Evening star., 1938-10-22
bU|LD|NGPARLEY
GNENPROCRAMT0
EASE OWNERSHIP
Conference to Explore Ills
in Construction Industry
Hears 5-Point Plan.
OPTIMISM is VOICED
AS SESSION ADJOURNS
Leaders in Several Fields Told
Checking Price Rises and
Facilitating Credit Needed.

Plans to help the tagging building
industry return to something ap-
preaching normal activity were dis
cussed at the two-day construction
. conference sponsored at the United
States Chamber of Commerce by
leaders of the industry from all over
the country, most of whom held an
optimistic outlook toward their busi-
ness. The conference closed yesterday.
Nationally known figures in the
fields of real estate, manufacture
OF building materials, and various
branches of the construction industry
attended the conference, and many
of them expressed their views as 10
whats wrong with the building in
dustry." The Governments slum
clearance and public works program
were both scored and praised. Means
of stimulating home building through
private initiative were discussed.
Point Plan Suggested.
William H. Evans, president. Build
ing Contractors Association of South
ern California, offered five-point
plan for stabilization of residential
construction. He suggested the fol-
lowing ideas:
!. Amendment of the National
Housing Act SO that it would be posi-
BILE for credit-worthy prospective home
owners to borrow the necessary down
payment from accredited lending 1nsti-
tutions or credit unions; such loans
to be made entirely on the credit Of
the person applying for the loan, with
out insurance under Title or II OF
the act.
2. Establishment of residential build
ing wage scales for labor, with an
approximate 20 per cent differential
below the scales now existing in the
various communities. These scales
should be adjusted up or down each
year in accordance with the Govern
ment's index on cost of living. This
would make possible. through the vol
ume produced in building, q larger
annual wage for labor and less cost
per unit to the public.
Would Check Price Rises.
3. Manufacturers of building mate
rails and fabricated equipment applied
Do home building should allow . prefer
entisl discount to home builders which
they necessarily pass on to the build
ing itself when used in building below
the $4,000 valuation limit Of the F.
H. A. Further, there should be no in
crease in the price structure, except
where it can be shown that it comes
from increased taxation, increased la
Dor cost or increased cost of doing
business. Their policy should be to
develop volume rather than price.
\ 4. The National Housing Act should
be amended so that the 80 per cent
clause will apply to the purchase OF
furniture as well as home; that a
separate chattel be taken on such
furniture, with payments to be amor
tized over a period of 10 years. This
would make possible the "streamlin-
Ing" of the home to compete with the
automobile industry.
S, The National Building Contrac-
tors Association as now set up should
be developed into unit serving ex-
clusively the residential and small
commercial branch of the construction
industry. This association should be
headed by general building contractors,
with adiliate members from the spe-
cialty trades, material houses and
lending institutions. With such an
association, the building contractor,
1See CONFERENCES page RAJ