Evening star., 1934-07-07
FEDERAL PROGRAM
IS CONSERVATIVE
EDITOR BELIEVES
Lower Interest Rates Pro-
vided by Government
Promote Work.
AVERAGE EXPENDITURE
is FIGURED AT S1OO
Community Campaigns for Mod
ernization of Houses Aided by
New U. S. Law.
BY VINCENT TUTCHING.


If S100 were spent on each of the
homes in America which now need
repairs, a total of 81 ,625, 900 900 would
be poured into the building trades and
construction industry.
This is the conservative" estimate
Of at least one authority-E. L. Gill
bert, Eastern editor of the American
Builder Magazine-and if such ex-
penditure could materialize, it would
exceed by SIPS 100000 the amount
the Government hopes will be spent
as a consequence of the national
housing act.
The estimates of Federal officials
that $1,500,000 1000 in modernization
and home repair work will result from
the Nationwide campaign to be fos-
tered by the newly created Federal
Housing Administration represent the
least that can be expected from this
movement, Gilbert says.
Average Is Billion.
1.-THE amount spent by home owners
has averaged not less than 81 ,000, ,000,-
600 annually" he continues, so es-
Inmates of 81 500, 100000 over a period
of one and a half years cannot be
considered other than most conserva-
tive
Provisions of the housing act, which
enable home owners to obtain funds
for this work at reasonable interest
rates, should result in far greater
success for the Government backed
program than has been the case with
local drives by many communities,
the editor contends.
Gilbert points out that the real
property inventory, conducted in more
than so cities, revealed approximately
IS per cent of the home units sur
veyed require repair or modernization.
With 25 .0o0, 900 home units occupied,
a campaign to repair or modernize IS
per cent of these units would set
1920 900 home units as prospects"
for this work.
With an average expenditure of as
little as Sl00 per home unit" he con-
tinues, the results possible and prob
able from the Governments Nation
wide drive would total not less than
81 ,625 900 900.
Community Efforts.
There is nothing new in the idea
of an organized community campaign
to create home repair and moderniza-
ton work. Nearly 200 different cities,
towns and villages have conducted
such campaigns during the last tour
years. Practically all such community
campaigns achieved results ranging
from So to S36 per capita. The IA
nous "Renovize Philadelphia cam
paign produced pledges totaling nearly
$l1 per capita; the average pledge in
community campaigns, based on cities
in Is different States, was $13 per
capita
with reasonably good local ad-
ministration, plus Federal indorse-
ment through national publicity, this
figure of Sl3 per capita is a con-
servative estimate for the entire
United States Based on a popula-
ton of approximately 125, 600, the
results as estimated o.I this basis also
total sl,625 100000 or 10000, 900
more than the estimates.
That a Nationwide campaign is
feasible is evidenced by the State
wide campaign in Rhode Island dur
ing 1888. when pledges were secured
to the amount of approximately $40
per capita. The State of Colorado
now has an official State moderniza-
ton bureau, and there is talk in
other sections regarding cooperation
along these lines.
Success Foreseen.
There is no reason to believe that
a Nationwide drive will be less sue
cessful than the average community
campaign of the last few years; every
indication is that the Governments
plans will be far more successful than
estimated. incidentally, although this
great campaign is national in scope,
benefits in each case will be largely
local in nature. Local contractors
and supply dealers will be the key
men in promoting and executing the
work because of their superior tech
nical knowledge, and fully so per
cent of the money spent will find its
way into the pockets of local
workers"
Repair permits issued in Washing
ton have crept steadily upward dur
ing the first half of 1884, figures OF
the District building inspector indi-
cate. Especially improved over last
year have been the totals for the past
three months, which have been CO.
incident with The Stars 81, 900 Better
Homes Contest.
Interest in this movement con-
tinues to manifest itself in every COM
munity, with citizens association
CONTINUED on Page 4, Column 81