Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-19
Building Official Asks
Private Construction
OF 1913 War HOUSING
Burns Says Projects
Would Be Cheaper,
Better Than Now

Claiming that private constructors
can DO the job quicker. cheaper and
better, Fritz Burns, president Of the
national Association Of Home Build
ers, declared today that whatever
war housing that should be built in
1898" should be left to private firms.
Writing in the current issue Of the
American Builder, he states:
The private builder can be i'm
piemented to do war housing far
better than any public agency. He
can do it with less materials and
more quickly than the cumbersome
procedures involved in any Job run
IN washington. He isn't asking for
subsidies: he isn't asking for cost
plus contracts. but for the oppor-
tuntty to build the greatest amount
OF decent war housing with the least
materials and with the minimum of
Government ownership and a mini
mum OF postwar repercussions."
Restrictions Hit.
But, Mr.. Burns pointed out. com.
petent builders are being killed Oh
like flies, needlessly and wsstefully.
BY the conditions which have been
put upon them in the vital lob Of
producing accommodations for war
workers. The horns Of the dilemma
Tor the private builder have been
the limited material allowed bv
WPB and FILA limitations A to thu
KIND OF house 1t will insure,
AS result Of uncertainty after
uncertainty. the very existence Of
one OF the greatest industries in the
country is being pinched out, un-
necessarily. at . time when II IL
vitality needed in the war Effort" he
declared.
why private building in the war
period Is preferable to public build
ing, and why every effort should be
made to give 1t conditions under
which 1t can work are given in tn.
following points by Mr.. Burns:
Lack OF monotony. The person.
an1ng and individualizins of pri-
vateiy owned homes through land
ecaplng, fencing and other exterior
aoornments, such as trellises. etc
Is a factor in keeping war workers
satisfied and productive.
Less Waste Claimed.
Less wastage in maintenance
dreater care taken of the home
which represents q private invest.
ment. ''''
Less likelihood Of ghost communi-
Ties. An Immigrant becomes per.
manently installed.
More efficient use OF priorities bv
private builders. In fact, the pri-
vate builders were much more sue
cessfuI In procuring materials than
pubic housing projects, which in
many localities were stymied until
aooitional priority ratings were
granted.
Better Public Response,
Greater public acceptance of nri-
vately built war houses. Priyat.
housing doesn't have to wait to All
up Local experience has been that
private war housing sells or Is rented
during the construction stage.
Quanf1ed occupants are already
waiting for houses for which the
builders are just pouring the foun-
dation. There are many public
housing projects throughout the
country that have large percentages
OF vacancies. These may be filled
because Of continued demand, but
they do not have spontaneous public
acceptance.
Privately built housing is less apt
to be wasteful or excessive beyond
the actual need in areas subject to
huctuating populations. 1t is metic-
ulously programmed and allocated
through MIA and is further screened
through the economic Judgment of
the lending institutions which must
provide the capital. Most important.
1t Is guided by the acutely keen
localized judgment OF the private
builder who contributes the enter
prise and the financial risk.