Evening star., 1942-11-21
Realtors Voice
Concern Over
Post.WarEr
Shift From War
To Peace Economy
Seen as Problem
BY FRED H. MORHART, Jr,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT.

~S~>~
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Nov. 21.-As
2,657 delegates to the 35th annual
meeting OF the National Association
OF Real Estate Boards today began
departure for all sections Of the
country, they had mixed feelings
concerning postwar conditions.
Expanded industrial resources and
the construction OF new homes has
given them cause for worry as to
the future of the real estate market.
However, a number Of Government
officials during the war conference"
held here this week gave assurances
that in all probability there would
be no such market collapse as was
experienced after the last war.
One Of the major problems the
delegates are taking away from the
conference is how to shift from a
wartime economy to one of peace.
Also, many of the group were ask
ing the question as to methods of
peacetime reconstruction and ulti-
mate financial responsibility between
private operators and Federal agen-
cies in the building, loan and recon-
struction field.
Sees Need for Teamwork.
In an address last night before
the Institute of Real Estate Man
agement being held in connection
with the associations war confer
ence, Chester c. Davis, president of
the st. Louis Federal Reserve Bank
and former administrator of the old
Agricultural Adjustment Admins
tration, said despite an expected
$780, 900 100000 or more post war
public debt, if the war outlasts 1914,
there will remain the element of the
country's real wealth which will not
have been expended. This, he de-
clared. will keep the United States
from bankruptcy.
III We are to manage ourselves
even fairly well during the years of
threatened boom and depression
after the war, we are going to need
teamwork Of the highest order on
the part of the leaders OF private
industry, of labor and of national,
State and municipal government"
MIR. Davis stated.
Assurances Voiced.
The weeks war conference" de-
Veloped assurances that private
builders under priorities would be
able to secure limited amount of
materials for construction and re-
pair work. However, it was not
made clear by Federal officials who
addressed the meeting as to whether
they would receive equal priorities
for private construction as compared
with Federal building.
This long has been an issue, par
ticularly in Washington, between
private contractors and Federal Off
cials. Recently Government regula-
tions were relaxed to some extent,
but builders not only in the Ma
tional Capital, but throughout the
Nation have made an issue of this
point.
An attempt, which annually has
been made since 1925, to change the
bylaws Of the organization today
was tabled on objection from the
floor. The perennial problem has
been to find means of reconciling
conflicting membership requirements
of the 487 local boards to permit
NAREB's institutes to receive or
retain qualified members without
impairment of the privileges of local
boards.
Statement Of Policies.
The official convention group on
conclusion of the annual meeting
issued statement of policies which
declared "in general it is our judg-
ment that best results will be Sc
cured in the war effort by now
preserving, as far as may be con-
sistent with vigorous prosecution of
the war, those rights and freedoms
which we solemnly decided to pro-
tect by the sacrifice of great treas
ure and more, the blood of our
youth"
"At this juncture of affairs, Gov
ernment should avoid all enactments
not demonstrably necessary, espe-
cially those which restrict those
rights or will consume money and
needed manpower for their proper
administering.
Likewise should we realize to the
full every existing facility in the
Nation before establishing new