Evening star., 1921-01-27
Tells Conferees Country
Must Afford Facility for
Resumption of Building.
FEARS CONDITIONS HERE
AS THEY EXIST IN EUROPE
Urges Business Men to Support
Legislation to Aid in Owner
ship of Living Places.


to afford every facility for private
construction to relieve the present
shortage. Senator Calder of New
York, chairman of the special Sem
ate committee on reconstruction, de-
c1ared in an address here today be-
, fore the National Council Of the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States. The country. may be approach
ing condition. the senator added.
which will mean the adoption OF
European rrecedents born OF Inc
paternaliSm of monarchleS.
Those in attendance Were war lo'l
by the senator that the continually
Increasing housing shortage in this
country may bring about such state of
need t!lat pat"rnalistic subsidy 1egis-
lation may be resorted to.
+ Representatives of the government.
civic bodies and construction inter
estS as well industrial leaders
from all parts Of the country are at
tending the conference. which Will
continue through tomorrow. to asst
in a solution of the various phases of
the housing problem.
Urges support for Legislation.
I'VE may be approaching condi-
tion of affairs such as exists in many
European countries said Senator
Calder. '"This will mean the adop-
ton of European precedents born of
paternaiiSm of monarchieS rather
than continuation of American prec-
edents. which have made it possible
for each man. through exceptional
thrift and indu7r-y. to become a
property owner"
The Senator urged the business men
of the country to support legislation
that will afford every facility for
more construction and more owner
ship of homes. thus relieving the
critical situation brought about by
the housing shortage and forestalling
subsidies.
Taking up the question of tax ex-
emption 10 stimulate home construc-
ton. he Said that he was primarily op-
posed to all exemptions from the fed
cral income tax law, but the drifting
of money away from the mortgage
market had been 50 great. and it was
continuing TT such a rate. that We
either must fores1 the maxim. good Of
''ssss.pstv-,er rare~abohshed. or else adont
temporary measures of this sort,
pending the abolition of all tax ex-
emptons
Proposes Local Tax System.
i propose, as a member of the com
mittee on finance Of the Senate, to
urge the decentraliz lization of our fed
era1 taxation system, so that a citizen
may go to the authorities in his own
locality and settle his tax matters
finally and promptly each year.
Discussing credits for the bujld-
ing of homes. Senator Calder tsaid
that ";xe should put an end to Four
present policy Of going farther and
farine worse. and build up the basic
Industries OF the country to supply
the future needs of the people The
which have frrpiy
over in my mind for months is why
have we not used a larger part of
our surplus labor and materials for
the ';pbuildine of our national plant;
build more houses SO that rents NAV
Sc lo'cared: improve our railroads
80 that our goods can be promptly
moved To market: improve our term
inals. our coastwise shipping and our
inland waterways.
LOSSES Night De Less,
During and since the years of the
war. we have heard great deal
about the inadvisability of investing
money in fixed capital in this couri-
try. and ! have wondered whether it
would not be wiser to have diverted
at least 2 portion of the Sc. 900. .000, 900
credit expansion during the year end
ing June 80, 1920. to the building
of homes and railroads and plants
1T now appears to many that the
losses "Iiitil HiSnL nave been in
Cured by any depreciations in these
building values. due to def1ation,
would be less than the losses which
will have to be taken on commod-
tiles on which the six billion dollars
have been used. Had this been done
we would stiil have the plant and
building with their greater earning
power. which would serve us for the
export of coal and other basic neces-
stiles at prices which would enable US
to compete with the world, and which
would form broader basis on which
taxation might be levied.
From the experience of England
and France in attempting to solve
their housing problems, we know it is
impossible to solve ours through fed
eral or state paternalism. because in
doing this the government would be
attempting to subsidiZe itself, and it
is to be hoped that our reconstruction
process will proceed through private
initiative and enterprise"
Program of VAST importance.
The session did not get under Way
until II o'clock, when Joseph H. De-
frees of Chicago, president of the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States. called it to order.
That the future of American de-
mocracy depends in large measure
upon the hliiu VI ilouSlHS program
the United States adopts at this time
to relieve the present shortage Of one
million and half family dwellings,
WAS the statement of X. Goodwin
Rhett. former president of the Cham
ber of Commerce of the United States.
the first speaker at the session.
I'VE cannot afford to overlook or
disregard the bearing which such con-
struction Will necessarily have upon
the permanent welfare of this conn
try," he said. I'VE cannot afford to
countenance or permit any backward
step in the standards of living which
have been established either by law
or by public opinion--for the stand
ard of living of the great mass of the
people is the surest index of progress
in the march of civilization"
Women should have a SAY" in the
type OF houses to be constructed, the
speaker thought, since the average
house is a "woman's Workshop
.Iabor-saving devices and machin-
cry are just as essential in the home
as in the factory" Mr.. Rhett said.
Urges All to Cooperate.
Ernest T. Trigg of Philadelphia said
that the housing industry can be re-
yiyed to a large extent if all interests
concerned with the housing situation
will promptly cooperate in a fair and
proper way for the purpose of bring
ing costs down to reasonable basis
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