Evening star., 1935-11-03
PRIVATE HOUSING
CONTROL BANNED
Federal or Local Govern
ment Groups to Manage
LoW-Cost Projects.

Barring private contract manage
ment as illegal" in connection with
Government built slum clearance and
low-rent housing projects. Admins
traitor Harold L. Ickes yesterday ap-
proved a final working basis for pub
lie control of this phase of the P. w. A.
program.
The decision offers two alternative
methods to the 35 cities participating
either direct operation by the Fed
eral Government or through legally
constituted local public housing au-
thorities. In no case, it was said. will
private operation be countenanced.
Ickes' announcement was expected
as he frequently had mentioned at
press conferences that this was the
goal toward which he was working.
Conditions under which the prof.
ects will be operated through local
authorities or directly by the Gov
ernment will be determined in the
near future" he explained yesterday.
Few Have Organization.
With only a few municipalities
having public housing authorities at
present, New York being one of them.
1t was expected that Ickes would un-
dertake an active campaign to sell
the idea to other cities where P. w. A.
is now undertaking housing projects
for persons of low income. Wherever
such authorities are lacking, it was
made clear that the Federal Govern
ment would operate the projects.
In the case of the District of Co.
lumbia, P. W. A officials said it was
expected the Interior Department
would operate Langston Terrace, the
housing project for colored persons
which will be erected this Winter on
Benning road northeast. There is no
constituted housing authority in the
District and a special act of Congress
would be required to create one.
Foundation bids for the Washington
project will be opened at the Housing
Division of P. w. A. Tuesday. it was
said, and similar bids will be opened
during the next two weeks for other
projects throughout the country.
"If the slum clearance and low-rent
housing projects undertaken by P. w.
A. are to meet the needs of those low
income families formerly forced to
live under bad housing conditions,
great care must be exercised in estab-
fishing the method of their manage
ment," Ickes said.
Careful consideration was given to
this problem. Study developed that it
would not legally be possible to en-
gage private agencies under contract
to operate Government property. That
method, therefore, has been discarded,
and the developments will be man.
aged either directly by the Federal
Government or through local public
housing authorities contingent upon
execution Of satisfactory agreement
between the local body and the Federal
Government"
Approves S435,000 Project.
1ckes yesterday approved a s435,ooo
housing project for Enid, Okla, to
complete his program. Construction
bids have been advertised on all but
two OF the SO projects planned for
$4,000 families.
Details of operation and manage
ment remaining to be worked out will
determine the exact cost of Federal
maintenance on the basis of renting
capacity of individual projects. Rents
collected will be paid into the United
States Treasury. Operation and main
tenance expenses will be met from the
appropriated funds, pending legisla-
tion upon the subject.
With this general working basis for
operation approved by the controller
generals Office, Ickes announced, the
details of the two plans are being
studied by housing officials.
The Langston Terrace project here,
providing for 322 family units, will be
n actual construction in a few weeks.
A scale of rents is now being worked
out. 1t was expected the monthly
rentals would not exceed SIS per room.
mn nna