Evening star., 1942-07-10
Order Freezing All
Construction Lumber
Extended 10 Aug. 13
10000 War Housing
Units Held Up by New
WPB Decree to Mills

WPB Decree to Mills
The o,der freezing stocks of con-
struction lumber will be extended
to August IS, the War Production
Board announced today, and at the
same time a spokesman in the
National Housing Agency declared
WPB reluctance to clear preference
ratings for material was delaying
completion Of 100000 Government
built var housing units In vital
areas the country over.
Between $4,000 and 10000 units,
in various stages OF construction,
are being held up by inability to
obtain lumber, while the start of
more than 100000 other houses was
being delayed by WPB slowness in
issuing priority preference ratings,
the off1cial declared. All the hous-
ing affected is to be built directly
by the Government through the
Federal Public Housing Authority.
Locally. John Ihlder. executive di-
rector of the Alley Dwelling Author
ity, said WPB delay in issuing re-
leases for lumber under the freez-
ing order and priority ratings for
other materials was holding up his
program.
Nine Projects Not Rated.
Ratings, through which materials
are obtained, have been received for
only three OF the dozen Washington
projects scheduled for months. Mr..
Ihlder said a contractor sold him
yesterday he could get lumber and
other materials If necessary orders
were forthcoming from WPB.
WPB on May Is froze for so days
all softwood construction lumber at
the larger mills. Excepted from the
order were the Army, Navy and
Maritime Commission. Action was
taken to allow those agencies to
build up stock Later it was an
nounced the freeze had been re-
laxed for vital housing. The order
would have expired within a few
days
Arthur T. Upson OF WPB's lumber
branch said the lumber situation
Is even more critical now than so
days ago. The demand for lumber
from essential sources still exceeds
the available supply and production.
Slow Since Pearl Harbor.
Word of the new and serious
obstruction in carrying out the Gov
ernment's war housing program fol-
lowed a Nationwide broadcast last
night during which Government
progress" in housing war workers
came in for much praise. In the
broadcast it was declared that the
Governments program includes
hundreds OF thousands OF dwelling
units, but 1t was noted that most
OF the housing was referred to as
programmed" or under construc-
tion," rather than completed. Ac-
tually, most of the occupied units
were finished before Pearl Harbor or
shortly thereafter. Progress since
then has been slow.
Chairman Donald M. Nelson said
during the broadcast that housing
Is essential to success in the war
effort. He added that material
would be made available although
private builders and Government
housers would have to be ingenious
In designing units due to shortage
OF certain materials.
William Green and Philip Muir
ray, heads of the AFL and CIO. also
spoke. They said labor would be
able to produce more war goods il
properly housed. Another speaker
was National Housing Administra.
tor John B. Blandford, jr., who said
IN effect housing would be produced
II materials were made available.
Contracts Let in May.
More than a month ago the Ma.
tlonal Housing Agency said that ir
May contracts were let for $4,000
war housing units, record figure
for a single month. An official sale
today that so far scarcely any o.
these units actually have beer
started.
The Housing official explained
that while Mr.. Nelson and other toI
WPB officials agreed that there
must be more housing for most ef
f1cient prosecution of the war, th'
men farther down the line in WPB
who actually issue the releases ant
priorities, feel the supply will no
permit building of ships, guns
planes and housing, too. These men
it was stated, regard housing as no
so essentialA
While 1t has been stated repeat
edly that WPB and Government
housing officials see "eye to eye OF
the housing question, it was sait
there has been relatively no chang
in the almost opposite views helt
by the two agencies.
War Housing Bad.
The housing official admitted tina
it was difficult to prove that bet
ter housing conditions in war area
would increase war production. H
said no worker was without shelte
of some kind, though conditions un
der which many live are bad.
| Private builders here apparentl
are not so hard hit as the Gov
ernment, though in other section
of the country they are having ex
treme difficulty.
|