The Washington herald., 1921-03-28
TENREMEDIESU URGEDTOAD
FUEL AND HOME LACK MUS.
Senate Production Board Members Suggest
Bureau to Cope With.

foreign commerce. TO fairly con-
serve the interests Of the public
without injury to those Of coal
miners and operators"
The public. irritated over the high
cost and unsatisfactory supply Of
coal and the high railway rates Un
part dependent upon the cost of op-
GRAFTON, of which fuel cost is a large
factor), is entitled TO know whether
the burden put upon every house
holder and every manufacturer is
fair, or whether profteering Is go
ing on. and IL turns, not to the gov
ernment of the States. but to the
government of the nation for Its
Information, the report states. The
committee has recommended bill
to authorize the securing, collection
and publishing of information with
respect TO the coal business. 1t be-
lieves that the predominantly ma
tional character of the business, its
national Importance, and the extent
to which IL is subject to national
action, both legislative and execu-
tive, warrant this bf1l and bring n
within the power of Congress under
the Constitution.
Asks Federal Housing Bureau
The proposal to establish q Fed
eral housing division somewhere in
the government which could gather
and dessiminate information as to
construction, costs, city planning.
and other housing facts, with a view
to Standardization of building codes
and parts. has the earnest support
of Secretary Hoover.
1T is appropriate" the report
says, that the Federal government.
with its wide connections abroad,
with its opportunity to coordinate
the experiences of all the States.
should establish in Washington q
bureau or division where builders
and city planning committees can
secure the most recent Information
on the construction Of houses"
While deprecsting the tendency
toward tax exemptions, the COM
mittee feels that its proposed ex-
emptions are temporarily necessary
to induce investment in constr1c-
tion. The insistent drift OF money
toward tax exempt securities, il de-
clared. makes il imperative that
steps be taken to make housing in
vestments equally attractive.
SIsm Prob&ea Cited.
Decentralization is necessary &c
the solution of the slum problem
the committee points out. and thi:
can be accomplished only with the
aid of properly functioning public
utilities. Emphasis is placed on the
gravity of the question of obtain
ing money for extensions and i'm.
provements which confront public
utilities.
In meeting wartime emergencies
it is pointed out, the public utilities
expended their reserves and IoW
are without adequate funds to meet
a demand for increased service. The
problem of financing public utilitie:
is more difficult than that of financ.
ing railroads. il is declared. be
cause there is no central body as
now provided. in the case Of the
steam railroads, which might ad-
just rates in proper relation to OPP
Grating cost and cabital invest.
ment."
Say Is Billions Needed.
nationwide and is increasing. the
report says. Specific situations in
Baltimore. Boston. New Bedford
Philadelphia, ST. Louis. New Or
leans. Cleveland. Detroit. Omaha.
Denver. New York. and other cities
are dealt with. No attempt is
made to determine the exact amount
Of money that will be required to
bring about complete reconstruc-
tion, but a need for approximately
ST. 5000, ,0O0.0 .00O is shown. This in
cludes S6.0O0.0Oo,0oO for railroads
S5.0eo, 0oo. 600 for houses. $4,000. .o0o.-
900 for public utilities. and several
billions more" for highways. water
ways, and so forth.
The committee holds out hope for
the average citizen in two respects.
II says that the cost of building can
be brought down substantially and
that the cost to the government of
trying its recomme ndations would
be small.