Evening star., 1941-01-04
Build Now and He|p
Avoid Defense Jam,
Housing Board Urges
Shortage of Facilities
Hompered War Effort
Before, Report Says

American cities can help to meet
the housing needs of the national
oetenSe program by pushing con-
srtuctl0n now under way and pro-
Vldlng means to make the fullest
possible use of existing housing ia
clhtles. Useful measures might in
clude repair and modernization Of
older structures, registry of vacant
rooms and houses and extension and
improvement of transportation sys-
TENS.
These are among recommended
tions of the Committee on Housing
OF the Twentieth Century Fund,
made in a special research report.
Advance portions of the report,
which the fund hopes to have COM
pleted in about 10 days, were made
public today.
The committee warn that hous-
Ing shortages seriously hampered
Americas war effort in 1918 and
pointed TO the same dangers con-
fronting the defense program today.
The research report said, 1T is i'm
pOrtant that current residential con-
struction be encouraged and hous-
ing needs anticipated SO communi-
ties can face new conditions with
as full inventories as possible. This
IS just as true of communities re-
moved from defense activity as for
those involved in it. All needed
housing wherever located. that can
be produced now removes some of
the strain in terms of demand for
labor and materials which is almost
certain to come later"
Basic Recommendations.
For cities and towns directly af-
fccted by armament activities the
committee sets forth the basic rec
ommendation that the communities
do their utmost TO use the houses.
neighborhoods and services they now
have before extensions of services
and facilities are made or before
new communities are established.
Such policy would insure the full
est possible use of existing resources
in Government. education, fire and
police protection. streets, utilities,
transportation systems and the like
before going on to extensions or new
construction"
In outlining specific policies for
communities in areas of defense &C
tivity, the committee urges four
main steps:
a. The establishment Of regis
try service for vacant dwellings and
for vacant rooms through the serv-
Ices of public and private local
agencies.
b. Local campaigns. through the
same media. to encourage house
holders to make vacant rooms avail
able.
c. Repair and conversion cam
paigns, utilizing facilities of Fed
eral agencies. local lending institu-
tions and municipal building de-
partments in co-ordinated en-
deavor
d. stimulation of the development
of additional transit facilities to
assure that full advantage may be
taken of the widest possible COM
muting area.
Law Changes Likely.
The Funds Housing Committee
said that local agencies and local
committees should be made use OF
in these steps, and pointed out that
notifications of present laws may
be necessary in some communities.
The committee recommended that
lano1
cies may promote efficient use Of
community resources by:
a. Revising zoning ordinances to
make available, exclusively for
housing, surplus lands now deSlg-
mated, but not required, for COM
mercial and industrial use.
b. Instituting means for quieting
tax titles and for liberalizing the
powers of municipalities to acquire,
lease, or dispose of lands; and for
reassembling parcels in dormant or
abandoned subdivisions.
c. Developing land control or reg
ulations to facilitate the develop
ment of stable neighborhoods of
low-cost dwellings.
To hasten local action on these
matters and to stimulate use of the
most advanced methods. the COM
mittee further recommended that
the Federal Government make
available models for legislation and
regulation in the above fields.
The report pointed out that one
of the knottiest problems connected
with defense housing is the ques-
ton of rent control The research
staff, headed by Miles L. Colean,
said that, During the last war,
sharp rental increases created seri-