Evening star., 1934-10-20
Future Recovery Plans.

correspondents on "Wednesday the
President spoke generally of the
administration continued interest in
housing as an attack on the unem-
plovmentrelief problem. While the
Presidents exact references to the
subject are not given, the impression
from the correspondents report was
that the new Congress will receive
large housing program for enactment
this Winter. and that housing will
form an integral part of the admin
istration's next spending for recovery
plan.
1t has become a generally recog-
nized fact that housing is tagging
woefully behind in recovery, and that
an impetus to the housing industry
would affect a great number of
artisans now unemployed. One Of the
factors in connection with England's
recovery has been a housing boom in
which thousands of homes are being
completed every week. In England
the great majority of houses are being
constructed by private industry, with
out aid from the government.
The Public Works Administration
which goes out of existence next June
unless prolonged by Congress-has
allocated some $l46,000,0OO for slum
clearance, model housing development
in eight cities The work has pro-
gressed, necessarily, very slowly. In
only one city, Atlanta, has the en-
ployment of labor actually begun. In
Atlanta, Secretary Ickes took part in
ceremonies which began the demoli-
ton of old buildings only few weeks
ago. In other cities the land has
been purchased, condemned. or is in
the process OF acquisition. In Wash
ington there has been considerable
discussion Of low-cost housing de-
velopment with P. w. A. funds, but,
as far as the public knows, the only
progress recorded has been the refusal
of P. w. A authorities to undertake
a housing project near Howard Uni
yersity, because of the high cost Of
the land.
The President seemed to link in his
discussion with the correspondents,
low-cost housing development and
slum clearance with such undertakings
as the prov lsion of subsistence farms,
such as is being done on an expert
mental scale in West Virginia, Vir-
ginia and Arkansas. Thursdays Star
Hartman, president OF the United
States Chamber of Commerce, in
which he spoke with high praise of
the plan to provide families, now
living in congested, industrial centers,
with cheap homes in the nearby
countryside, surrounded by enough
land to support garden cultivation.
There have also been reports Of
joint undertaking by the Veterans
Administration and the Federal Emer-
sency Relief Administration to offer
veterans the opportunity to purchase
small homes and land on easy terms.
If housing is to be the administra-
tion's next goal in the new offensive
against depression, there are many
who will agree that it is the most
logical goal. But the success of a
great housing program will probably
depend largely on whether it is to be
Government undertaking, or whether
1t is to be the joint undertaking of
Government and private initiative.
The Government might spend hun
dreds of millions Of dollars on housing,
and still fail to break the log jam
that has been holding back the build
ing industry. Its greatest contribution
would lie in Government demonstra-
ton of the possibilities Of low-cost
housing, to be followed by enlisting
the services of private capital. The
Government alone cannot undertake
soundly to revive the building indus
try by the mere expenditure of Gov
ernment money.