Evening star., 1934-04-21
LOW-COST HOUSING
NEED GREAT HERE
ReaItor Cites $4,000 In.
crease in Wage Farmers
on U. S. Pay Rolls.

With Washington's leadership in
the favored city class constantly
being more firmly established through
the coordination of great Federal
emergency agencies into coherent per-
nanent forces, the crying need for
new low-cost housing can scarcely
be too strongly emphasized, is the
opinion of John L. Weaver, president
Of Weaver Bros, Inc, realtors.
Competent authority" he says,
"has estimated that more than 10000
wage earners have been added to the
Government pay rolls during the last
year, this alone adding to the local
buying power approximately S2000,-
900 a month, or roughly $4,000 900
year"
IF" he adds, "the average salary
of the 10000 local workers on the
Federal lists be reckoned at the mod
est sum of $4,000 per year, the COM
bined income of this one class of en-
ployeS reaches the impressive total of
S158,000000 a year This, of course.
does not take into account the thou
sands of employees on the pay rolls
OF private industries which have set
up headquarters in the Capital for
what must prove a long period of
economic rehabilitation under a Gov
ernment-business partnership, if in
deed, it does not become permanent
part Of the present or some succeed
ing new deal.
Builder Is Awakening"
"Here, in short, we have a tre-
mendous potential market for new
homes and the operative builder is
at last awakening to the fact. Never
before has there been so keen an
appreciation of the requirements of
the family of moderate income for
modern home comforts, or such a
concentration of study as to the most
effective methods for providing them.
Nor has there ever before been so
general an understanding of the
opportunities offered in this vast
heretofore scarcely touched field OF
home building.
There are two other outstanding
reasons why something must be done,
and done now, to supply this coming
demand for small, and in lesser
degree, large homes. Since the
Autumn of 1929 the new housing con-
struction within the District and in
nearby Virginia and Maryland has
been negligible. In the neighboring
States the increase in population has
since that time been near normal.
In the District the increase in popu-
lation. as stated has been far above
normal. Today most of the modern
apartment buildings Of washington,
those offering accommodations at
rentals within the means of the thou
sands now in, or about to enter, the
market for more adequate housing,
are filled, while other structures with
less modern facilities report vacancies
of but from 10 per cent or less.
The second reason is to be found
In the fact that for the last 10 years
the size of the family unit has grad
ually decreased both here and in
England, with the sharpest decrease
noted during the last few years OF al
most general economic distress. This
must in turn increase the market for
new small homes since it increases the
number of family units requiring in
expensive group shelter.
Much Land Low Priced.
"The market assured, there re-
mains, therefore, but to devise the
most complete, the most comfortable
1884 model home to sell for $4,000
or less This home will have to have
everything the long neglected 70 per
cent of our family population may
fairly demand of it, and such housing
can now be provided.
There are quantities of low-priced
land having utilities such as water
sewerage, gas, electricity and i'm
proved streets and still available to
the operative builders of the District
or to the individual builder. Trans
portation in the form of feeder BUSES
which connect with mainline busses
or trolley lines, is bringing into the
market much choice vacant property
In the best of our remaining suburban
areas, all within Is minutes or a
half hour of downtown Washington
The operative builder is we'll aware
OF what IIl6 use Vi SuCIl IdIiu IlItdlAs
in the way of holding down his con-
struction costs.
THE indicated market for hous'
ing-both for sale and for rent-as
we'll as the advancing prices for both
labor and materials, points to rapid
increase in values. The present sit
uation is comparable to that immedi-
ately following the World War. II
will be recalled that prices advanced
very rapidly at that time. The reason
then as now, was that no housing
was produced during the term of the
war, coupled $50 far as Washington
was concerned) with an abnorma
increase in population. This study Of
housing should justify prospective
home buyers to ponder well the
slogan, This is Buyers Market"