Evening star., 1936-04-19
WAGNER BILL DESIGNED
TO AID BUILDING TRADES
Measure Is Aimed at Creating Jobs
in Industry Hard Hit
by Depression.
by Depression.

puDllc housing OUT OF C1e category OF
relief and establishes a permanent
board to finance loans to local hous-
ing authorities.
But on the other hand, the exist
ing program is doing It's bit to relieve
employment. More than 10000 work.
men, who otherwise would be idle, are
working directly on these so Federal
housing sites. At the peak the num-
ber is expected to exceed $4,000. These
same projects are originating more
orders for building materials than
came from all private residential con-
struction in 1884 in the 257 leading
cities of the Nation, A. r. Clas, di-
rector of housing. reports.
More than $50,000,000 of the pro-
gram is going into the production and
fabrication of materials, giving addi-
tional employment to thousands of
factory hands. Another $4,000 900
will go into the pockets of workers
at the sites in the form of prevailing
union wages.
There can be no question that the
billions voted by Congress for public
works and work relief to prime the
pump of the heavy industries is re-
Sponsible for the fact that the Febru-
airy employment index for the durable
goods group was 74.5, according to
the Labor Department, which indi-
Gates that for every 1000 workers
employed in the index base period
G923-l925) there were 745 workers
employed last February.
Printing Construction.
BY the hundreds of millions money
poured into the durable goods for
materials with which to build roads,
dams, power plants, reclamation and
soil erosion projects. public buildings,
bridges, locomotives, rails, freight cars.
streamlined trains and even ships.
Most Of these millions went to
priming the construction industry
quite outside the field of low-cost
housing and slum clearance. Huge
orders perhaps saved the construction
and building industry from something
approaching total collapse in meeting
demands for common brick, wood. win
dow sashes, radiation. heating, plumb
ing. electrical fixtures, metal lath.
cement. paint, masonry plastering and
other items used in building.
Yet, admittedly, more must be done
to stimulate employment in the build
ing industry, especially in the field
of private dwelling construction, If
employment in the trades Is ever to
approach normal.
The Wagner bill seeks to accom-
plish this so far as cheap dwellings
are concerned by taking housing out
of the category of relief and estab-
fishing it on principles advocated by
Secretary Ickes months ago.
THE Government has pointed the
way and it is up to the municipali-
ties to join in the task" Ickes said in
a New York address.
"As I visualize the situation" he
added. there is one particular that
stands out clearly 1t is that the true
role of the Federal Government should
be to give financial and technical as
sistance to municipalities that want
housing and are willing and able to
assume responsibility for their share
of the financing and for initiation,
construction and operation of the prof.
ects. Only in this way can a truly
worthwhile housing program be as
sured for the Nation"
Sets Up Housing Authority.
This principle of financing housing
through loans to local housing author
tiles is recognized in the pending bill.
1t sets up. however. permanent and
independent United States Housing
Authority which would absorb and
take over the existing program of Sec
retary Ickes' housing division.
In brief. the United States Author
ity would be authorized to make grants
up to As per cent of the cost of the
projects to State and municipal hous-
ing authorities. Loans would run for
the next so years. Money from which
the loans would be made after the first
year would be secured from the sale Of
the authority's own bonds. bearing
211CSAC CoL az 11OI C11dA4 PCA SCAAt
and guaranteed as to interest and
principal by the Government.
Strictly Federal projects would be
undertaken to demonstrate only to
localities the benefits to be derived
from model housing.
Organized labor naturally. is solidly
behind the Wagner bill. 1t believes
half loaf is better than no loaf at
all, for labor would prefer the ex-
penditure of hundreds of millions
more than the bill authorizes. Sec
retary Ickes is for 1t, the p. w. A.
having written large portions of the
legislation. The separate entity Of
the bill, however, is matter which
Mr. Ickes has not discussed publicly.
While the board would be an inde.
pendent group, with the Secretary Of
the Interior a member ex-ofhcio, the
four other members would be ap-
pointed by the President.
Faces Fight in Congress.
Despite the urgent need for decent
homes for those too poor to help them
selves and despite the fact that new
housing program is intended also as
an incentive for private industry to
do its part, the measure faces a long,
hard road in Congress. For President
Roosevelt the chief question is whether
he would care to back a bill author
izing expenditure of $876,00O 900 for
housing at time when he is seeking
new taxes to pay the soldiers bonus
and finance $780, 100000 program
for additional work relief, the fate of
which is hanging in the balance.
Should the Wagner bill become a
law, however, its future path would
be lighted by the lamp of experience.
The early pioneering by P. w. A. in
low-cost housing makes it possible to