The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-05-19
House Will Soon
Vote D OnLoW-Cost
Housing Program

Washington (LPA)-The House
is expected to vote this week to APP
prove the full Fair Deal low-cost
housing program, thus moving the
much needed slum-clearance and
home-building plan one step nearer
to reality. The House Banking
Committee, by a straight party
vote, last week approved the mea-
sure in a form that is even better
than the similar bill passed several
weeks earlier by the Senate.
The House bill calls for construc-
tion by local authorities of 1885,
600 units of low-rent housing, fin
anced by one billion dollars in loans
from the federal government. 1t
also would make outright grants
of another half-billion dollars for
planning local slum clearance and
carrying out these plans. The
whole program of construction and
clearance would cover seven
year period, and would be financed
over 40-year period. If approved,
it could start July l in those cities
and towns where there is enabling
legislation providing for local hous-
ing authorities.
In addition, the House commit
tee voted provision which would
order the federal government to
stop selling to private interests
the migratory farm labor camps
constructed during the days of the
Farm Security Administration.
The measure before the House
differs from the Senate-passed bill
in several respects. The Senate APP
proved only $4,000 units in six
years providing for the same
average rate, but for a shorter
period of time.) Limitations on the
total that can be provided by the
federal government in grants are
set at SIG billion in the House bill
and $12,320,000,00 in the Senate
measure.
Directly after the low-cost mea-
sures are out Of the way, Senate
and House Banking Committees
are expected to tackle the pro-
blem of the "middle-income" fam
lilies who make up about 40b Of
the population, and who are now
left in a no-man's land between the
low-rent housing and the FHA-
guaranteed loan program which is
primarily for homes costing more
than $4,000.
More than 80 bills to encourage
cooperative and mutually-owned
housing developments for families
in this income group have been in
troduced into House. and Senate
by members of both parties. The
Cooperative League USA has as
signed an expert in the coop hous- /
ing field to work full-time with the !
Congressman interested in this
problem, and both AFL and CIO
housing committee officials have
been actively working for action
on some measure in this session Of i
Congress.
Ten Republicans led by Rep.
Jacob X. Javits Or, NY) introduc-
ed one such bill early in January,
and more recently Reps. Hugh
Mitchell Cd, Wash.) and Thomas
Burke Cd, Ohio) have also intro
duced such measures, intended to
provide housing for rental or sale
to coop members at a rate Of
about $40 to $50 month.
Discouraged by such activities,
the home builders lobby which
speaks for the builders who would
like to continue building $4,000
homes and Sl25-a-month apart
ments-says that "the outlook for
a high volume of housing this year
is less encouraging" than might be
expected from a look at the gen
eral financial picture. That's the
view of the Executive Vice Pres
ident Frank Cortright of the Natl
Association of Homebuilders.