Evening star., 1943-08-07
245,9O0 War Worker
Housing Units Begun
In First Half Of 1943

Construction was started during
the first half of this year on 245, 900
housing units for war workers, with
$4,000 completed in June alone, John
B. Blandford, jr., national housing
administrator, reported today. This
compared with 248,435 units started
during the last six months of 1912,
In June 28,700 units were started,
the survey showed.
These totals included both pri-
vately financed and publicly financed
war housing built under local quotas
established by the National Housing
Agency on the basis Of labor migra-
ton data supplied by the War Man.
power Commission.
In the privately financed phase,
construction of $4,000 family dwell
ing units was completed during
June, and 15,700 additional units
were started. In the first half OF
the year private builders completed
1890 family units and started
73,500, while 80,495 were under con-
struction on June 30. In the last
six months OF 1912 total of SO, ,750
privately financed units was COM
pleted and $500 were started.
The privately financed units start
ed during the first half of l943 rep
resented 86 per cent of the $500
dwelling units which the Bureau OF
Labor Statistics estimated were
started by private builders in all
nonfarm areas between January l
and June 30. The balance of the
units started represented either
small houses having cost OF less
than 5000 a unit, which. therefore
did not require priority assistance,
or nonwar housing for which per-
mission to build was granted in Or
der to provide requirements for
units destroyed by fire, wind or
floods or to provide new accommoda-
tions in extreme hardship cases.
BY June 80 242,600 privately
financed family units had been COM
pleted under MIA local quotas and
with WPB priorities assistance in
purchase of necessary materials.
There were in addition to consid-
cradle volume of private units serv-
ing war housing needs which were
built in critical areas without pri-
critics assistance during the earlier
phase of the war production pro-
gram, he said.
Under MIA policies, privately
financed construction is scheduled
If the need Is for family units for
which a postwar demand is reason
ably likely and If the priavte build
ers can meet necessary wartime re-
strictions. More than IS per cent Of
private war housing is financed un-
der mortgage insurance written by
the Federal Housing Administration,
one of the operating units of the
MIA.
Trailers in Program.
Under the publicly financed phase
of the program, which now consists
almost exclusively Of temporary
construction, a total of $1,000 units
were completed in June, and ap-
$4,000 more were put
under construction during the
month.
In the first half of the year 21o.-
200 publicly financed units were
including 129, 200 family
units, sc, 100 dormitory units and
II, 800 trailers, as well as 1,l00 fam
lily units converted by the Home
Owners Loan Corp, In the same
period 172,4o0 units were put under
construction, including 1l5,70o fam
lily units, $1,000 dormitory units,
l6, TOO trailers and 5000 family units
In HOLC conversions.
In the last six months Of 1912 a
total of 89,498 publicly financed war
units of all types were COM
pleted and 159,545 were started.
Since July /, 1910, a total Of
42S, ,309, publicly financed war hous-
Ing units have been completed. in
cluding 295.643 family dwellings,
los, ,429 dormitory units, 26,616 trail
ers and 1,121 converted family units.