Evening star., 1940-10-28
WiNkie Housing Statement
Federal Subsidy Fovored, but Solution
Is Held to Lie With Industry
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
RENSSELAER,, Ind, Oct. 28-
Wendell L. Willkie issued the fol-
lowing statement yesterday in re-
sponse to an inquiry from group
of housing experts for his views on
the housing problem:
I am very glad to answer your
request for a statement giving my
position on housing.
AS I have travelled across this
country, I have been deeply i'm
pressed with the dilapidated appear
ance of the homes of millions of our
people, and the rundown condition
of large parts of our city areas. 1t
is absolutely essential to remedy
these conditions, both for economic
and social reasons.
Significant steps in the direction
of improved housing and land utlll-
Zation we're taken in 1881 by PreSi-
dent Hoover's conference on home
building and home ownership. The
New Deal has carried this movement
further by creating a number of
Government agencies to deal with
various aspects of the housing prob
lem.
For example, the H. o. L. c. was
created to ease the burden of mort
cages on homes threatened by the
depression. The F. H. A. was es-
tablished to insure lending institu-
tions against mortgage losses. The
U. S. H. A. came into being to lend
Federal assistance to low-rent
housing and slum clearance and to
aid in the creation of a network of
local agencies for this purpose.
New Deal Program Lags.
1t is widely recognized, however,
that the New Deal housing program
has begged down. This has been
due to a lack of franknesS on the
part of the New Deal in failing to
admit the real extent of Federal
slum clearance subsidies 1t has
been also due to faulty administra-
ton. Today 13 different uncorre-
lated agencies-F. w. A, U. S. H. A,
F. H. A., F. S. A, H. o. L. c., H. O.
l.. B., c. H. c., D. H. c., N. R. B. B.,
p. B. A., R. F. C. Mortgage, P. w. A.
and the building departments of the
Army and Navy procurement di-
visionS-compete with and even
fight each other-to the detriment
of housing as a whole.
The New Deal system generally
is paralyZed by maze Of red tape.
AS the result of duplication and poor
administration, costs have been ex-
cessive, to the detriment of the home
owner, tenant and general taxpayer.
One of the first tasks of the next
administration should be to study
and consider the housing situation
as a whole.
WILKES Attitude.
MY own attitude can be briefly
summarized as follows:
l. The stimulation of slum clear
ence. land-use planning and housing
is a Government function; but the
efforts of Government in this direc-
ton should always supplement and
stimulate private enterprise and
initiative, rather than encroach
upon it. AS I stated in my For
tune" article, before I became a
candidate, Government investment
in slum clearance might prove to be
as profitable both from the economic
and social standpointS as Govern
ment investments in good roads.
2. The 13 Government agencies
now dealing with housing and
planning matters should be cor
related, and the present conflict OF
functions and undue overlapping
removed. Our eventual goal should
be the establishment of consoli-
dated Federal housing agency, with
separate divisions for different func-
tions
8. Meanwhile, agencies such as
the F. H. A. and H. o. l.. c., which
provide or insure the financing Of
private housing, should be continued,
but their administration should be
thoroughly inspected and improved.
Likewise, those agencies, which pro-
vide loans and subsidies for public
housing projects such as the U. S.
H. A. and F. S. A. should be main
tanned: but their administration
must be improved and the Federal
subsidy for slum clearance frankly
recognized.
Must Be Solved by Industry.
4. The Federal Government has
a great opportunity to cooperate
with local authorities and private
enterprise in the rebuilding of our
cities and in undertaking far-reach-
ing neighborhood planning, such as
the New Deal has never under
taken.
S. Any housing program must
clearly define the respective respon-
sibilities of Federal, State and local
governments. 1t must not be the
purpose of any such program to
have the homes Of people owned or
operated from Washington or State
capitals.
6. Important as Is Government as
sistance, the housing program In