Evening star., 1935-11-19

the down-and-outers. We are con-
structing housing on q modified, yet
still o definitely business basis. we
started from o conservative profit
set-up and applied to it the subsidy
necessary to reach down and touch
the class we intended to rehouse. Had
we sought as our goal the housing ot
those to whom the slightest economic
tremor would mean disaster, we should
have been obliged to start from the
other end. We should have started
with 100 per cent subsidy, Offset. In
SO far as possible, by such payments
as the tenants could make.
Between the two extremes I have
mentioned, however, there is q class
which is counted in millions. and Is
composed Of hard working, self-re-
specting people. The men work at
semi or unskilled trades, many oi
which. like the building industry, are
seasonal and their incomes average
from $500 or 5000 In the South tc
81 500 In the North. These are the
people who have furnished the mar
power to make and maintain oul
cities. These are the people who with
few exceptions, whatever their rights
have never known q decent home ant
who never will unless Government
steps in to help them.
have discussed the Housing Divi
sion's program hitherto wholly II
terms Of its effect once the project'
are completed. The division, how.
ever, is o part Of the Public Work
Administration and that organization
was created primarily to afford en-
ployment. We may well consider
therefore, the immediate benefits x
be produced by our work.
Jobs Provided by Projects.
I have already mentioned thai
nearly 5000 persons have been en-
gagged in the real estate phases Of oui
program. The construction of the
projects vii give jobs to $4,000 build.
ing trades workers daily for more
than a year, working total of AS
0O0, 900 men hours. At least another
$4,000 will be employed in the fabrica-
ton and production Of materials
Among the incidental employment is
work for blue printers who are turn
ing out over 1000 900 square feet OF
blue prints for the plans OF these
projects.
The total employment is conserya-
lively estimated at 100000 men work.
ing somewhat over 100, ,0O0. 900 man
hours. Eighty-six million dollars will
60 into their pay rolls. To an in
dustry which has suffered from acute
anemia during the past six years, this
employment must bring q definite
measure OF. relief.
And yet, I say candidly, 1t is only
n drop in a bucket to what can and
should accrue from q real housing
program.
To attempt TO combine housing and
emergency relief has been a trying
task. As an immediate and purely
relief measure, housing in this coun-
try cannot as yet be wholly effec-
tive We have had too much to learn
about technique. Countries like Eng
land. with q long experience In hous-
ing and with vigorous enabling legis-
Iation, may employ housing as a rapid
and effective relief measure. And
yet. Sir Raymond Unwin, the FORE
most world authority on housing, told
me last year that the United States
had accomplished more in its first
year in public housing than England
had in its Is.
I cannot forbear, In closing. to
outline what I regard as a proper
housing program. In the first place
1t should not be highly centralized
show directed entirely from Washing
ton, In which local authorities play no