Evening star., 1947-01-20
Oppose
Cut in Projects
|ToAid Budget
Eisenhower Scheduled
To Address Annual
Conference Today

To Address Annual
Conference Today
Any attempt to balance the FedS
eral budget by curtailing public
works Of benefit to cities will be re-
sisted by the mayors of the major
municipalities Of the United States,
it became clear today.
About $50 mayors are meeting at
the Hotel Statler in the annual
United States Conference Of Mayors.
They heard a report Of their Stand.
ing Committee on Legislation sub.
mitted by Walter c. Chandler,
former Mayor of Memphis.
The chief subject before the con-.
ference today was to be the Nation
wide housing problem, but the
mayors also were to hear a talk
by Gen. Eisenhower and we're to be
received this afternoon by President
Truman at the. White House.
Taft Also to Speak.
The housing discussion was to be
highlighted by. addresses by Sena.
tor Taft, National Housing Adminls-
traitor Raymond M. Foley, and
Philip M. Klutznick, former COM
missioner Of the Federal Public
Housing Authority.
In discussing the public works pro.
gram Mr.. Chandler said:
1--WE are aware of the Nationwide
Importance of every public works
project which Congress has adopted
and approve the expenditure in
large part by urban taxpayers to-
ward the permanent security Of the
Nation. Any drastic curtailment Of
projects designed for the security
and protection Of the Nation can
not be justified on the theory that
the burget must be balanced at once
regardless of the consequences.
Municipal officials know the inn
portance of living within antici-
pated revenues. They know that
full employment is the key to con-
sumer purchasing power and that
consumer purchasing power Is the
principal source Of tax revenues.
national, State and local."
Legislation Outlined.
Mr.. Chandler stated that for the
coming year the Mayors must con-
centrate on three new types of leg
islation:
1. A bill to prevent the pollution
of navigable streams.
2. Legislation to provide payments
in lieu of taxes on tax-exempt
property owned by the United States
and located in cities.
3. The Wagner -Ellender- Taft bill.
He stated the housing and slum
clearance problem were the most
serious facing cities at the present
time, and said the Wagner-Ellender-
Taft bill "sets up long range pro-
gram of Federal aid for the rehabil.
itation of slums, all on nonparti-
san basis"
serious blight and slum Scondi-
Etiofs already have oyertaken ap-
I fproximately one-fifth Of the area
OF Cities Mr.. Chandler said.s
Mr.. Kiusznick, in opening The dis
cussion of the housing problem, told
the mayors there was need to re-
build many urban centers.
Cities Messed Up"
1.-THE fact is" he said, that al
most without exception we have in
dulged In the reprehensible habit Of
messing up our cities. Ugly, filthy
and disorderly collections of poorly
designed commercial and industrial
structures are had enough, but the
huge pockets of slums and blight in
which people rot and decay are be-
.yond the scope Of decency."
Citing examples, Mr.. Klutznick
pointed out that. a 1941 study of
Atlanta, Ga, showed slum areas
there contributed SIS per cent of the
city's property tax revenue and cost
the city So per cent of its police, fire,
health department and other serv-
ices.
In Birmingham, Ala, the Board
OF dealtn reported, accorQlng 10 MI.
Klutznick, that % blighted areas
cost three times as much as the in
come received for public services.
The conference was opened this
morning by Mayor Edward J. Kelly
of Chicago, the president. After
welcoming the mayors, Mr.. Kelly
pointed out the conference was re-
sponsible for a construction pro-
gram which can be put into effect
any time there is drop in the pres
ent levels of employment in order to
insure against depression.
The mayors applauded loudly
when Mr.. Chandler pointed out that
Sc per cent of the population live in
cities and earn 73 per cent Of the
national income, thus emitting them
to major voice in national policies.