Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-26
Housing Costs
Must Be Cut,
Farley Told
Reducing U. S. H. A.
Subsidy Figure
Seen Essential

demands for public aid from public
funds, Jacob Crane, assistant adj
ministrator of the United States
Housing Authority, told the National
Public Housing Conference at its
opening session today, the dollar
cost of subsidizing homes for low
income families must be reduced
to the lowest practicable figure"
Reduction of the subsidy cost,
which has been the chief criticism
against the Nationwide program
for rehouslng slum families Is re-
garded by the U. S. H. A., he said,
as the prime responsibility during
the next two years.
Chairmen of leading local housing
authorities and representatives of
many elements directly concerned
in the program attended the sixth
annual meeting of the conference
at the Willard Hotel, called pri-
marily to broaden the base" of the
public housing program. Problems
also were discussed at the morning
session by Chairman c. F. Palmer
of the Atlanta Housing Authority;
N. H. Disker, administrator of the
Louisville Housing Commission, and
Sam Howell, chairman of the Omaha
Housing Authority.
Duty to Conserve Funds.
1T is the duty of the U. S. H. A.
and local housing authorities to see
that the funds which Congress au-
thorized for annual subsidies are
very carefully conserved" Mr.. Crane
said.
AS the Nation achieves a better
balance in its social economy and
low incomes increase, he said, it is
certain that subsidies for public
housing will approach ever nearer to
the vanishing point. ITO accomplish
this is our long range objective he
added.
Our immediate objective is to
reduce the actual net cost of the
Federal subsidy to the range Of S.
to SO per family per month, and we
tthe local authorities and the U. S.
H. A. are doing exactly that these
days"
Other immediate detectives" of
the Federally aided program during
the next two years were enumerated
by Mr.. Crane as follows:
!. Simplification of the admins
trative system to give more complete
autonomy to local authorities in de-
signing, building and operating their
projects.
2. Indignation of each local hous-
Ing project with the plans for gen.
eral city rebuilding.
3. Advancement of the technique
Of housing design.
A. Increasing the knowledge of
project management.
5. Expansion of the present pro-
gram to include needed rural hous-
ing.
Warns Against "Frills."
Cooperative means for improv-
ing housing construction and de-
sign were discussed by Mr.. Palmer,
who is also vice president of the
National Association of Housing
officials. The Albanian warned
that the former slum- dweller, given
too much, lacks incentive to climb
above public housing.
I'm many projects we. furnish too
much in the way of frills," he said.
Furthermore, semi-luxuries will kill
housing, because our great group of
middle-class voters will rightly OPP
pose any movement which gives the
lower one-third conveniences those
who furnish the subsidies do not
have for themselves"
The administrator of the Louis
vile Housing Commission also
stressed the need of shelter with
out frills" and the restriction of the
public housing program to the in
come groups in greatest need. This
does not discount the need for bet
ter housing for the higher brack-
cts of the loW-income group he
explained.
He stressed the value to the
Louisville Commission of a compre-
hensive housing survey made in the
city, such survey as was attempted
in Washington. 1t provided such an
array of data bearing on the fam
lilies occupying the estimated $4,000
substandard dwellings in the city, he
said, that Louisville has been able
to plan 10-year housing program.
A note of warning that the Ma
ton wide program for rehousing
slum jewellers is falling short of ex-
pectations was sounded as the con-
ference opened.
THE programs now under way
In more than 100 cities are good, and
impressive indeed compared with
the zero activity of decade age"
the conference declared in state
ment. Measured by the peoples
need for slum clearance and re-
housing, they fall far short of the
100000 persons rehoused per year
set by the conference as goal, al
Its last annual meeting"
Program Limited.
The United States Housing Au-
thority, which is heading the drive
to wipe out the Nations slums, can
rehouse no more than 100000 low
income families under it's entire
present program which is limited
to loans of around $3.50 100000 tt
local housing authorities.
Miss Helen Aired. executive di
rector of the conference. opened
the program this morning and reae
a message from the president, Mrs
Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch, whit
is i'll in New York.
High lights of the conference will
be the dinner meeting tonight ant
a tea tomorrow afternoon at thu
White House, when Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt will greet the delegates
Speakers at the dinner include
Senator Wagner of New York ant
Representative Steagall of Alabama
authors of the United States Hous
ing Act and Administrator Nathan
Straus of the U. S H. A. Followini
their talks, tenants round abl
discussion will no 1oJ hv q miner