Evening star., 1937-09-20
BU|LDERS-UN|0NS
S[UM COLLISION
| CHARGEDBY |CKES
Tells ParIey High-Cost Con-
struction Is Demanded in
Many Instances.
BRINGS ABOUT DELAYS
IN PROJECTS, HE SAYS
Secretary Hints He Wants Gray,
P. W. A. Housing Chief, to
Direct Program.

secretary OF the lQU4llOI lCkcS,
limiting he wanted P. w. A. Housing
Chief Howard A. Gray to take charge
of the new $500, 100000 Federal hous-
ing act, today blamed collusion among
contractors. builders and labor unions
for much of the slow progress Of the
current low-cost slum clearance pro-
gram.
Ickes told so housing experts and
civic leaders summoned to q confer
ence this morning at the new In
terror Building:
"One Of our earliest problems In
administering the housing feature Of
the Public Works program was to
find a competent, qualified, expert
administrator. Now we have a going
concern which no one need apollo
giZe for"
Gray heads this going concern"
His principal rivals for the new Job
are John Ihlder, executive secretary
of Washington's Alley Dwelling Au-
thority, and Nathan Straus Of the
New York City Housing Authority.
Senator Wagner Of New York, CO..
author of the new housing law, today
is In Hyde Park, N. Y, pleading the
cause of Straus with the President.
High-Cost Construction.
1ckes told the conferees, who are
here for only one day, that 'in many
instances" progress In completing
housing projects was held up because
labor joined with contractors in de-
nanding high-oost construction.
The Secretary found two other
causes for slow progress OF his pro-
gram. Both OF them. he said, are
now eliminated. They were:
i. Finding . competent admin
htrator.
2. Inability during the early years
OF the program to obtain Land for
erection Of housing units.
A Federal district court and q CTR
court held that the Federal Govern
ment has no right to acquire land BY
condemnation for municipal housing
purposes, Enactment n 20 States of
housing acts solved the problem Of OBJ
tanning land, Ickes said. Twenty-Five
P. w. A. housing projects are now
complete and 23 others wiz b m
ished by January /.
The agenda Of the conference calls
for discussion Of these five points:
/. Creation Of local housing authori-
ties.
2. Income group to be served by the
program.
3. Type Of housing to be constructed
and statutory limitations on construc-
ton cost.
4. Elimination of slum dwellings.
5. Financial assistance from the
Federal authority and local contribu-
tions.
Although the conference was adj
vertised as "open to the public" the
press was barred from the meeting
on the ground Ickes feared "miscon-
struction" by newspaper men Of the
sessions proceedings. What went on
was reported by P. w. A. publicity
men.
|. Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, Mayor La
Guardia of New York, Secretary of
the Treasury Morgenthau, Senator
Wagner, Representative steagall, CO.
author OF the housing act; Chairman
John l.. Lewis of the Committee for
Industrial Organization, and President
William Green of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor were unable to at
tend. Most Of them sent representa-
tives.
Warning Is Given.
Before the conference opened, Har-
old S. Buttenheim, chairman of the
Citizens Housing Council Of New
York, issued this warning:
Two real dangers threaten . wise
local spending Of the $500, ZOO, 900
which Congress has appropriated Tor
public housing. These come from the
opportunist and perfectionist. We
must be wary Of the first, and fair
with the second.
Besides Buttenheim, those pres
ent were:
Ihlder, Gray, Charles J. Rush OF the
Washington Real Estate Board, Lang
don Post, president Of the American
Federation Of Housing Authorities,
Right Rev. Msgr. John A. Ryan Of the
National Welfare Conference, Miles
Colean, deputy administrator Of the
Federal Housing Administration; Fred
eric A. Delano, chairman of the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission; w. w. Alexander, chief
of the Farm Security Administration
John Fahey, chairman of the Federal
Home Loan Bank Board; Boris Shis-
kin of the American Federation Of
Labor, Henry Warrum, general coun-
sci of the United Mine Workers of
America; Henry Long, representing
Secretary Morgenthau, and Robert
Taylor of Chicago.