Evening star., 1936-08-31
RY WILLIAM C. McCLOY.

No question before the American
people today is discussed with more
heat and less light than the Govern
ment housing projects.
While one section insists the pro-
rram doesn't go far enough, another
argues that the plan Is demagoglc
competition with private enterprise
. and should never have been started
at all. -,
But, in between, is third section
the unprejudiced, open-minded men
and women who seek facts instead OF
slogans and battle cries. Who want
to know lust what sort of houses are
being built, the reasons for bullolng
them. and whether they will be Wortn
to the community all the money the
Government is putting into them.
To get the facts at first hand, this
writer visited the various projects. 1
had talks with national leaders OF the
movement In Washington. / traveleo
several thousand miles, North, Soutn'
Fast and West, and inspected many
projects.
Falls in Two Divisions.
The housing problem falls Sharply
into two divisions-urban and rural
A. nresent the Public Works Admins
tration is dealing with the urban
housing problem OF n projects Ior
clearing and rebuilding slum areas
and % low-rent housing prolects IN
urban areas hitherto vacant-5O prof.
ects in all. situated in 35 American
cities and 2 island possessions, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin ISLANDS. IL Is
also financing projects organized oy
companies whose dividends are Inn
ited. so the apartments they oullo can
be rented at a rate accessible TO low
income groups.
The rural housing problem Is IN
the hands of the Resettlement Ao-
ninistration. It is building three
suburban resettlements or "greenbelt
towns" modelled on the English gar
den cities, such as LetchWorth ana
Welwyn. 1t has under construction
81 rural resettlements, on subsistence
homestead towns"
In addition to these national low
rent housing projects there is first
houses" in New York-an example OF
a m-clearance project built by a
city housing authority, while a Fed
eral agency, the Works Progress Ad-
ministration, supplied workers and
materials.
On the P. w. A. program I found
the seven limited dividend develop
ments completed, and also one OF the
SO other projects, fleetwood Homes.
Atlanta, Ga, with 81 in process OF
construction and IL sites being cleared.
On the r. A. program, the three
"greenbelt towns" are nearing COM
pletion and rs Of the 81 rural re-
settlements-some of the latter are
already partially settled.
Uncle Sam Is Landlord.
The New York City project, first
houses" was finished this Summer
and Is now occupied. In cities like
Atlanta and Chicago, where there
are no local housing authorities, Uncle
Sam is landlord in full, controlling
and managing the project, at least
until his loan is repaid or his response
bility is relieved by the creation OF
a city housing authority. In New
York, Cleveland. CINCINNATI and
Syracuse, where there are city housing
authorities. the Government makes
over the title of its projects to them
on completion. retaining only flnan-
cial interest. Nearly all projects are
scheduled to be finished in 1887.
How much the calls for aid in the
drought areas will affect this pro-
gram cannot be foreSeen. The Re-
settlement Administration has been
directed not to "resettle" any more
families at this time. The officials fear
they may have to assume some Of the
w. P. A. problems, since the only
practical medium of drought relief will
be in the form of Federal cash grants,
which the r. A. alone Is authorized
to make.
Vast Scale Impressive.
The thing that impressed me most
In my investigation was the vast
scale Of this great double drive to
clear away slums and to provide ade-