The union times., 1946-12-21
Crisis Demands City-WideActiOn Committee Says
Central Labor Council Calls Representative Group To
 Meet On Jan. IA

llC 4NCW A1dVCll OClIIIdl La" Dor Councils special Committee on Housing, appointed last week by President Vincent ]. McGov- ern, today announced that it had adopted plans to call together a group of citizens, from all walks of life, to discuss methods where by a city-wide committee on housing might be established.
 The meeting will be held at the New Haven Labor Temple on Tuesday, January IA, at 8P. M.
 PEOPLE MUST ACT
 ''It is our belief," the announce- ment said, ''that there will be no basic progress in solving the acute housing shortage which exists here, as well as everywhere aIse, unless the people themselves take hand through their organizations. Some one in the community must take the lead, and we are glad to be the means of getting things started.
 Because this is not labOr's prob lem alone, we are asking represen- tatives of religious, veterans, and other civic groups to join with us in this important endeavOr."
 The committee is composed of Saul Kreas, chairman; Stanley Greising, Bernard Gilbride, John A. Johnson, and Nathan Sherman.
 TEXT OF LETTER
 Following is the text of the letter sent out by the Committee:
 ''The housing situation in New Haven and vicinity has reached a point where, in our opinion, the people must act. No real plans are being made to solve the problem. At the same time, certain interests are organizing to bring about the abolition of rent cOntrOE Under the guise of attempting to preserve free enterprise, they hope to block slum clearance and lOw-cOst public hOus- ing, so desperately needed in our city and elsewhere.
 ''The New Haven Central Labor Council, at its last meeting, taking cOgnizance of this situation, created a special committee on Housing. The committee has met, and believ- ing that this is a community prob lem, has decided to ask small group of people, active in all walks of life, to meet at the New Haven Labor Temple on Tuesday, January IA, at 8:OO PM, to discuss meth- Ods whereby city-wide committee on housing can be established.
 ''We earnestly hope you will att tend this meeting, and participate in this important community un- dertaking."
 MANY GROUPS
 In addition to representatives of the A.FL., C.IO., and Railroad Broth erhoods, those invited include Rev. John L. Gregory, executive secretary of the New Haven Council of Churches Rev. Edward J. Shea; Rabbi Edgar Siskin, Rev. C. Lawson Willard; Raymond Hayward, presi- dent of the New Haven Veterans Council; Robert Fleming, American Veterans Committee; Dr. J. Allen Hickerson; Dr. C. E. A. Winslow; Miss Elizabeth Fox, Visiting Nurse Association; Max Livingston, preSi- dent of the Council of Social Agen- cies Miss Dorothy Baker, New Ha- ven Family Service; the New Haven Consumers Co-Operative; Louis Fein- mark; and B. M. Petit, director ot the New Haven Housing Authority
 Decision to begin moving in the field of housing was made by the commit tee shortly after President Truman announced his ''houSing" policy, which was a great disappointment to all interested in a constructive Solu- tion to this problem.
 "HOVEL PROGRAM"
 The committee unanimously agreed that Truman's new housing policy ''isn't any program at all, but an invitation to a real estate bOOm-and-bust." They pointed to the fact that Housing Expediter Wilson Wyatt had been forced to resign, and that the Deputy HOus- ing Expediter, Norton Long, has also resigned because of disagree ment with Truman's policy. Long has predicted that the sweeping re- taxation of controls by Truman will mean $l5,OOO and $2O,OOO houses, hut few that a veteran can afford.
 There isn't a program any more, Long said. Of MT. Truman's twelve points, ten of them were taking things off. Nothing has been added"
 Tt seems to set pattern for a boom and bust The real estate peo- pie will take a flyer into high-priced houses and many builders will go in for stores, shops and amusement places"
 VETS OPPOSED
 A similar view as to home for vet erans came from Ray Sawyer, Ma