The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-07
BEHIND THE SCENES WASHINGTON
Housing Bills Held Up While
 Treasury Heads
 Make Up Mind,
gV ROONEY 0UTcHER-i Democrat Washington
 Correspondent

NAuNN OP NAAAAuS Washington, June 7-The New Deal has spent $200,000000 on its experiments with housing.
 Much of this money will be re- turned.
 But you would think that by this time it might have evolved some sort of a policy under which to proceed in accordance with the presidents promise to do something about the third of the population which he has often said is "ill- housed"
 Housing legislation is still stalled. It is stalled while Chair man Henry Steagall of the house banking currency committee, waits for the president to make up his mind, and while Roosevelt waits for Secretary of the Treas ury Morgenthau to make up his.
 Among those supporting the Wag- ner bill are officials of PWA and Resettlement Administration, who are in position to profit by their avn errors; Federal housing admin istration, HOLC, the A. F. of L., the c. I. O., the National ASSocla- ton of Housing Officials, and the new American Federation of Hous- ing Authorities.
 New Bill Cooked Up
 But Morgenthau's men recently disregarded all that and cooked up a bill involving capital grants, fed eral subsidy in the form Of relief labor, and a transfer of most of the rest of the cost to municipalities. In effect this went back to the PWA housing system, which has been shown to be incapable ot reaching the low income groups for which federal housing, efforts SUD- posedly are aimed. Local housing officials summoned to comment on the treasury bill promised that 1t would result in no housing at all, The treasury still frets.
 Chairman Hugo Black of the senate education and labor com mittee, will probably report out the Wagner bill soon. But the Steegall committee hasn't even had hearings. The Wagner bill calls for a billion dollars in fed cral constructions loans to local hsusing authorities in the next four years and $50,0OO,000 in rem tai subsidies. Senator Wagner says it would provide decent hOus- ing for families with incomes of b,stween S7OO to 5000 annually, and that by keeping within that low range it would both help tkose who need housing most and avoid competing with private real estate interests.
 Twenty-eight states with 70 per cent of the population have now passed public housing authority laws and are all geared up for action under the Wagner bill.
 est HoealnTEranfand
 60 Per Cent on Relief
 Here in Washington is the Hop kins Place development, created by the local Alley Dwelling Author ity. Housing experts agree it has done a fine job in building cheap dwellings. But rents are about S1 a room, or $28 month and $338 a year which means the project Is suitable for families with incomes of about $500 The project is not subsidized.
 John Ihlder, executive officer of the authority, says that this rep resents an economic rent" and that "if the earned income of family is not adequate to pay an economic rent, that family should be aided by relief agency"
 The interesting angle to that is the fact that the median income of urban families is $1272. Which means, under finders reasoning, that 60 per cent of city families should be on relief.
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