The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-08


of making people Think
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER
| (Conyright 1915, by King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK-1t seems to be agreed that
the people of the United States need millions
of new houses, whether apartments IN tene-
ments or detached dwellings each on its own
plot That is one of the few propositions,
possibly the only one, which there is
unanimity.
It is bleak little patcn Of understanding
however, and surrounded by wilderness of
jealousy. suspicion and selfshness as we'll as
| practical problems.
We have the market, the materials the
human ability to produce these homes and
potential ability to pay for them to the ex-
tent that the American people might have in
the near future the best homes in the world.
Probably, Notwithstanding Franklin D. Roose-
velts catch-phrase about one-third of a
ton we are even now, to coin another of
| those theological God-aWfuls, the beSt-housed
nation on earth, Notwithstanding the dilapida-
ton of our living quarters since priorities
were imposed and the blind stampede to GER
tain unprepared areas of hundreds of thou
sands of heterogeneous people, including
many who were not quite house broken
However, much of the emergency wartime
'housing arranged in colonies around great
temporary industrial works such as shipyards
an airplane factories, is Jerry-bullt and
would be deserted soon after the defeat of the
japanese even if it were not due to come
apart anyway. 1t was slapped together and
wasn't intended to last and, in many cases,
the permanent communities in which these
projects were planted regard them as I'M
slightly blights and social threats.
So we have, in addition to the need for
housing in appropriate places where peace
time industry will offer reasonably steady
work a problem of relocating displaced peo-
pies in OR own country comparable in some
respects to the same problem in Europe.
Henry Kaiser recently breezed into a con-
ference on housing held in New York, waved
his arms in a few magic passes and
marked off the end of his tongue that he
had been studying this situation and that, as
soon as we can turn our energies to it, we
can start housing industry similar in its
helpful effect earnings employment and
convenience to the boom in the production
of automobiles after the first war.
But, and here Mr.. Kaiser stabbed finger
at sore spot without trying to find out what
make it hurt, costs would have to be re-
duced. Otherwise, obviously, the people for
whom it is intended to provide homes,
whether for sale or for rent, couldn't afford
them without subsidies provided in one guise
or another in which case the man who does
chase pays rent in an unsubsidized house
will be compelled to house not only his own
family but, to some extent, the families of
others.
When Thurman Arnold was assistant at
torney- general in charge of the antitrust di-
vision, his studies showed beyond argument
that one of the most important reasons why |
a carpenter, for example, couldn't own a
home was that, as carpenter employed in
building homes. he imposed wssteful and ex-
pensive rules and customs on the building |
industry. The carpenter would not handle cab
network, such as kitchen cabinets, which had
been put together in mass production al a
mill The electrician was in the same fix.
His union had convinced him that it was to
his advantage to shun hot cargo electrical
devices imported whole from factory in an
other city, even though they had been as
sembled by feoWmembers of his own Union
under union conditions. The painters rejected
materials which had been painted at the fac
tory and refused to handle some articles in
which panes of glass had been set by factory
labor the GLACIERS being union brothers of
the painters.
lection of prefabricated housing but that was
of building simply has not been developed to
an exaggerated complaint because this kind
a satisfactory extent as yet. 1t is a nice |
There was loud propaganda about the re-
idea but, actually, even if there had been no
At this point it is appropriate to touch up
the close conspiracies of the master plumbers
and electricians and the contractors in league
with them, who impose exorbitant and arbi-
trary charges and kickbacks the cost
of materials and even put through ordinances
and state laws Balkanizing villages and coun-
ties so that the privileged local magnates en-
| Joy monopolies on local business group of
four or five local plumbing contractors in a
village will persuade town council to pass
an exclusion act in the dark of the moon
which compels any contractor from over the
town line from taking job in their COM
ISmunity until he passes written examination |
and pays license fee of from $50 to $500. |
The local contractors are the examiners with
arbitrary power to funk the intruder in his
test, subject to appeal, and even If the
outsider might pass his test he must add to
the cost of the job the price of the fee and
the cost of days time devoted to the ex-
animation.
These, be it understood are not union men.
They employers and high-binders operat-
ing under an agreement with the manufac-
turers of plumbing materials who are in a
position to take reprisals on the outside bid
der if he makes himself obnoxious by ap- |
pealing to the courts. Anyway, he is not likely
| to make himself unpleasant because he usual
| ly enjoys similar monopolisic privilege in |
his own jurisdiction.
| All these artificial and unnecessary costs
| no in of of