Milford chronicle., 1934-08-24
BETTER HOUSING
PLAN EXPLAINED
/ AT WILMINGTON
TCostinued from Fiys. PaOel

wolves added means OF pfOVlum
better homes for the people of tn
nation"
Il should like to help you to real
iZe the extent of the task which i
On your shoulders. May first brief
ly outline the function of the Fed
eral Government in your propose'
program. The National Housing Ac
provides a new method of financing
under which home owners may OBJ
tain credit tor the purpose of max
ing expenditures for much needed
alterations and improvements t.
their home. The Federal HOusins
Administration is charged with the
duty of administering these new
credit facilities. While a necessary
part of your campaign. emphasis OF
credit facilities forms by no means
the substantial portion of ii. EN-
perience has shown that i'm any
community campaign launched fol
the purpose of awakening citizens
to the Importance of increasing the
physical standards of home life. full
ly twice as much work in the form
of real property Improvements Is
carried out on a cash basis as is eV-
er done upon credit basis.
You are entering on a salesman
ship program. 1t is necessary that
you sell it to yourself before you
proceed upon the task of selling il
to the home owners of your State
II offers amazing and far-reaching
possibilities. Out of its fulfillment
may be expected unemployment OF
that group engaged in construction
and allied industries which now
constitutes the largest single body
of unemployed in this country. Out
of its fulfillment you may expect a
stimulation of business activity cal
culated to start once more the re-
naming idle wheels of industry so
as to permit America as a nation to
produce to the full limits of her ca
pability Your own State has net
work of fine highways. You have a
multitude of efficient factories.
These should be utilized to their full
lest possibilities. Your citizens
should be employed. should be re-
ceiving incomes. and living happy
and active life. One need not claim
that the better housing program
alone will completely rehabil,tate
the nations prosperity; no one can
deny that it should do much to reach
this goal. Above all. the better hOus-
ing program offers amazing possi-
bilities in its effect upon the social
life of our country. The whole im-
port of the word home may be
changed. think that you will agree
with me that too much has it come
10 be merely a place to hang your
hat. a place to change your clothes
end eat yOur breakfast. If we pro-
ceed rightly, we can make ont of
the American home a social meeting
place for the family which lives
within its walls. We can do much TO
Tecreate family life by imprOvin"
the physical surroundings in which
il must he developed. We can make
il a place where children can re-
ceive guidance and character train
ing from those who are most inter
ested in their future welfare. This
iS litt ldSh W lilA II sOh aAh hbphA ~
undertake. This is the program
upon which you are about TO EN-
bark. Certainly no finer. no more
commendable job, can make de-
mands upon your time or call for
your best efforts.
THE key task with which you are
confronted is that of making your
II.
portant than the credit which viii
be offered. more important than the
people which will be re-employ6d, !
more important than the stimula- |
ton which industry will feel. is the |
increase in social stability which !
results from more healthful. more /
comfortable and happier home sur
roundings. 1t is this point which the !
property owners of the State of Del /
aware must be made to see if your |
program is to be a real success. !
p ITO realize the scope and the faI
reaching effect of the program we
need only to cite the recent survey
made by the Department of Com
merce which covered 1871 ,4G2 dwell /
ling units in 50 cities. More than
l6%6 of the residential buildings in
volved are in need of structural re- /
pairs and more than 44f6 are in /
need of minor repairs This survey ,
further reveals that more than l0T (
of these urban dwellings, are with
out indoor running water. more
than 20Ge lack indoor sanitary fa
eilities and more than 25G have no .
bath tubs or showers. A cOnserva-
tive estimate of the amount of mon
ey required to put the homes of the
country back in good physical con-
dition is $1,000, 600, 900 and this does
not take into consideration the
other types of buildings which our
credit plan will COW
ar
You honestly have something to
Dffer to home owners. 1t is not ne
cessary that you ask home owners
10 improve their dwellings in order Z
% provide employment for needy
persons. You can honestly sell each ,
Individual home owner your pro-
gram on the basis of his own per-
jOnal self interest. He profits by
he improvement of the physical
of the place in which he I
ives He profits even more by the
act that other home owners in his
ocality are making like improve
nents and that the standard. and
therefore, the realty values, of his
leighborhood are being increased.
"He may feel that he is unable
o do his home improvement job on
cash basis. He may suggest to you