Evening star., 1921-07-16
REALTORS GETNEW
|DEASAT MEETING
Chicago Convention Aids Men
From Here-Mr. Hoover's
~-,, Speech.

With the conclusion Of the annual
convention of the National Associa-
tion of Real Estate Boards in Chicago
yesterday. delegates to the meeting
from the Washington Real Estate
Board are expected to return to their
offices here Monday with many new
ideas for the advancement of realtors
interests in Washington
The local group of real estate men
has been out of the city nearly a
week, having left here in time to at
tend the opening session OF the con-
Venuon. July II. 1t is understood that
d number of the sixteen men who
comprised the delegation will not re-
turn Immediately following the final
session, preferring to remain for a
few days in Chicago or at nearby
summer resorts. This group will con-
sist principally of those who took
their wives and members Of their
families with them and who intended
to combine business with pleasure by
taking an extended vacation.
Secretary Petty's Plans.
Executive Secretary Petty probably
will return today or tomorrow, ahead
of the main group of realtors. He is
anxious to put into operation IA num-
Ger Of helpful suggestions which he
obtained from secretaries of real es-
tate boards from various parts of the
country. who held meetings of their
own while the convention proper was
under way. Secretary Petty attended
the Chicago gathering as a guest of
the local BOARD, which desired to ex
press appreciation of his work in car
rying out the recent reorganization
plan.
Morton J. Luohs is among several
who Will come home by way of the
great lakes. stopping over at Cleve-
land, Detroit and Buffalo for the pur-
pose of investigating realty conditions
in those cities. The boat trip will end
at Buffalo, whence the party will take
a train for this city.
MIR. Hoover Impresses.
1t Is learned that the Washington
delegation was much impressed with
the address of Secretary Hoover yes
terday on the housing question. The
realtors took special interest in Sec
retary Hoover'S direct reference to
the governments relation to the
housing problem as follows:
obviously one of the most difficult
problems in front of the entire coun-
try is that of housing. l need not
recount to you that the cause of
this critical problem has been the di
from permanent construction to man
ufacture of consumable commodities
during and after the war. In 1910
We averaged about 110 families for
each 100 homes, and in 1920 about III
families. This indicates a shortage
of nearly 100000 homes even on
the 1910 standard. An equally dis
turbing fact is that the tentative fig
ures from the forthcoming census in
dicate that the total number of homes
owned by the occupiers has steadily
decreased. and a total of nearly 90
per cent of our population are living
as tenants, a larger ratio than many
other countries. If we are to build
up the stability and the happiness of
our people, this is just the reverse OF
what shoul dhappen. Nothing is
worse than an increased tenantry and
landlordism in the country.
Suggested Remedies.
IF we make study of the sug-
gested remedies for the situation we
md they fall into two general
worked out by individuals or local
community action, and. second, those
involving the assistance of the fed
eral government AS to the latter, L
wish to say definitely that the fedc
sra4 government has no motion whatS
ever of going into the housing busi-
ness either directly or indirectly. II
will not fix prices nor wages.
Il think you will all agree with
ME that the chief reliance for home
building must be upon our saving in-
stitutions. If we examine these i'm
stitutions. we will find that the total
sum Of money available of this type.
either in mutual savings banks.
building and loan associations. or in
savings departments of national or
state banks and trust companies, or