Evening star., 1944-04-12
Private Housing Here
Is Inferior 10 Public
Projects, Ih|der Says

housing prOduced by speculative
private builders here is inferior to
that of the National Capital Hous-
ing Authority, and if the same wages
were paid, the private building costs
might be slightly higher" than
those of the public agency, John
Ihlder, NCHA executive officer, today
told the Senate subcommittee inves-
tigating housing conditions here.
Mr.. 1hlder said that when hear
ings before the subcommittee began
last October he was ready to
assume that the private builders
actual construction costs might be
80 per cent under ours He re-
called that he had made the state
ment: Public housing necessarily
costs more than does private hous-
ing-it is subjected to legal and
other requirements from which pri-
vate housing is free"
The cost comparisons presented by
the private builders in an effort to
prove this point have caused him
to change his mind, however, Mr..
Ihlder sale.
Statement DeIeted.
SO today" he said, Il believe that
they cannot build as cheaply as I
theHght they could two months ago.
They have overplayed their hand"
Mr.. Ihlder's previous admission
that public housing necessarily
costs more than private housing"
was deleted yesterday from an ad-
vance statement that had been pre-
pared and distributed by A. j.
Haskell, chief of the agency's finance
and accounts division. At that time,
Mr.. Ihlder explained the deletion
from Mr.. Haskel's statement by say
ing that he wished to discuss the
question of comparative costs at a
later hearing before the subcommit-
tee.
Mr.. Ihlder said today that the evi-
dendce presented by the private
builders themselves shows that
they pay low wages yet charge
high rents"
Costs Compared.
Bernard E. Loshbough, assistant
In charge of the agency's planning
and construction, followed Mr.. Ihl-
der as a witness to present a de-
tailed analysis of the comparative
costs of private and public housing.
Mr.. Loshbough pointed out to the
subcommittee that while speculative
builders here generally pay "B"
wage scale to their labor, the NCHA
is required by law to pay "A" scale
wages, which he said, were an av-
erage of 17.08 per cent higher.
IT public housing costs are higher,
it is because of the difference in
wage scales or the fact that the
NCHA houses are better planned
and better built than the private
projects with which they have been
compared, Mr.. Loshbough con-
tended.
Both private and public housing,
ne pointed out, are built by private
contractors, using the facilities of
the same building industry.
Mr.. Loshbough specifically dis
cussed the cost comparisons pre-
sented to the subcommittee several
weeks ago by two private builders
Clarke Daniel and Preston E. Wire
AssaiIs Errors"
Mr.. Daniel made many incor-
rect statements" concerning the cost
and cost distribution on the NCHA's
Stoddert Dwellings and Benning
road houses and used numerous
figures that were at variance with
those supplied him by the NCHA.
Mr., Loshbough charged.
The NCHA official presented
lengthy reply to Mr.. Wire. who sew
eral weeks ago compared costs of
the NCHA's Parkside dwellings with
his own project at Eighteenth street
ano Benning road NE. Mr.. Wire
hao told the subcommittee that the
Parkside development could have
been built for 81 to Al per cent less
II private builders had done the
work.
Mr. Loshbough testified that the
Two projects are not comparable
Aii' al hoiut utVelOpnenL is 'Qe1-
nltely superior in quality, planning
and value" and includes almost 30
per cent more usable living space
he testified. He listed "at least 10
respects" in which the Parkside
project represents greater value
than Mr.. Wires development.
Builders Ask Priorities.
Today's hearings also were high
lighted by an announcement that
private builders have appealed to
the War Production Board for addi-
tlonal priorities for colored housing
here. James c. Wilkes, attorney for
the Washington Home Builders
Association, introduced a letter he
has written to WPB Chairman
Nelson pointing out the "extraordi-
nary need for additional loW-cost
housing for colored families here.
The letter assured Mr.. Nelson that
If additional priorities are granted
members of the Home Builders AS
sociation will take them up at once
and begin construction as soon as