Imperial Valley press., 1942-01-30
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

WASHINGTON Ia. Com
?,e,c oycrl'Sa,.AL Of the govern
ment housing program may come
any DAY NV. The Kind OF over
Iauhng hoped for Is the kind
which the President ordered when
he named Danald VI Nelson head
Cf the now Wlr Production Board,
and Nelson eliminated OPM and
SPAB and other fIf,h wheel or
ganlz2tCMs. Federal housing or
sanitation mast be given the same
drastic OverhaUlinE right through
d dozen or more agencies.
There i nothing scandalous
about this housing situation
except the confusion. No graft
has been uncovered. The mess
existing is simply the conflict
as to what each Of these dozen
agencies is to do. The housing
problem has not been well pre-
Sentcd to Congress or to the
country ard all efforts to bring
int agreement the various
P-ints OF view of the several
housing agency chiefs have
been unlyailing, Housing, in
other words, has been built on
foundations of shifting sand
and righ; Al the edge of the
sea where every tide OF opinion
can do the most damage.
Taa general Interpretation of the
-.sS>'-ua. point Ct view is that
MCae i ne dsleHSe hoUSing should
be used as sam clearance. The
sentiment q CongreSs is to get
the government uVt Of the housing
business as rs ore II to private
real estate operators. Such houses
- - -1-eI...Utlt does build, Con-
cyo.S wants sd To whom isn't
specified. 1a. lie inference IS that
he h0U>e> 81 ulU Ge old ulti-
mata.y 10 ;he Hecp.e vino live in
thaM.
C..a..e. :. Palmer, deeense nous
in c. "j:..,.ta. "EoSe Ctlice should
zee >Ea,.N- 't:e "o.2H on THIS whole
yys-,an}. u presents lie point Of
view @. the established real estate
dealer. This y.oT j. Tat the gov
ernmeu- s:,calG build all the tenn
pocarE she,,e. 70" defense workers,
the t.,ASlCU.S. the p. risks. The
cream OF &c housing business,
hcweyer-t..c permanent houses, the
gcod r,ks--should under this
theory be lett 70 private capital.
Real estate people are sincerely
worried about what the effect CT
all this government housing will
have On tie really market in the
postwar peued. Realtors want
government competition eliminated.
TED ii W.-h this IS the poinc
Of view Of the Federal Housing Ad
r.lni.t.atIon under AbAer H. Fergu-
SON and i re related mortg9g-
in2 altIl.leS lie Home Loan Bank
Board and D=.eH,c = mes Corpor-
avon uuGar jesse Jone,'S Federal
Loan A-lAc" These agcncles ECld
mcY+-a-os aHG morJga9c insurance
al. 0fa.' jhc United states. II other
Gov5Yamo2- koueirg agencies so in
70 = community where FHA has
biz iaVe,-MC-. anG # these other
aleuc.@s 1a..d rcn housing, the
ya.ge CT The F1iA hc,din-e is threat
ened. T.a interest cf FLA. there
foe. inc.lncs toward seeing that
.here Is not TO much new govern
mrn. hCssirc built which would
compete with or impair the value
Ct FHA lCan7.
United states Housing Au-
thcrity. headed by Nathan
>traus until his recent resis-
natiGn. Was set lit originally for
.hc avowed purpose of building
slum clearance projects. Hav-
ing established an efficient or
ganization. CSHA was originally
given rcrt of the defense houS-
ing Job to administer. But with
Congress stonc-C0ld on SUM
clearance. there has been def
mite pressure 20 keep tSHA
from getting further assign
,1cnts. Per. % tnc trouble NAV
Iayp come frOn Administrator
S'raus', talking too much about
hcry JslI2 defense ,:SuSing pro
:ra.s would &c useful after the
war as slun8 clrAranc. projects.
Far. :. .al." admin ,gatl.G's
..-i-.t4- ~. .s.-4'N ~ 744'4itat ~
'hos. {. USfIA. FSA j, Interested
III l-.aI.g sl:a. ,lgE.s, bu' while
U:EA o.,fects are for ren'e:a.
r5A bids more win the idea
,a,, ~ occ4aan's vii uI,ima.c.j
1Ys der G@..l.iu-
Flaa. .ntorest IN ali this confus.,.
/. tae P.b..c Buildings Admlnl4'ra-
?! d. e.ce.t organization Of the !o,.
winch IT,. Tor ytara built al m"
asto:a,c- and other government
sUl4!A-. l. c%pcrIencc IL hGu,-
:.. g.1lcct = recent. but "lta .t-
cXcc.er, rreanlza'lon and c.re-
r!r.C.. /, H. able ~ build ahItal"-
.>. .zncd 20 II. P8A haa taad.c.
l..-t q 'no Army houajn- tffg"r'#,
c'.cr nan nr canfouIrl's ba-.'