Evening star., 1942-07-11
WPB Branch Lists
Materials Banned
For Public Housing
Typical Violations
Included, Unit Warns;
Other Items Allowed

The Housing Priorities Branch Of
the War Production Board has
issued a list of strategic materials
which should not be used in public
housing projects and warns that the
list includes typical violations
which cannot be further tolerated"
However, it has been pointed out
that private builders may use any
materials available, provided they
can get them. Meanwhile, the Fed
eral Public Housing Authority en-
phasizes that "all items on the
critical materials list must be COM
pletely eliminated from all projects
and specifications must adhere
strictly to WPB limitations.
The list Of 43 typical materials
which may not be used in public
housing projects includes bathroom
and kitchen fixtures; plumbing,
heating and electrical equipment;
certain structural metals; galvaniz
ing, and various miscellaneous
items.
Noted were metal toilet and
shower partitions and supports,
metal soap dishes, curtain rods and
rings, metal medicine cabinets,
metal linoleum binders, metal
stands for ironing boards and metal
drainboards for laundry facilities.
All of these are listed as restrictions
on bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
Electrical Equipment Out.
In the plumbing, heating and
electrical equipment field the fol-
lowing have been ruled out: Corfu
gated metal pipes, brass strainers
and bell traps, valves containing
brass or bronze, metal steps,
brackets, pipes or hangers, copper
tubing, all brass cleanout plugs,
steel insulator pins, metal street
light poles and brackets, as we'll
as brass or bronze valve wrenches.
All plumbing, it was ordered,
should conform to the emergency
plumbing standards for defense
housing, while lighting fixtures
should conform to the list of critical
materials barred
Structurally, the following items
of metal must be eliminated: Foun-
dation vents. edging strips, grills,
guy guards, metal frames and angle
welded projected windows.
In the galvanizing field these
articles have been banned: Hard
ware except in places exposed to
salt water, anchor rods, eye bolts,
guy wire, boiler room conduits and
hot-dipped galvanizing except for
20 and 80 gallon hot-Water tanks.
Miscellaneous Items.
In the miscellaneous category are
zinc oxide and aluminium paints,
hardware cloth on screen doors, wire
clothes lines, metal cutters, metal
curtain rods and brackets except
on steel windows, metal curtain pole
sockets, f1agpoles, rails. pipes and
wires for fencing, and metal signs.
In addition to these listed limita-
tions, the quantity of nails has been
reduced to about so pounds per
room (2l6 pounds per 4.5-room
unit, metal covering far cellar
vents is to weigh only IL ounces per
square foot copper in site distribu-
IlOll llllcS Ia IlOW lcuuCcu w oO
pounds per dwelling unit and the
total allowance for all the copper
inside an average 4.5room dwelling
unit is 80 pounds.
Of this amount IA pounds is for
the entire electric system and is
pounds is for all other uses in=
cluding brass in plumbing fixtures
and household equipment. These
figures can be used for projects
having units with more or less
rooms If the average number of
rooms per unit does not exceed As.
A 6.5-room unit uses about three
pounds more copper lin electric
system than 3.5-room unit uses,
it was stated.