Evening star., 1934-08-05
Housing Inquiry Results
Show Great Congestion
BY HARDEN CoLFAx.

Having completed its real property
inventory (only the final detailed
tabulation remaining), the results Of
| the Commerce Departments investi-
cation into housing conditions at
representative points in the country
are now being made available to the
various Federal agencies which are
| working on our national housing
| problem.
The Federal Home Loan Bank
Board, the Home Owners Loan Cor
poration, the Farm Credit Admins
tration and the housing division Of
the Public Works Administration are
| all working on housing reforms, while
other units of the Department of
Agriculture and Commerce, as well
as private agencies, such as the In
dustrial Conference Board are study
ing it. The Federal Housing Admin
istration has just got under way.
Last week, the unit of the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
in charge of the real property tnven-
tory let it be known that, in "a cities
surveyed, in widely separate parts OF
the country, 16 per cent Of the l,S00,-
900 living units in 1900, 900 structures
are crowded, overcrowded or greatly
overcrowded" Between 161s and IT
per cent of all the structures consid-
cred are reported to be in need Of re-
pairs affecting the structure itself
while As per cent are found to be in
need of minor repairs and more than
per cent actually unfit for human
habitation."
IS ~
Sanitary conditions in many sec
tions are found to be deplorable, and
il is along this line that the new
Housing Administration hopes to be
able to render its most useful service
in modernizing the Nations homes,
besides providing work for thousands
Of persons. The Commerce Depart
ment's investigation shows that more
than 10 per cent of the so-called
family. units covered were without in
door running water, more than 20 per
cent we're not provided with private
toilet conveniences, while more than
rs per cent had no tubs or showers.
An interesting phase of this survey
shows that, apparently, American
citizens prefer the single family type
of dwelling and are not so sold"
on apartments as we had thought. In
the total family units constructed
during the f1ve-year period from 1925
to 1929, more than 88 per cent were
for single families, and only 8 per
cent apartments. In the following
five-year period from 1929 to 1884,
the percentages were 81 and 9.
The Industrial Conference Board,
on a basis Of examining more than
600 900 structures in 43 cities, esti-
mates that Is per cent of these are
40 or more years old. About one
half Of all these properties are in
need of minor repairs and approxi-
mately IS per cent in need OF struc-
tural repairs.
An authority on population in
crease and housing facilities writing
in the current Annalist estimates that
500 900 more living units a year are
required in this country merely to
house the annual increase in popu-
,ation. A Federal Government Off
cial was quoted last week as saying
that this estimate probably Is cor
rect and that, if applied to the actual
building in the decade from 1920 to
|fg30-showing a total of just over
000 900 dwellings-there has been
no large residential overbuilding, as
is often stated, only just enough TO
keep pace with the growth Of the
need for it.
(copyriEht, 1e34l