The Washington herald., 1922-03-12
NORMALCY HERE,
DECLARE REALTY
! men OF NATION
Loans More Available,
Policies Sounder, Exc
cutive Body Finds.
AID SMALL BUILDER
Secretary Hoover Tells Real
tors That Commerce Dept.
Is Helping.

business conditions throughout
the country have swung back to q
prewar normalcy. 400 realtors. rep
ressnting practically every large
city in. the United States. de-
Glazed at the executive committee
meeting Of the National Association
of Real Estate Boards last Monday
night at the New willard Hotel.
Every delegate. with the excep-
ton of two. reported continued in
dustrial activity. steady erection Of
homes. more available loans and
sound business policies in their
cities The prewar. basis for sound
business has arrived" was the con-
sepsus of opinion expressed.
II was pointed out that scarcity
of loanable money for new business
prospects helped to maintain the
general depression of many months
past. This and heavy taxation. IL
was declared. tended to prolong the
period OF hard times"
Loan Money Easier.
Money for loaning purposes Is
claim. Taxation. on the other hand,
II was said. is still sore eye" for
continued prosperity.
Visions of the Knickerbocker
tragedy. whose faulty construction
is said to have cost nearly one hum
dred lives. were brought up when
Henry r. Brigham. Boston. Mass.
chairman Of the housing committee
of the national body. declared that
no city knows better than Wash
ington what appalling results cheap
construction can bring.
Life waste as a result of unstable
construction can be removed by a
couHtry-wide investigation. Brig
ham said. In bis report to the ex-
ecutive committee he emphasized
certain dangerous methods en-
ploycd by irresponsible builders.
The national association should not
only conduct an investigation into
the policies OF crooked" construc-
tors. but it should make an effort
to stop collusIve bidding and drive
"shyster" brokers from their prac-
tices.
Aid for small Builder.
Is a means Of relieving the hous-
ing situation il was advocated to
clean the Summing districts of the
country, remove cheap construction.
and devise some method in which
the small builders of homes can suf-
ficfently finance their projects. \
uniform building code for the
naturalization of building prac-
tices was also urged in Brigham's $
report. O.,
A s.nsation was created at the
afternoon session when one of the
delegates declared that taxation
and, building costs have brought
about a national crisis in the hous-
ing situation. 1t was pointed out
that present conditions make it al
most impossible for the realtor to
make an attractive offer to a pros
pective home-buyer.
Many securities offered for sale
are exempt from taxation. while
real estate mortgages are not. II
was declared. As a result OF TINS
msny large sums of money are De-
ing withdrawn daily from the IN
yestment Of mortgages, resulting In
a decrease of financing buildings,
IL was said.
Government Aid Folly"
Anv housing plan to be fostered
wholly by the government VIII De
onnosed by the national tbody, it
was indicated by the delegation.
Proposals of this character were
termed as folly" and would result.
IL xas pointed out, in an unneces-
sary expenditure OF money on the
part of the government.
secretary of Commerce Hoover.
tanned by the realtors as the
"home-builders' friend" declared at
the morning session that the De-
partment Of Commerce is aiding the
housing situation by the effective
work of a special committee en-
-sged in the revision of municipal
building codes.
bne of the plans to revive home
ownership is a countrywide adyer-
tisinr campaign. to be conducted by
the 400 boards of the national body,
II was suggested. Don Goss, pub
lieity director of the association,
reported plans for such a campaign,
calling for every board in the coun-
try comparatively to advertise with
the aid of the national association.
How the government is aided by
the national association was told
by sR. 3. Armstrong. government
onicial. Public appraisals, con-
Quoted by the realtors. indicate the
vast development and efficiency of
the national body. he said.
Real estate dealing is no longer
considered a game" but profess
sion ranking with that of the medi-
cal realm, Armstrong declared. He
pronhised' continued cooperation OF
the government with the national
body.
stressing the Importance of zon-
ing laws In every city of the coun-
try, Herbert T. Jones. Kansas City,
Mo. urged realtors to foster such
rity planning. A city with no zon-
ing ordinance soon dwarfs its de-
yelopment. he said.
One Of the features of the enter
tainment program was the visit Of
the delegation to the White House
-.stsrday afternoon President
Harding greeted nearly 400 realtors.
The President was snapped with the