Evening star., 1939-05-16
9-Point Housing Test
Applied by 5traus al
Mayors Conference
U. S. H. A. Head
Declares Homes
Democracy Foundation
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 16.-Nathan
Straus, administrator Of the United
States Housing Authority, said to-
day that housing was among the
public issues that unite rather than
divide" adding that it combines
economic desirability with political
feasibility"
These two" he asserted in an
address prepared for the Ninth An
nual Conference of Mayors, must
be combined by practical people to
save democracy from the forces that
threaten it throughout the world"
Mr.. Straus offered what he termed
a nine-point test of the public hous-
ing program, based upon the stand
ards of permanence and progress,
and found it sound upon all counts.
Enumerates Tests.
These tests he thus stated:
Does the program contribute
to general business recovery? ."
In economic affairs, as home build
ing goes so goes the Nation.
Does a public low-rent housing
program conflict with, or fit into
Americas business system? I say
there is a perfect synchronization
between the two.
us the public housing program an
unsettling series of experiments, or
is it well-reasoned permanent
plan? ''' The U. S. H. A. does not
want to keep business on the Jump;
1t functions in such a way as to set
business at ease.
Should our economic system as
sumo the cost of the public loW-rent
housing program? 1t has be-
come customary, in talking about
costs, to shut ones eyes, stop ones
ears. and join trite chorus about
our children's rendezvous with debt.
I figure the net annual cost to
the Federal Government to be about
Sll5.50 per family rehoused. "''
Declared to Add to Wealth.
docs the program merely
use or distribute wealth, or does it
produce wealth as we'll? *'* Every
body is richer in a well-built nation
than in nation one third slums.
Does the program fit into
general city planning? 49, No less
than the home is the center of civili-
Zation, sound city plan for hous-
ing is the heart of a sound plan for
the city as whole.
Does the U. S. H. A. plan stress
local self-rule? Every U. S. H. A.
assisted project is locally conceived,
locally planned, locally financed, To-
cally constructed and locally op-
Grated.
rs the public low-rent housing
program non-partisan? Conclusive
ly so.
Does the - program strength
en- the democratic process? ="
Housing is an issue which can never
be separated from the peoples in
terest and participation ;" ="
Col Harrington Hits Critics.
Col. F. c. Harrington, Works Prog
ress administrator, said last night
the investigators of the congressional
committee checking on the w. P. A.
were entirely absorbed in hunting
things to criticize"
80 far as 1 can learn, not one
Of them has yet told the committee
anything about the accomplishments
of this program or the good it has
done the unemployed, he told the
mayors Small faults have been
magnifled and great virtues entirely
omitted"
Col. Harrington said that Of all
Senators who had opposed the w.
P. A., he could not think of one
who had notified him he did not
want any work relief in his State.
Opposes Dole.
Fundamentally we have to choose
between continuing our work pro-
gram along its present line and
abandoning it in favor of the dole"
he added. The latter would be a
mistake of the most unfortunate
kind"
He said there were 100000 w.
P. A. employees as of May 8 and
there was no intention of leveling
off Immediately to 1000, 0,000-the 12-
month average to be applied after
July.