Evening star., 1937-07-05
HOMESTEADS HELD
4S|NFUL WASTE" AS
BYRD MAPS FIGHT
Senator ReneWs Attack on
Projects, Believing Na-
tionaI Scandal Exists.
STARTLING DISCLOSURES
ARE PROMISED IN PROBE
Members of Congress Urged to
Visit TugWelltown for
Proof of Conditions.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

La
Tugwelltown and other homestead
projects under the Resettlement Ad-
ministration take first prize in Wantor
waste, even in this era when the lavish.
ness of public spending has dulled oul
consciousness to ordinary eXtrava.
gance," Senator Byrd, Democrat, OF
Virginia. charged today in a renewal
Of his criticism of the R. A.
Byrd, chairman of the Senate Re
organization Committee, announced
his determination to see that as much
as possible of the Federal funds be
saved by suspending the program
where construction has not actually
started. He will place before his COM
mittee this week what he terms start
ling figures, received from the Genera
Accounting Office.
When the true facts are known OF
the sinful and absurd waste in the
Resettlement Administrations home
stead projects throughout the country
the Virginian emphasized, the con-
dition existing will approach ma
tional scandal"
Finds High Costs.
Senator Byrd became interested In
this subject when squatters were
eVlcted from their cabins in Shenan-
doah National Park, and has been
aroused to determination to correct
this situation as one of the major
duties OF his committee He finds tha,
whereas the average value by Govern
ment statistics, of all the homes in
American cities is $500, there are
being erected hundreds of home-uits
on more than 200 projects costing the
Government from $4,000 to s2o,OOC
each.
IN his statement today he urged
that every member of Congress visit
IugWelltown, otherwise known as
Greenbelt, IN nearby Maryland, where
the houses are supposed to be oc-
cupled by people working in Wash
1ngton-to "see where more than Sl4.-
100000 of public money has been
spent.
The General Accounting Office has
just furnished me with official figures
OF cost at TugWelltown, or Greenbelt,' u
he said. This project comprises $50
units The cost per unit will be Sl6,-
1872, and perhaps more.
This is not farming project I.
is for city workers, yet the Govern
ment purchased l2,345 acres of land
for s1,1l9,937.79-a cost of S9o72 per
acre, an average of more than ID
acres per home. At TugWelltoWn,
s456,6 so was spent for landscaplng
Sl20,al9.8l for surveys and S198,-
850.17 for land preparation. For ad-
mlnistrative planning and deeds of
conveyance nearly half million dol
lars were spent. and for manage
ment," s50376.29; for land improve
ment and construction. s9,332, ,748.86;
for inspection" s34,9l722, and for
house furnishings, S5,909.35.'
Makes Comparisons.
Senator Byrd compared the Tug
velltown acreage, intended to be an
urban community, with other re-
settlement projects for farmers in
nearby Virginia, where the occupants
must make their living by farming,
and found they have approximately
the same acreage per unit-l0 to 20
acres each.
He also has scrutinized official fig
ures for the Jersey homestead project
at HightstoWn, N. j., where the cost
was S20,163 per unit for each of 200
units-a total of more than S4,000,000.
The administrative or overhead cost
Of the project, the Senator pointed
out, was reported to the general
accounting office as about 100000,
or nearly 40 per cent of the total ex-
penditures.
"It should be added that the cost
Of the Jersey homesteads includes a
garment factory on which sl27,136
has been expended and concrete
slab plant, which cost Sl93,000, -
Byrd said But even after these
items are deducted, the average per
unit cost in the Jersey homesteads
will exceed $4,000
Cites Other Figures.
Byrd also is prepared to lay before
his committee a breakdown of ex'
penditures on the Newport New!
homesteads, in Virginia, for occu.
pancy by colored people. The Gen
eral Accounting Office records show
per unit cost there of 1929 fol
1853 units There we're 465 acres pur
chased at cost of $59,850--an aver
age of s12869 per acre. The genera
administrative costs were $182,O15l5
management" S8,642.27, and "in
spection," s6,15337.
4 Byrd asks two pertinent questions
who will pay rental based OF
such excessive costs as these, whel
the actual value of the properties /
no more than third of the cost?
What emergency exists necessita
ting construction at Government ex
pense of homes at $4,000, where tn
average for all city homes in tn
whole United States is s4,400?"