The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-02-24
Need $500, 900
Homes Each Yeor
Senator'S Told

gram to build 100000 homes a
year, in contrast with the 925,0O0
units finished in 1948, President
Richard J. Gray of the AFL Build
ing & Construction Trades Dept
told a Senate Banking Subcommit-
tee last week.
even more alarming than the
deficiency in the number of new
homes is the fact that comparative
ly few new homes or apartments
are being built for sale or rent at
prices average families can afford
to pay" Gray said. "In many COM
munities in all parts of the coun-
try there are virtually no houses
for sale at less than $4,000"
"With selling prices of new
homes at such terrifcally high
levels, we feel that it is both econ
omically unsound and grossly un-
fair to encourage low-income or
even moderate income families to
invest their life savings in new
homes. Therefore, the primary need
at the present time is for rental
housing. Yet only about 179o of
the new units constructed in 1948
are so-called 'rental-type' dwell
ings, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. The percentage
for 1949 is expected to be only
slightly higher. Moreover, the few
rental units which are being con-
structed are being offered at rents
far above what average families
can afford to pay" the AFL spokes-
man warned. "The average month
ly rent for newly constructed
apartments in late 1948 was
$115.60."
To meet the needs of the 60R6
of u. S. families who earn between
$1,000 and $4,000 a year, he called
for legislation encouraging con-
struction of large-scale rental and
cooperative housing projects with
rents or monthly payments low
enough to fit their family pocket
book. In addition, we think it is
essential that an adequate housing
program be developed for the hun
dreds of thousands of farm work
ers, many of whom are living in
novels much worse than even our
urban sums"
Getting down to details, the AFL
spokesman urged that these points
be in whatever housing bill is final
ly reported to the Senate:
Power to complete 1,05O,000
public low-cost housing units in
four years.
2-To house middle-income fam
ilies-loans to mutual or coopera-
tive ownership corporations, nom
profit corporations, and limited di-
vidend corporations with standards
set for rent levels, charges, rate of
return and methods of operation. A
unit to administer this.
Rents as low as $50 to $50 per
month thru lower financing costs,
the non-profit operation of the CO.
op, maintaining an extremely low
vacancy rate, avoiding luxury SER
vices and encouraging tenant main
tenance. A target of 100000 units
a year should be set in the bill.
3-Farm housing-at least 200,-
900 units for laborers living off the
farm, about half of these for mig
rant families. President H. l.. Nit
chell of the Natl Farm Labor
Union-AFL appeared to underline
this proposal.
In addition, Gray urged that
loans to private builders contain
the prevailing wage" requirement
in effect.
Gray also backed up proposals
for slum clearance and city rede-
velopment, and for housing re-
search-especially for census of
housing every 10 years starting in
1850.
While insisting that at present
here are no serious shortages of
or labor to carry out such
/ program, Gray said the AFL fav-
,rs legislation "giving the Pres
dent standby powers for the allo /
,ation of building materials"