Laurel outlook., 1946-10-30
Fears Housing
May Get Worse
Not Until Turn Of Year Will
Demand Begin to Level
Off. Says Wyatt.

WASHINGTON. - The housing
shortage will get worse, not bet.
ter, this winter, warns Housing Elk
pediter Wilson w. Wyatt. He said
287, ITO houses of all kinds had been
completed so far this year. He hopes
thousands more will be ready be-
fore winter.
In a monthly report he added:
Constantly rising demand at
present more than offsets the adj
ditional accommodations . and not
until after the turn of the year will
the demand begin to level off"
The price tags on new CT. houses
were too high for the average vet
eran, Wyatt declared. He asserted
that at the end of July half of the
CT. houses planned were TO sell for
$500 or more. Another obstacle in
the governments plans to have
1900, 900 veteran houses and apart
ments started in 1916 was a labor
shortage.
Meanwhile w. A.. Bryant, chief of
the civilian production administra-
tons consumer durable goods divi-
sion, said a veteran who succeed
ed in buying one of Wyatt's houses
might have trouble furnishing it.
Bryant said hardwood production
had doubled, a fact now showing up
at furniture factories. But demand
is two to three times greater than
in 1941, he said, declaring that all
wood furniture would probably be
short for another year or two. He
said that upholstered furniture
was in somewhat better supply.
$4,000 Homes Finished.
Wyatt's report said that of the
287, 900 new dwellings completed
through July, only 1874, 200 yer per-
manent houses and apartment units.
The rest were trailers, conversions
of existing buildings, or surplus war
housing put to reuse.
Only about 60, 900 of the individual
permanent homes started in 1916
have been finished, which means
that a majority of the dwellings
begun under veterans housing pri-
GRITTY are standing in various stages
of completion.
From IS to go per cent of all new
dwellings completed under the ma
tional housing program this year
now are actually occupied by vet
Grams, Wyatt said. The type of
homes that veterans are getting, he
added, appear to be "of better quail
ity than those erected in the build
ing boom of the 1905" He de-
clared that recent criticisms of the
structures had proved justified in
only a few cases.
Wyatt announced also that Secre-
tary of the Treasury John Snyder
had approved a new tax policy to
stimulate the building of rental
housing projects for moderate in
come veterans. Builders and own
ers of such projects will be allowed
% show faster depreciation for in
come tax purposes in the first years
after completion of the project.
Heretofore the depreciation write
'ff has been equal year by year.
Labor Trouble Spreads.
The labor problem showed up in
"a large number of communities"
Wyatt said, especially in such
trades as bricklaying and
.arpentering. Instead of a move
nent of labor into residential work,
he trend has been the other way
1000 new workers went into non
ousing construction in July, against
1000 into home building, the MIA
hief said. This trend, he added,
reflects the high level of CONNER
and industrial building"
Production of scarce building ma
erials has been rising steadily. But
OF rapidly enough 10 meet demand.
July lumber output hit a new
JAG high, brick production topped
Il records since December, 194l,
nd gypsum products attained a
ostwar high.
Current shortages, however, tend
center in plumbing, hardware
nd other finishing items which are
eeded in the latter stages of home
instruction. Builders therefore are
to start a home, because
icy are uncertain whether they will
: able to finish it for sale even
hen the main construction job is
,ne.
Output of preiabricated homes
'ntinued to lag. Only 5000 factory
tilt houses yer shipped in July,
nnl1t the CANA nnnnhnr &c in limo