Evening star., 1949-10-09

Clear Is Jlldt-lu d ScPdl dICly oS
ment is also going to help local COZ
pare slum sections and other
more-or-less blighted areas for
"redevelopment."
This is where Nathaniel S.
Keith comes in. Mr.. Keith is a
43-year-old former newspaper
man who has just been named di-
rector of the Housing and Home
Finance Agency's new Slum-
Clearance and Urban Redevelop-
ment Division. The job is a re-
sponsible one, since the new divi-
sion will handle up to 1000, ,00O,-
900 in loans and $500,000,000 in
outright grants to local commu-
mites.
New that administrative funds
are on the way, Mr.. Keith expects
that a start soon can be made on
the big program. But up to now
he has staff of only two persons.
This staff will have to expand to
about $50; regulations will have
to be prepared, policies deter
mined and everything readied to
negotiate with communities wish
ing to take advantage of Federal
aid under the National Housing
Act of 1949.
Mr.. Keith figures the job of
organizing the division will be
completed about January l, 1850,
and it then will be able to get
down to cases.
Was Housing Aide
The new slum- clearance director
sat down at his desk in the Nor
mandy Building the ooer day and
spent a half hour sketching the
broad outlines of the job ahead.
He is a pleasant. quiet-voiced man
who smokes as he talks. For the
last four or five years he has been
a special assistant to the success
sion of three officials who, in that
time, have headed the Govern
ment's housing activities - John
B. Blandford, Wilson Wyatt and
Raymond M. Foley.
Mr.. Keith's special task in the
past has been congressional liai-
son and contact with national
organizations having a general in
terest in housing, such as the
Federation of Women's Clubs, the
CIO and American Legion. In
that job. he was the alter ego of
the administrator.
In his new post, Mr.. Keith will
be responsible to Mr.. Foley, who
some months ago made 1t clear
that since the slum clearance and
urban redevelopment program was
a new Government venture, he
expected it would take longer to
put into operation than the pub
lie housing program.
"Our feeling is" Mr.. Keith
explained. that while We are ex-
tremely anxious to get under way
we are equally anxious not to
make any fundamental blunders
Just to get into business a few
weeks earlier"
Not a Case of Speed
At the same time, Mr.. Keith
said. the program is not one
which depends alone on the speed
with which 1t can be launched
from Washington. Since 1t will
be just as new to local communi-
ties as 1t will be to Federal Off
cials, the job OF local preparation
also will require considerable time
just to settle on areas suitable
for redevelopment.
" I think it has tremendous
potentialities from the standpoint
of clearing up a substantial part
of existing slums and Of relieving
social and economic pressures on
cities, as well as Of opening up
desirable areas for community de-
velopment," he said.
In going ahead with the pro-
gram, Mr.. Keith will have the
support of many organized local
groups throughout the country, as
we'll as the shrewd interest of a
certain number Of spectators,
owners of slum properties with an
eye for the dollar, and politicians
who may figure on cashing in on
the program for themselves or
their friends.
Asked about measures to be
taken to prevent use Of public
funds to line the pockets of pri-
vate individuals, Mr.. Keith said
he and his associates were aware
of the perils and that steps would
be taken to discourage speculative
activity.
Reason for Slums
While the economic and social
waste inherent in slums has been
glaringly reflected in crime sta
tistics and tax studies for many
years, local communities have
largely been unable to do any
thing to solve the problem on a
local basis. Mr.. Keith said there
were two chief reasons for this,
81. Slum properties typically
cost much more to acquire than
the fair value Of the underlying
land-in other words, much more
than the property is worth.
20. Cities themselves, by and
large-because of limitations on
their source OF revenue-have
lacked the financial resources to
absorb the full cost Of buying slum
property and writing it down to
a fair value for redevelopment." {"
Under the new Housing Act,
$1,000, 900, 900 will be made avail
able for loans to municipalities
with which to pay for:
l.. Administrative and planning
costs and necessary carrying
charges.
2. Cost Of the land to be
cleared.
8. Demolishing existing build
ings.