The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-18
BY S. BURTON HEATH NEA Staff Correspondent

The pace of home building for a nation of home-hungry veterans has been faltering badly ever since peace returned. It is tagging even more sadly now because of acute material shortages. And it threatens to come to virtual halt as many of the best builders talk about laying aside their hammers and saws and trying to forget the whole miserable business.
 A survey of key cities by NEA Service shows home construction far behind schedule in every one of the, despite apparently strenuous efforts to build the millions of new houses and apartments that are desperately needed.
 The National Housing Agency reports that at the end of July the nation had passed the halfway mark both in starting veteran hous- ing and in finishing the quo taS set for completion in 1946. At that time, the agency says in & re- cent summary, GOT ,000 new conven- tional permanent dwelling units had been started out of 100000 called for by the emergency program, and 900 had been completed out of 738,000 called for by the schedules. These exclude conversions, trailers and prefabricated units.
 Return from survey of typical major cities are much less optimis- tic. They tell of delays attributable largely to shortages of vital mater ials, to high and uncomfortable costs, of active black markets. They report that many of the most ex- perienced competent builders are disgusted and are talking of either Suspending operations temporarily or, in some instances, of retiring completely.
 A TURTLES PACE
 Here are the conditions report ed from some larger cities where housing conditions require the con- Struction of a maximum of housing as quickly as possible:
 Boston-Production far behind plans. Home Builders Association estimates that a typical builder who got priorities last March for 100 vet d1lo 1IOUoSo NOU1O 1ldNC opdl GCA DC- tween 50 and 50 by this time and have not more than 10 completed and occupied.
 New YOrk-Far behind schedules. Long Island builders are generally reputed to be the nations most ef- ficient. They are geared to erect more than 10000 houses this year, and in the pre-war competitive market proved able to put up from 16 to 10000 year. Right now they have only 5000 under way Nassau County builders who obtained prior ities for 5000 veterans houses have started only 2000 and completed only 150. Of about 1000 larger homes begun last year, before the federal program was formulated, only about 750 are completed even now. The same condition is re- ported from throughout the met ropolitan area in New York, lower Connecticut and suburban New Jer- sey.
 Cleveland - Construction is lag ging far behind plans. The local unit of the National Association of Home Builders says that it now is taking from nine to 12 months to complete a house that should re- quire from three to six months. A canvass of the groups 151 members has brought replies from 81. Of these 62 have started 446 houses since Jan. Is, and on Aug. l had completed none. In the next 10 days 19 were completed. It is es- timated that of 250O begun in the Cleveland area this year only about 300 have been finished thus far.
 Chicago - Production schedules are tagging throughout the metro oplitan area. Some 19000 priorities