Evening star., 1932-08-13
SEUM CLEARANCE
MOVEMENT URGED
Architects Institute Calls
States Attention to R. F.
C. Fund Availability.

A national movement has been start
ed by the American Institute Of Archi-
tects urging upon States the use of
.unds to be made available by the Re
construction Finance Corporation for
city slum clearance and low cost hous-
ing which may be classed as "self-liqui-
dating" enterprises.
With financial aid provided by an
ANONYMOUS donor, speakers will be sent
to address meetings of the institutes
chapters throughout the country in an
effort to combat conditions which
''threaten to prevent the betterment
contemplated by Congress in relief-work
provisions of the Emergency Act" it is
Jtated by Robert D. Kohn, immediate
oast president of the institute.
Special sessions of State Legislatures
should be called at once to promote
slurn clearance and low cost housing
projects, he declares.
Restrained by fear of taxpayers re-
volts, States and cities, Mr.. Kohn
charges, are failing to respond to the
urgent necessity for starting work
which will increase employment, i'm
prove city areas that are now social
menace and lessen the severity, of the
depression among the workers. Tax
alton, said Mr. Kohn, is not a factor in
this situation as the loans which may
be had from the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation are for self-hquidating
enterprises.
Only New York State, he said, has
housing commission. A bill for the
creation Of commission is now before
the Pennsylvania Legislature. In at
tempting TO influence other States to
establish commissions, Mr.. Kohn is
acting as the representative of the
Committee on the Economics of Site
Planning and Housing of the Institute
He is also enlisting the assistance Of
the Committee on Trade Recovery Of
the Construction League of the United
States. Mr.. Kohn is president of the
league, organized last year, which COM
prises 19 groups of the construction in
dustry, with more than 100000 mem
bers and representing billions in capital
1T is surprising" said Mr.. Kohn's
statement, ito find how little the pub
lie appears interested in the potential
tiles Of the legislation making funds
available to States and municipalities
through the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation for direct relief and for
public works construction of certain
kinds.
The Federal loans for elf-liquidating
public works construction, housing and
slum clearance were primarily intended
as work-relief measure. 1t would be
deplorable, indeed disastrous If We failed
to take immediate and complete advan-
tage Of the opportunity for relief thus
afforded in every part of the country.
THE supporters of this movement, to
start up such public works before the
coming Winter, have been met by the
argument that it runs counter to the
countrywide propaganda for reduced
taxation, for economy In government,
for drastic curtailment In city and State
expenses. That notion is absurd. Actu-
ally, only those public works projects
can be considered which are independ-
ent of taxation.
For the first time we have an in
centive for wise longtime planning in
public works and for an exploration of
real needs in the matter of low cost
housing
1T has been estimated that every dol
lar paid in wages for useful and needed
work in a time of depression is of
double use since it not only reduces un-
employment but increases consuming
power by a turnover of from six to
twelve times the initial amount.
In the encouragement Of projects for
low cost housing and slum clearance.
the emergency relief and construction
act of 1892 Is likely to make history.
Never before, except indirectly, has the
Federal Government shown the slightest
interest in this Nationwide problem.
1T Is hoped that States and munich
palities will at least start to explore the
possibilities of reforming their blighted
areas and providing decent living quar-
ters for the lower income groups, here
tofore forced to take the left overs, the
inadequate, insanitary housing aban-
doned by those better off,"