Evening star., 1935-01-20
HOUSING LEADERS
SEEKING MAJORITY
OF 4-b|LL|ON FUND
National ParIey to Make
Representations to
Roosevelt.
HOPES OF DELEGATION
ARE RAISED BY ICKES
Public Works Administrator
Looks Further Than $150,0o0
900 Use for Slum Clearance.

900 Use for Slum Clearance.
Representations will be made to
President Roosevelt today by leaders
of the National Public Housing Con-
ference that a major portion of the
administrations s4,O00,000.000 work
relief program be expended to pro-
mote slum clearance and other phases
of Federal housing activities.
The assertion yesterday by Public
Works Administrator Harold L. Ickes
to the effect that he is looking fur
ther into the future than the expendi.
ture of a mere s15o,o0o, 900" on slum
clearance served to boost the hopes
of the delegation, as did personal
message from President Roosevelt, in.
dorsing their efforts and evincing his
own interest in better living condi-
tons.
Enthusiasm Lacking.
Secretary Ickes' vague outline Of
future housing program, greatly ex-
panded under the leadership Of Pres
ident Roosevelt" failed, however, to
arouse any manifestation Of enthusi-
asm at the conference. ANY Federal
program that does not figure housing
expenditures in terms Of billions, In
the opinion of conference leaders,
falls far short Of their goal. They
pointed to the fact that the admin
istration's whole work relief program
contemplates no greater sum for the
next fiscal year than that recently
urged by them upon Congress for the
yearly quota of the housing division
of P. w. A.
In the light Of the Presidents
budget message to Congress, however.
the conference leaders today are ex-
pected to modify to q considerable
degree their original proposal for q
S4,000,000,000 expenditure this year
for housing. Leaders Of the confer
ence were busy last night preparing
the memorandum which will be sent
to the White House.
During the last two days the confer
ence has dealt with slum clearance,
subsistence homesteading, land values
and all other phases entering into the
complex problem Of public housing.
Government officials, as well as Nor
nan Thomas, the Socialist leader, were
frank in pointing out some Of the pit
falls that endanger the housing pro-
gram.
Ickes Welcomed Heartily.
Secretary Ickes received . hearty
welcome at the luncheon meeting
when introduced by Miss Mary Kings
bury Simkhovitch, president, after she
had had brief message Of greeting
from the White House.
The public works administrator, who
has already obligated the full amount
of his $50, ,000, 900 housing budget to
build 42,161 individual dwellings.
turned on critics of his program. De.
claring the housing program is "mov-
ing inexorably forward" he replied to
criticism with the statement: I'VE
chose to keep our feet on the ground,
to build slowly rather than hastily, to
the end that what we produced would
be true low-rental housing"
Much of the public criticism directed
against the Governments activities, he
declared, arose from the vigilance OF
the Housing Division in keeping down
land costs.
Jerry building" Secretary Ickes
warned, would be the greatest blow
that could be struck at the cause Of
| low-rent housing. "If I were trying
deliberately to sabotage the housing
movement in this country" he said.
81 could adopt no better course than
to heed the cries of certain critics
and make speed my goal instead Of as
finished and perfect result as 1t is
possible to produce"
Thomas Warning Echoes.
An echo was heard yesterday from
Norman Thomas warning that the
Federal housing program, being so
costly, could not succeed in this coun-
try if it were intended solely as q So
luton of unemployment. During O dis
| cussion of the subsistence homesteads
problem at the morning session, 1t was
brought out that the most that could
be expected from the SIS 900, 900 bud
get would be one house. and home
] stead for each $4,000 expended. That
would amount to about 8,400 units.
{; Dwight L. Hoopingarner, associate
director of housing, and Col. Horatio
B. Hackett, director, also addressed
! the conference, the one in the morn
ing and the latter in the evening,
when pictures of foreign and Ameri-
can housing projects were shown.
At the luncheon conference, Secre-
, tary Ickes was followed by Ellen Will
kinson, famous as the baby Of the
British Parliament" who spoke on the
English public housing program under
which nearly 100000 homes have
been constructed with the aid Of gov.
ernment funds.
Another factor which she, as well
as Secretary Ickes stressed, was the
decentralization OF the program
through municipal housing authors
ties. There are 10 such authorities
in the United States, including the
District of Columbia, Ickes said,
whereas there was none year ago.
In England, however, 1t was empha-
sized that these authorities were en-
powered to demolish buildings de-
clared unfit for habitation or health
menace to the community.
Housing Division Detailed.
In his address last night, Col. Hack
EFT detailed the organization and
operations Of the Housing Division Of
p. w. A., which has seen 80 projects
approved for 80 cities.
The final session of the conference
will be held this morning at Q o'clock
at the Willard Hotel, when q memo
randum will be drawn up for presenta-
ton to President Roosevelt.
Speakers will include ]. w. VIII