Evening star., 1934-01-28
GREED HELD CAUSE
Of POOR HOUSING
First Lady Says Aroused
Public Opinion Must
Remedy Conditions.
Continued FROM First Page)

that in view of the social advances be-
ing made under this administration,
President Roosevelt will stand out in
history as the man who made q reality
Of Thomas Jefferson's dream that AL
men are created equal"
Unless I am greatly mistaken" the
Secretary said, "the Franklin Roosevelt
administration will loom large in his
tory as marking the beginning of new
and . better social order. What this
administration has already done toward
making these United States . better
place to live in for the average man
and woman Is amazing, even II 1t is
more felt than seen.
Hope Now High.
zone Of our pressing and most i'm
portant tasks In the establishment OF
this new social order is revolutionary
improvement In housing conditions in
the United States. We want, and we
must have, attractive low-cost housing
for those In the lower income groups.
Hope at last for q definite and no
table beginning in the erection Of low
cost housing Is now running high. This
Is because we have in the White House
. man Of greater social vision than any
OF his predecessors. This practical
idealist has a conviction that the way
to promote low-cost housing Is to build
low-cost housing"
Secretary, 1ckes outlined the creation
Of the Federal Housing Corporation, to
which 500, 900 900 has been allotted
out Of public works funds.
when the Federal Government un-
dertakes to do thing it does not usual
ly permit itself to be held back" he
continued. And what Is generally true
OF the Federal Government is particu-
larly true Of this administration We
have as President a man who keeps in
direct and intimate touch with every
phase of Federal administration. So
since the President has embarked on
program Of slum clearance you may rest
assured that the rest Of us are for slum
clearance and will do all We can to
bring 1t about"
The money allotted for low-cost hous-
ing, the cabinet officer said, will hardly
scratch the surface in clearing out all
such places.
Housing Clinics.
I'VE will at least make q beginning"
ne continued. These Federal housing
projects will be in the nature of hous-
ing clinics. They will demonstrate
hope, to stimulate public interest to
such a point that States and munich
palities will take up the work and carry
1t on as a major social activity"
Mr.. 1ckes also said the P. w. A. has
allotted many millions to limited divi-
dend corporations engaged in low-cost
housing projects.
This building program can be justi-
ned" he said, ''as one of the best, If
not, in fact, the very best make-work
proposition that could be undertaken.
But the real justification for our hous-
ing program is its social justification.
1t is fine thing to give to men who
need work the work that they need. 1t
is finer thing. and one that will pay
for itself over and over again in social
dividends, to provide decent living con-
ditions for those who lack them
The addresses Of Mrs. Roosevelt and
Secretary Ickes were the high spots of
full days conference, which was at
tended by representatives of housing
social work. labor, church, city plan
ming and building groups, embracing
more than so national organizations.
Many Speakers Heard.
Mrs. Mary K. Simkhovitch of New
York, president of the National Public
Housing Conference, opened the ses-
sions in the morning with discussion
Of organizing the Community for
Public Housing" Speakers at that ses-
sion were Mrs. Mary Hartman Rumsey.
chairman Of the Consumers Advisory
Board: Helen L. Alfred, secretary Of
the conference: M H. Hedges, research
director Of the International Brother
hood Of Electrical Workers; DR.. Edith
Elmer Wood, housing consultant; Rev.
John O'Grady, secretary of the Ma
tional Conference Of Catholic Charities,
and DR.. Sidney E. Goldstein, chairman
of the Social Justice Commission, Cen
trail Conference of American Rabbis.
The morning session was followed by
the luncheon meeting at which Her.
bert Bayard Swope, treasurer of the
conference. acted as toastmaster. Be
fore Mrs. Roosevelt and Secretary Ickes
spoke, he announced the topic Of the
meeting as "The Government Accepts
the Challenge"
Others who addressed the luncheon
meeting were Langdon w. Post, tene-
ment house commissioner Of New York
City: Miss Grace Abbott. chief Of the
Children's Bureau of the Labor Depart
ment; Dr. Isador Lubin. commissioner
Of labor statistics, and William Averill
Hartman, deputy administrator Of the
N. r. A.
State Aid Sought
At the close of the meeting last night
a resolution was adopted calling upon
the States to create housing authorities
or to enact enabling legislation SO the
program authorized under the Public
Works Administration may be carried
out.
1t was brought out earlier that to
date only five States are legally equip
ped to take advantage Of the op-
portunity. These States are New Jersey,
California, Michigan. Wisconsin and
Illinois. A similar proposal is pending
before the New York Legislature.
The remaining States and individual
communities were asked to begin cam
paigns for the enactment of enabling
legislation before the exhaustion of the