The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-06-07


The customary quick answer Il
these questions has up to now beer
that a tremendous building boom
Is inevitable. John B. Blandford, Jr.
National Housing Agency admins
traitor, foresees the need at from
100000 to 100000 new homes q
year. The old 'one-third Of a ma
ton ill-housed" line would call fol-
$4,000, 900 new or remodeled dwell
ing units to supplement the $4,000
900 now standing. Wonder-man
Henry ]. Kaiser sees housing as
something ito keep millions EN-
ployed for years." Irving w. Clark
of Westinghouse foresees the build
ing of million new houses year
for 10 years, plus moderniZation OF
all the 100000 dwellings now
standing. All wonderful, If true.
Lately, however, note Of realis-
tic caution has crept into this FAM
iliar jargon of optimism. The Ma
tional Association Of Real Estate
Boards has just completed sur
vey in 376 cities covering half the
urban population of the country
and come up with the rather alarm
ing prediction that the number Of
new dwellings which may actually
be built will average only 100000
units annually for the first 10 post
war years.
WHERE DID THEY ALL
LIVE BEFORE?
For proper perspective this dire
prophecy should be coupled with
other findings from the same survey
on the present housing shortage.
The local boards reported a short
age Of single family dwellings in 90
per cent of the communities, a
shortage of apartments In SO per
cent. In only 2 per cent and per
cent, respectively, were SURPRISES re-
ported. The total shortage is esti-
mated at eight houses and three
apartments-a total Of II units-per
100 population and the great puz-
zle Is where all these people now
wanting shelter lived before.
In war production centers this
housing shortage Is so acute that
there is now an imitation in values
Of urban homes and a resulting in
fiation In mortgage lending, accord
ing to John H. Fahey, commissioner
Of the Federal Home Loan Bank
Administration. This Is a boom
similar to that which developed in
the 1905 and which caused all the
mortgage foreclosures, etc., In the
1905. This Is definite danger
sign.
There are a number of other fac
tors which daub the postwar rain
bow with black. After the war, mil
lions Of people aren't going to be
able or want to live where they are
living and working now. No builder
or real estate operator would know
where to build tomorrow's dream
houses even If he could get the labor
and materials.
CAN'T BUILD FOR
UNKNOWN INCOMES
Further, wage incomes are higher
now than they may be after the war
and workers are able to pay higher
rents now than they could in the
1905. No real estate operator can
predict what income levels he
should build for.
There is an estimated full years
accumulated repair work to be done
on housing already standing before
any appreciable new construction
Is undertaken after the war. That is
a national, three-billion- dollar Job
In itself.
Finally, the house of tomorrow
has not yet been built, even on an
experimental basis. War restrictions
on the use of building material
have prevented that. 1t may take
several years to develop anything
like a mythical dream house with
all the gadgets Of full insulation, air
conditioning, plumbing, cooking and
refrigeration which the architects
have on their drawing boards. Some
practical real estate men are in
clined to debunk even this. They
think that people viii still continue
to want a conventional white cot!
tage with green shutters.