Evening star., 1935-07-21

libraries, forests, waterways. good
housing and countless such other ia
cilities is more than we should spend
is q problem which we shall have tS
solve In the light of future develop
ments."
Four Groups Of Road Possibilities.
A breakdown Of public works pos
sibilities would sufice to fill book,
but the general classifications con-
tanning the most advisable types Of
projects may be looked at briefly.
The National Resources Board di-
vides road development possibilities
into four groups: Classification and
development of roads for specialized
uses; Improvement of alignment,
grades and roadsides on greatly wild
ened rights of way for existing roads;
development of rural roads; abolition
of grade crossings. All Of these may
be carried out within limits which
would be profitable to the Nation,
the board says, with their cost rang
ing in the billions and included In the
$24 4,000, ,000, 900 possibilities for the
coming 10 years.
In considering these same poten-
tialities, the Committee for Economic
Recovery estimated grade crossing ex-
penditures Of 81 ,400, ,000, 900 and high
way surfacing of $500, ,o0o, 900 during
the next 10 years. The same group
estimated need for municipal sewerage
plant improvements at $500, ,000, 900.
In the field of building construc.
tion, however. lies even greater DOS
sibilities, in lines Of both public and
private endeavor. Realizing this, the
Government first created a Housing
Division in the Public Works Admin
istration, its purpose being slum
clearance and development of low
rental housing in urban areas. Next
came the Division of Subsistence
Homesteads to concentrate upon en-
couragement Of rural homestead
projects.
Private Capital Stimulated.
Finding that the real opportunities,
however, were in the backlog of pri-
vate housing needs, the administra-
tion created the Federal Housing Ad-
ministration for the purpose of stim-
ulating private capital to renew ac-
tivity in this field.
Perhaps the best condensed picture
OF the needs and potentialities in this
direction is given by the Committee
Tor economic Recovery as follows:
recent Government survey in
dicates that Of the $4,000 900 homes
in the Nation, 100000 require re-
building. The survey also estimates
tremendous additional number will
require replacement each year due to
obSoleScence and deterioration. This
deferred demand includes a total of
$4,000, ,000, 900. Its reproduction will
require at least q 10-year program.
During these 10 years, at least l.
100000 homes more will have been
added to the grouping under required
replacement, thereby giving total
Of 1000, 900 houses TO be replaced over
the next 10 years, or 100000 homes
annually"
$4,000, ,000.0 Is Involved.
Such a demand, the committee esti-
mates, would involve turnover of some
$40 600, 900, 900 in a 1o-year span.
A most important additional fea-
ture, the committee continues, will
be the need of repairs and moderniza-
ton during the coming five years.
Declaring that 14,500,000 structures
will experience this need within that
time, and estimating the average
repair bill at $500, this committee
thus sees probable expenditures of
another $4,35o 900, 900.
The two programs thus involve out
lays Of s24.350. .000. 600 over a S to 10
year period.
Into this picture of housing needs,
incidentally, has intruded a factor
which may inject the spark sought by
sc many agencies: namely, the de-
velopment of factory-built houses and
the increasing use Of steel or steel
alloy framework. While no figures
are available to show the precise in
crease in adoption of prefabricated
houses, the steel companies have done
considerable experimental work in
that field and are predicting that
building costs will be cut to half with
development of their product. With
in the next three years. 1t is predicted,
prefabricated houses will be generally
available at average costs of S2,50O.
Radical Departure Needed.
In this connection of building costs
an interesting statement Is made by
N. H. Engle, assistant director of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce and housing authority:
1T is my feeling that the solution
of the housing problem lies in a rad
ical departure from present house
building technic. An application of
the principles of mass production to
the problem of home building should
do much to bring down the cost. The