Detroit evening times., 1945-12-05
FAIR
ENOUGH
Westbrook
PeqIer
NAJ. GEN. PHILIP Z. FLEN'

H60l6r
NAJ. GEN. PHILIP r. FLEM'
Nl ING of the corps OF engl-
neers. AS administrator OF the
Federal Works Administration.
naturally has collidcd with some
of the dirty rackclS imposed on
builders. renters and buyers OF
living quarters IN most OF our
cities and towns, by manuiac-
turerS of such materials AS
plumbing and electrical equip
ment, wallpaper, hardware and
saSheS and doors
A crooked and predatory COM
bination was contrived years ago
by which many of them joined
their own regional dealers,
plumbing and electrical ContraC-
tors, parasitic unloneers and
state and local officials and
legislators TO rob the people IN
many ways
They robbed them as renters
and buyers of homes and agalp
as tax payers by eXhorbltant.
arbitrary mark-upS IN prices Of
material by colluSlve bidding
controlled by monopolIes and by
absurdly wasteful requirements
IN both public and private con-
StructlOn.
THESE facts should touch Off
Il the fury Of every American
because the racket wringS
tribute from most Of our
housing
Gen Fleming has been fight
ing some Of the building codes
without much success.
But If people VINO are now
doubling up and paying OUT
raGeouS rents IN little apart
mentS would get mad enough
at the right people they could
get results
The racketeerS have been
alerted as the Pearl Harbor
largon has n. 10 bend their
blacklackS over your head the
minute the present rush of
commercial construction ends
BOUT 1s months ago Cen.
"A Fleming made a speech 10
a conference of building officials
IN Boston about The building
codes and the lootng, although
ne didn't Use that word which
! titt-St-- rnf1e-=tt45+ -ts,~siD and
the tribute which they made
compulsory
This would he "A good time"
he SAID Ito re- examine our
state and local building codes
To see whether they still rest
upon a logical basis or merely
reflect aCCretions nf rules and
regulations imposed AT the in
stance Of various pressure
groups"
That Is bureaucratic language
II means that the crooks showed
these things through 50 that
they could feast like CannibaIs
on their fellow citizens.
TACkLlNG the same raCNcis
Il again. Gen Fleming wrote 4
piece for publication. again n
the bureaucratic lingo which
cuts the throat nf an ide---o
that n can't make itself heard
He sand the local building
code o>tonSIbly framed 20 pro-
tect life, health and property.
has been used in all too many
instances 10 accomplish eN-
traneous purposes"
ENtraneouS purposes no.
gan They had been used ~
permit thieves 10 rob the peo-
pie. That was The cNtraneouS
purpose and that has been tho
effect and so II VIII be again
when the kid from Guadalcanal
or AnZlo goes 10 rent an apart
ment or house or build a little
bower for himself These crooks
viii cut his heart out
In many eases" Phil said
"it has been framed Ia make
jobs for one group of building
craftsmen at the expense ~
some other group. 90 Increase
the use Of certain types of ma
terial nj the expense Of manu-
facturerS Of other types which
NAV he equally good or even
superior. These codes. for good
or Ill. are going tO have very
considerable hearing on the fu-
ture of the construction indus
try"
MAYBE YOU don't know that
4'I tho crooks in tho Comhina-
tlonS. who manufacture plumb
inC. foroeNample, won't sell YOU
sink or 4 goosoncck for tho
house YOU are building Nope.
old soldier YOU have 10 90 20
their dealer and he will belt
YOU just % per cent moro than
they charged him oven though
he is not CARVING the article in
stock and II IS delivered direct
10 YOU from the manufacturer
The wallpaper thief won't sell
10 YOU direct either You have
70 get a card from paper