The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-12-14
SCARCE
FOR HOUSING
PROGRAM
By EARL GOODWIN


many problems to settle. One of
the knottiest is his housing pro.
gram, now that it becomes known
there are no carpenters, bricklay-
ers and other building trades
workers in sufficient quantity to
do all the Brain Trust promised.
A starry.eyed section of the Ad-
ministration'S fair-haired boys
have been telling each other:
"Why we are 100000 homes
behind schedule. When we get
that problem started-and put
all those men to wOrk-prOs-
perity will be with us mountain
high and remain forever"
That sounds grand at the New
Deal cocktail parties which are
commencing to get into their win
ter swing-but the trouble is when
the housing experts Of PWA and
FILA are consulted they tell you
that the plans are fine-all they
need is some bricklayers-thou'
sands Of them-plus a few car
penters, stair builders, rooferS and
others trained in the use of build
ing tools.
NO MEN AVAILABLE
"'YOu can't just 90 over to
Harry Hopkins and tell him you
are going to start building Is
million hOmeS-give me some
men off the relief rolls" said a
high official Of one Of the Gov
eminent housing activities =.
"Harry's available workers are
so unskilIed they couldn't build
a house in q thousand years.
Many Of them don't know what
a house is by experience, unless
it be one of those ShackS they
build out Of tin and packing
boxes, and what we need is
trained. and experienced me
chanics and there are none
available"
It may be that this practical
fact is what has kept President
Roosevelt from making too many
promises about the forthcoming
Wagner Housing law by which
the Federal Government would
stand behind the cities in pro-
grams to clean up the SlumS and
build fine, clean, light, airy, we'll
heated, up to date homes. The
President has his heart set on q
national slum clearance program;
also a housing program which will
utilize capital as far as private
capital is interested. But with no
skilled building mechanics there
may be a Stacking off rather. than
an increase Of administrative IN
tereSt.
One reason why there are prac-
tically no available building me
chanics is the activities OF the
Federal Housing Administration
which has. stimulated $50 it IS
cIahned) three billion dollars
worth Of building and allied &C
tivities. FILA has actually insured
$1,1OO, 000,0 900 worth of house buy
ing negotiations, at a Government
cost of only $22, 000, 900. The build
ing stimulated by FILA has been
done by private capital exclusive
", and has absorbed so much c1
the available skilled labor that
there can scarcely be any great
expansion until more young men
are trained for building trades.
This may be done in the CCC
camp. It may be done by an ap-
peal to the nation or to the ma
tons trade unions. No appren-
tees are being taken into the
building trades-so Government
official chargeS-and none has
been taken into some OF these
crafts for some years.
There is a belief in certain ad'
ministrative quarters that the
President may do something to
cali attention to the fact that
white collar workers are having q
tough time of it-while the coun'
try's crying need is for great num-
bers of young men to go into
carpentry, bricklaying and allied
building trades. Too many col
lege degrees and too few carpen-
tiers seems to be the complaint.
Latest complaint about scarcity
Of building mechanics comes from
Alfred B. Swinerton, contractor,
of San Francisco, who tells the
FILA here:
"A tremendous building boom
has arrived On the Pacific coast
but there are now no mechanics
available. All are at work. The
demand may attract labor from
other fields, but 1t will take a
long time to catch up with the
demand"
The FILA emitted a cry for help
In this situation as long ago as
last July, pointing out an upSwing
in residence construction and the
dangers Of labor shortage.
Thoughtful contractors and 9TH
erS In the building industry were
saying at that time that a labor
shortage would soon cramp the
building boom-and these same
contractors are now saying: II
told you So" They were pointing
out that it is not alone the in
creased building but the fact that
there have been no apprentices,
no youngsters to pick up the
Ratchet and saw and learn the
trades. The average age Of car
penters right now, a Government
building expert says, is SO years.
Reports from every State indi-
cate the same situation. That in
cludes the District of Columbia,
where the FILA reports it harder
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