Evening star., 1936-06-13
WAYS TO IMPROVE
HOUSING OFFERED
Tentative Conclusions of
Study to Aid LoW-Income
Group Cited.

est or low income at lower cost is
an objective for which we should use
every effort. But such a program
cannot be compaSsed by legislation
alone, nor can it be realized solely
through great public expenditure, the
Committee on Housing of the Ma
tional Association of Real Estate
Boards points out in report made
to the Board of Directors of the as
sociation at their quarterly meeting
Just closed.
John McC. Mowbray, Baltimore, as
chairman of the committee, makes the
report, as follows:
Many forces must be called into
play and co-ordinated," the commit
tee, deeply sympathetic with the
employment of every effort to achieve
better housing for people of modest
or low income, states in setting forth
tentative conclusions as to the whole
national housing situation
Basis of Conclusions.
The conclusions are based on the
committees review of the following:
l. The numerous proposals made
with respect to housing involving
some form of Federal action or sub
sidy, many of which, it states, have
been impractical and impossible of
execution.
2. The number of agencies, bu-
reauS and departments of the Fed
eral Government, of which its report
lists some 40, now active in matters
directly affecting housing questions.
3. The present national total of
residential vacancies in relation to
present actual housing demand.
Authentic and impartial surveys
made by real estate boards in more
than 80 cities within the past three
round numbers over 100000 vacant
residential units among the 13,0O0,-
900 urban residential units which the
census figures report" the commit
tee states. while there is a grow
ing demand for housing, which is
resulting in some increased building,
this demand is no more than healthy
recovery from the utter stagnation
OF the past few years in the whole
Offers Conclusions.
"Your committee does not at this
time have simple, ready-made pro-
gram to set down on paper" the re-
port states. 1T is, however, willing
to offer the following tentative con-
clusions:
Il. That private enterprise and in
dustry is well able to take care of
any effective demand for new hous-
ing which may occur.
2. That direct building operations
by Government Of housing facilities
are wasteful and costly and should
be discontinued.
3. That good housing is to no small
extent dependent Upon good neighbor-
hood conditions and that plans for
rehabilitation, maintaining and de-
veloping neighborhood districts should
be pushed by our association and sup
ported by Government.
a. That the Federal Government
can best serve the cause of better
housing by establishing in the Depart
ment OF Commerce an adequate agency
Tor the collection and dissemination
of information on every phase of
financing, construction, research, de-
mand and land use. If such informa-
tion is collected and made available
the best ideas and methods will soon
assert themselves.
IS. That the tax burden on real
property is one of the direct causes
OF high costs of housing, amounting
for the Nation as a whole to approx
imately $500 per family per month,
and that one of the most direct Ways
in which Government can aid the
cause of low-coSt housing is to re-
move the present tax burden on shell
ter. This can be done through proper
coordination of the local, State and
Federal tax systems and is an under
taking in which the Federal Govern
ment can lead.
"6. That the National Association of |
Real Estate Boards lends encourage
ment to research efforts which look to |
the cutting of costs in construction |
and maintenance.
~. That members of the association |
be encouraged to enter the field of |
housing development The realtor, by
reason Of his experience, is familiar |
with what people need and desire in
housing and understands all of the |
elements which contribute to stability |
OF value, which is test of success"
Housing Authority Proposal.
The committee pointed out at Sen
ate hearings on the pending proposal
TO create United States Housing Au-
thority that existing agencies are so
numerous as to be confusing to the
average citizen and to the persons
engaged in the housing industry and
that it doubted the advisibality of
establishing any new agencies until
the activities and benefits of existing
agencies had been worked out.
In relation to proposed housing sub
sides for low-income groups the report
states:
AT the Senate hearing your COM
mittee expressed its opposition to any
plan of subsidies for specific projects.
1t is the belief of your committee,
based on observation of the subsidized
projects we already have and from
knowledge of experience in foreign
countries, that such subsidies do not
reach the poor. They benefit pri-
marily persons whose properties are
bought for housing purposes and those
who are engaged in construction.
Moreover, we believe that even if it
were possible to assemble poor fam
lilies in subsidized housing projects
st would represent an unwise social