The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-08-16
MCDONALD MAY
SUCCEED
M0FFETT
BY EARL GOODWIN

LUG oAoAAA4B SAN NA9SASSS
eJimmie" Moffett, who sailed into
Washington harbor on a million
dollar yacht to take up his duties
rs Federal Housing Administrator.
apparently is about to make good
his threat to leave the Govern
ment and go back to the oil bust
ness from whence he came.
The stories from New York
carry the news that Mr.. Moffett
declares he is going to reSign-no
fooling! This story has been
kicking about wherever Mr.. Moi
felt landed; but this time it seems
to be true enough, for the White
House people seem to feel that
there isn't any use trying to hold
Jimmie in harness any longer.
Mcdonald to Be Promoted
In case these rumors are true,
It seems more than likely that the
present acting administrator, Stew
art Mcdonald, will be made ad-
ministrator. That would mean
that Mr.. Mcdonald has made
good" because when Mr.. Moffett
left here for q trip around the
world with his new bride it was
the understanding that if the Fed
eral Housing Administration went
along smoothly, gathering momen-
tum and exuding results, Mr.. MOI
fett's resignation would be &C.
cepted.
Il the FILA, on the other hand,
should flop, then the President
intended to take Mr.. Moffett by
the shoulders, figuratively speak
ing, shove him down in his chair
and tell him to finish the job.
Mr.. Moffett'S intention to return
to the oil business bears out the
rumor that he has been dickering
with one Of the big international
oil companies which has an eye
on the Oriental oil trade.
Al Oil Salesman
Mr.. Moffett is looked on as the
ace oil salesman of the world. He
is used to selling oil, not merely
in shiploads, but in fleet loads
He is said to be the man who put
ethyl on the map. Incidentally,
when he did this he used to have
q standup political fight almost
every day in the week with Huey
Long, who was then a State Off
cial in Louisiana.
Mr.. Moffett was the cause of
one of the near-Splits in the RooSe-
welt administration last fall, when
he and PWA Administrator 1ckes
locked horns over cheap housing
The two men had different views
of the job, and it took President
Roosevelt himself to keep them
quiet.
Mr.. Mcdonald, likely to be the
new administrator, was picked by
Mr.. Moffett, who introduced him
to President Roosevelt. He is q
natural born organizer Of finan'
cial structures, with wide expert
ence in banks, insurance, manu-
featuring, etc. He comes from st,
Louis.
Must Ride Horse
He is a hard worker, but he
doesn't consider the day started
right until he has taken a horse
back ride. He is generally aStride
his steed around $50 a. m. these
summer mornings, but one week
not long ago he forego equestrian
pleasures and took to a flivver for
six days in the role of q casual
investigator.
Without becoming known, he
poked in and out of practically
every building job in this section
Of the country and availed himself
Of q lot Of information.
The purpose of FILA was to
get people to spending money on
building new houses, renovizing
and reconstructing old houses.
All of it was to be and Is private
money, the FILA merely inSuring
mortgages on new construction
and refinancing.
The FILA started with nothing
and yesterday the figures stood
at one hundred and thirty-Seven
million dollars for mutual mort.
cages on new construction, one
hundred and twenty-three million
dollars for repair work or mod.
ernization," and the FILA experts
believe that this has stimulated
at least six hundred million dol.
lars similar work which did not
pass through the FILA.