Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1938-03-09
$168,445,00O
Is Available
In Slun Work
Money Will Be Loan
ed by Government
From $50O,O0O,O 900
Housing Fund

Washington, March 9-Funds total
ing $168,445,O 900 have been set aside by
the United States Housing Authority
for SO of the nations cities - hooin
clearance of Their s'urs ana hl@htad
areas and to start construction of no,v
homes for families in the lowest in
come groups, official figures revealed
| 'odav.
The money will be loaned to local
communities from the S5OO000003
fund authorized by the Wagner-Ston-
| gall Housing Act of 1897. and obtain
/ eel through the sale of United States
Housing Authority bonds " the
Treasury Department.
The loans return per cent interest
I and are repayabla over sixty-year pc
| Rod. The only actual burden on the
! Taxpayers in this great drive to wipe
out the nations slums is small annual
| contributions made by Federal and
| local governments to achieve and
| maintain rentals in the new homes
! low enough for sium jewellers wiz
small incomes.
Eagerness of cities to participate
! in the governments slum-clearance
| program is evidenced by the Fact that
when Nathan Straus became Admin
| stretor of the United States HouSinE
| Authority last November, only f8 cities
in IS states had properly constituted
local housing authorities. AT the pres
ent time local housing authorities
have been established in 104 cOnamuni-
les in % states.
When the Waener-Steagall Housing
Bill was hafore the Congress last sum-
mer, it was generally believed that
the large cities would be the principal
beneficiaries. Congested metropolitan
slums have been famous for a genera
ton, but there were few small cities
and towns which had tegun seriously
to look into their housing problem
Now the picture is quite different
A large and rapidly growing number
| of smaller cities have already estab
| lished active housing authorities In
most cases, these authorities have the
enthusiastic support of the city gov
eminent, and local organizations and
and citizens groups, from bankers
and business men to labor unions and
welfare workers.
Local housing Authorities in tbs
small towns have analysed their needs
intelligently and are working up their
projects efficiently. In general, they
are credited in a large measure with
keeping the United States Housing
Authority on its toes.
Mr. Straus is convinced that low
rent housing and sluni-clearance de
velopments in small American towns
and cities will go far in achieving ma
tion-wide success for the program.
Of the so cities for which funds have
been earmarked by. the United States
Housing Authorities, % have popula-
ton less than 100000
Typical of the smaller cities for
which earmarkings have been mad
are Temple, Texas, population 49,,
OO0); Frankfort, KY. population 12,-
OOO) and Decatur, Ind, population
$4,000. All the cities for which funds
have been earmarked are moving
rapidly toward completion of final
plans for getting their construction
programs Under way, Mr.. Straus as
serted.
More than half of the applications
submitted by local authorities are for
reconstruction projects to be built on
the site of the old slums. In some in
stances, where local authorities deem
it less costly and more feasible to
place new buildings on nearby vacant
land, they are pledged to eliminate
slum dwellings elsewhere, equivalent
| in number to the new units to be con-
structed. In few cases, where there
is a very serious housing shortage,
the elimination of slums will be post
poned.