Evening star., 1946-02-25
House Opens Debate
Today on Measure
To Stimulate Building
BY the Associated Press

The House was scheduled to
begin debate today on emer-
gency legislation to give the
Federal Government broad pow
ers to stimulate building in or
der to ease the acute housing
shortage, particularly for vet
Grams.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary OF
Commerce SCHNEIDER announced that
the Commerce Department was
planning to call in the best brains
in the construction industry" to
aid in mass attack on antiquateo
building codes and other obstacles
to the housing program.
Passage of the emergency housing
bill, approved by the House Bank
| ing Committee, was predicted for
midweek, after which it will go to
the Senate for approval. The legis-
lation, requested by President Tru-
man, would put price ceilings on
new homes, continue Government
ALLEGATIONS and priority authority to
channel scarce building materials
and give veterans preference for the
purchase or rental of homes.
Assemble Code Data.
AS rapidly as pending appropria-
tions are passed by Congress, Mr.
SCHNEIDER said in an interview, the
Commerce Department will assem-
BILE data on the country's 1000 vary
ing State and city building codes
Wen get the facts, we'll try to
whip up uniform code with the
help of industry and labor experts.
II think we can work out a code
pattern that can be used all over
the country, with local variations
for climatic and other factors-and
one that will combine building safety
with the use of new materials, time
saving methods and a minimum of
waste"
Mr.. SCHNEIDER, a st. Louis busi-
nessman who was the last little
cabinet" appointee of President
Roosevelt, said the program will be
pushed along with an assault on
"Wasteful' trade barriers generally
Should Cut Costs.
I'VE can lower the price of goods
and thereby help to build mass
consumption market while holding
the price line, if we set about cut
ting COSTS" he said
"One OF the terrifically costly ele-
ments in doing business is the sum
paid out under State tariffs for
goods crossing State lines, licensing
regulations, a dozen kinds of dis
elimination by one State or commu-
nifty against another.
Getting rid of that wasted cost is
better way of lowering prices than
by squeezing the manufacturers
profit to the hardship level"
AS typical of what he called the
ridiculous" nature of some local
building codes, Mr.. SCHNEIDER cited
the requirement of one Midwestern
city that houses have brick walls II
inches thick; other cities find eight
inches sufficient. Other cities pro-
hibit neW-type wallboards even when
they are cheaper and of Govern
ment-tested quality.
Hits Make-Work Pacts.
Restrictive agreements involving
building associations, building supply
dealers and local unions persist in
many places despite Justice Depart
ment efforts to outlaw them, Mr..
SCHNEIDER said. Make work" agree
ments-such as requirement that a
ready-wired lighting fixture may not
be installed until taken apart and
put together by local electrician
survive even though he said there is
no longer necessity to spread work
in the building industry. In some
cases retail dealers have boycotted
supply manufacturers who sell di-
rect to volume-builders.
AL these things add up to a
lot Of cost for the home-buyer, cost
for which he gets no more value .
the Commerce official said. The
modernization of codes is must"
Mr.. SCHNEIDER was sales manager
OF the Ralston Purina Co. for eight
years. He came to Washington
shortly after Pearl Harbor to be-
come chief of the consultant divi-
sion of Defense Plant Corp. and
administrative assistant to Jesse
Jones, then Secretary of Commerce
and head of the Federal loan
agency.