the health officers of the principal
cities of the country. through the
American Health Association.
This association especially con-
vened for that purpose IN Detroit
and submitted a report OF the Sem
ate committee in which il laid
stress on the necessity of adequate
housing to safeguard the puolit
health and morals.
There are some who have not had
the problem brought home to then
or who, having divergent interests
believe that such matters will au'
tomatically right themselves. They
will right themselves in time after
suffering. but in the meantime they
may entail serious consequence:
which can be largely avoided by
promptly getting at the root Of the
matter.
Let me suggest that in Massachu'
sets laws have been passed per
hitting the municipalities to bond
themselves for the purpose of erect
ing homes for their people. Other
States. in response to popular de-
mand, have passed laws restricting
the landlords from exacting eXtor'
tionate rentals, but these laws have
at the same time had the effect o.
stopping the building of NOR,
homes. New York State also ha!
passed laws temporarily exemptine
new building construction from To-
cal taxation, which is proving g
very practical and effective step
but justified only by an emergency
Many of the conservative bust
ness men of the country already APP
prehend the moral and economi,
dangers of paternalism and arr
eager that every facility should b'
provided for the man who wants Il
own his own nome and help MN
self.
am not an alarmist, but I war;
the country that unless every prac
teal and economically sound facll
ity is afforded to the active resump-
ton of construction work, thi
continually Increasing structure
shortage may bring about such ;
state of need that paternalistic SUP
sidy legislation may be resorted to
Savings Deposits.
have been told that the saving
deposits in the United State
amount to the great sum of up
ward of ten billions of dollars. Thi
certainly is an ample figure. In s,
far as building and loan associa