The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-03-17
UN-COvERING
WASHINGTON

white House Correspondent
(Reieased Through the Atlanta
Daily World nv NNPAl


Daily Wcrld nv ANPAl
S>~~~~~~~~~~~~~s~~
One sisni'.csn' thing las G'oNr
out az the Nea Boston. Tex hc.s-
Ing ,sseo. xcsu.trg from ne
switch of 200 url.s ~ vag housing
from Negro 20 white see pane,
In the pas, John r 3 -nGiogt
j.. administrator o. t1e Nstona
Housing Arency "a, told retsr.cn
ana vario organizations ths, he
rreFe-red not 90 he TOO ffr or ir-
ssicnt IN matters VIth.r INC Iurs-
oic'on az nc constituent ascnc cs
OF the MIA. He has iro a'od
that these agencies - The Foe al
Public Housing Authority. ard the
Federal Housing Ad7. n sira.or
have quaN autonomy despite
tier beng coD>:.t1erclcstof inc
MA. H-v is ,re overall policy
agency vhich o.,s no goS am
rIrc. deter ne ire need for
housing s"d ceuscS nays a. sup
plyiuE s.Cn need
Having performed those 'inc-
tons with rcsarc So NeV Ru-'on
ard turned over the construction
500, tho tenant selection Joo ana
the manager cr' job 10 mo FPHA
F.s7dfo.d vS0c uacN aN1 cXer-
elscd ms vspc,7 .s0rV position bN
Changing the predetermined 0,Cu-
pancy o. nc project FPH \ had
absolutely No;h.rs 10 do With the
change-over.
II marked a new era IN the
assumption Of responsibility by
the parent-agenCy
TT Is UNFAIR 70 ass re 'hai
Flandford N0l1 move lG'O the
province ~ one o. hl> agencies and
refrain from dong 50 With an
other, / IS reasonable 10 assume.
now. that something Can De eN-
recte6 o: MN beyond pleading and
FucgoSt on in the case Of the Fed
eral Haus M Administration True
there mas been some progress made
through his pleading and sugges-
ton but the fragrant discrIm-
insiory policies Of the FLA reed
20 be combsted with more than
pleas and suggestions Firm. de-
cisive action is called FOR
Last November. the NAACP adj
dressed memorandum 10 the
President OF the United States
complaining that the current opcr-
atoms Of the FLA programs I'D
discriminate against Negro appli-
cants. 90 promote racial .residen-
tial segregation; 30 prevent this
potentially effective agency from
making any significant contribu-
tion TO meeting the basic housing
needs OF Negroes; '4 run counter
20 the present trend Of judicial de-
cisions regarding racial restrictive
go contribute TO the
use Of racial tensions by restrie-,
ton OF living space and housing1
accommodations: t6) impair the
democratic process and our Good
Neighbor Policy"
THE MEMORANDUM, as in the
case of most complaints 10 the
White House. was referred, I'M
doubtedly. TO the Housing Off
Gals. Blandford, OF course. could
not have been unaware OF the ex-
iytence OF the FLA manual in
structions urging the use Of racial
restrictive covenants even before
seeing the memorandum.
Here Is his chance 10 exer-
else his overall supervisory ca
pacity again.
The FILA has been working on
q complete revision OF its Under
writing Manual for the past two
months There are reports that
the sections concerning restrictive
are being revised or de-
leted That's fine. and we hail
such action.
But il takes no genius TO realize
that a revision that gets no farther
than Washington office of FILA. or
which is distributed 10 the mort
gage. lending, and appraisal COM
panies throughout the country
without calling attention 10 the
change and backing up any new
policy, will be worth less than the
paper on which it is written.
BLANDFORD. who now may
realize or at least question whether
he Numbered, in the New Boston
case, can perhaps retrieve some of
the confidence and respect he lost
in the decision by exercising his
administrative reSponSl bility in
strai ghtening out FHA's muddled
racial policies.
His first move might we'll be the
regeneration OF the race relations
function in MS own agency, The
MIA ard then the Ins.s tence that
similar function be set up in the
FLA We recommend 10 him as
pattern the administrative posi-
ton and function ~ the race rela-
tons adviser in ne Federal Public
Housing Authority. where Or.
Frank Horne is !ntecra,ed INTO the
warp ard woof OF the agency by
his administrator, Philip Klutznick.
They work as team. and they get
things dope In the least disturb
ing way II IS their agency and
its predecessor which have earned
for Housing is favorable reputa-
ton among Negroes ana other lib
a~-f