Evening star., 1943-07-31
Big Saving Reported
In Critical Metals
For War HOUSING

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in use of critical metals as COM
pared with prewar levels have been
accomplished in the war housing
construction program through joint
cooperation of the Government and
the building industry, John B
Blandford, jr., administrator of the
National Housing Agency, said to-
day.
Studies recently completed by the
agency show that the average pri-
vately financed family dwelling unit
now being built under the war hous-
ing program consumes only 2,749
pounds Of critical metals, as COM
pared with $3.50 pounds of such
materials used in the average pre-
war dwelling unit, a reduction of GO
per cent, Mr.. Blandford reported.
These statistics include not only
i the metals used directly in house
building, but also the metals con-
sumed in products and equipment
installed In the housing and in re-
lated utility facilities, such as elec-
trio, gas, water and sewage connec-
tionS.
Publicity Financed Phase.
In the publicly financed phase OF
the war housing program, family
dwelling units of permanent type
built during the fiscal year ended
June 30, 1943, consumed an average
Of Att pounds of critical metals.
This was reduction of 72 per cent
from the 9,712 pounds used in the
average prewar publicly financed
family dwelling and of 40 per cent
from the 5,370 pounds consumed in
the average family dwelling built
with public funds in the preceding
fiscal year
Still greater savings have been ac-
complished in family units of tenn
porary construction, which Is now
used for substantially all the war
housing being built with Govern
ment funds. The average temporary
family unit uses only 1889 pounds of
critical metals, saving of 80 per
cent as compared with prewar public
housing of permanent type. Tenn
porary dwellings are built only as
duration housing and are scheduled
for dismantling after the end Of the
war emergency.
Accommodations for single war
workers, provided in dormitories of
temporary construction, require only
$50 pounds Of critical metals per
worker housed. -,-r.ssvesss s.s,..se,s :
New Housing Restricted.
Under the MAS war housing pro-
gramming policies. privately financ-
ed construction Is scheduled wher-
ever postwar demand for the hous-
ing Is reasonably likely and wherever
private builders can meet necessary
wartime requirements, Mr.. Bland
ford pointed out. As privately
financed war housing is. therefore
intended for long-term use, substi-
tutions for metal items cannot be
made on the same scale as In tenn
porary structures intended only for
wartime use, he said.
Because of the great wartime de-
mand upon the available supplies OF
critical materials, the National
Housing Agency authorizes new
housing only where it is urgently re-
quired for war production" Mr.
Blandford said. This policy means
that we have scheduled construc-
ton only to house essential in-mi-
grant war workers, and then only to
the extent that those workers can
not be adequately housed in exist
ing dwellings or through conversions
Of existing structures.
Over and above this policy, how
ever, the war effort has dictated
that even the most essential war
housing use absolutely minimum
amounts of the materials needed for
ships, planes, guns and tanks. The
MIA has therefore worked closely
with industry and with other gov
ernmental agencies to eliminate
every unessential use of metal in
housing construction and wherever
possible to develop substitutes for
tho r,,ncf rritioo1 ;foroe