Evening star., 1953-05-12
JaVits Advises !
Bui|derstoBack
Public Housinu
Tuft and Hennines
Speak Tonight at
Conference Windup

Representative Javits. Repub-
lican, Of New York, today said
hte private building indus
try should drop it's opposition to
public housing and cooperate
with the Government to meet
the housing needs of all income
groups.
He spoke at the meeting of
the National Housing Conference
at the Hotel Statler. The con-
ference will close with a banquet
at 7 o'clock tonight with Senate
Majority Leader Taft and Sena-
tor Hennings, Democrat, Of Mis-
souri,. as speakers.
Mr.. Javits said the Republican
administration is giving Ameri-
can business a greater say in
Government than it ever had be-
fore He said the homebuilding
industry had a great opportu-
nifty to demonstrate that such a
partnership can work.
THE time has come for the
private home-building industry
to attain full maturity, recog-
nizing that if in this admins
tration the private economy is
to have its full opportunity and
not tumble it, the time of op-
position to public housing in
other efforts of Government to
meet the housing, needs of
groups whose need the private
home-building industry has not
been meeting, must be replaced
by responsibility for such need"
he declared.
Would Accent Public Housing.
Mr.. Javits said the alterna-
tive would be to confirm that
when the private home building
industry had its opportunity. it
missed. He said the reaction
would be a greater emphasis on
greater Government participa-
tion on home building than ever
before.
Mr.. Javits outlined a four
point program, which he said
the building indutry should fol-
low. The points we're:
/. Reduce the bost of housing
by joining with the Government
In an extensive program of re-
search aimed at simplification
of building codes and the i'm
provement of building tech
niqueS.
2. Embark on a special pro-
gram for making new housing
available to middle income
groups - which include many
veterans-with the aid of cost
reductions achieved through
Government financing.
3. Support a fair percentage
Of public housing. He suggested
that not less than 10 per cent
of all homes built be for low
income groups and the publicly
assisted.
4. Give priority attention to
ways to improve housing condi-
tions for the INDECENT, the aged
and physically handicapped.
Cole Tells Of Plans.
Yesterdays session heard Al
bert M. Cole, completing his first
two months as housing and home
finance administrator, say he
wants to help develop a better
housing program-one accepted
and understood by the majority
of the people. ~s
Mr.. Cole said there will be no
major changes, however, until he
has completed a careful study of
the programs and problems.
One problem he cited is that
displacement of minority group
families too often means that
the rehouSing itself produces new
overcrowding and new areas of
blight contrary to the intent of
the Chousing) act"
He spoke of an intention to
implement more vigorously the
letter and spirit of the act.
This will mean that, wherever
racial minorities are involved,
local public agencies will be
called upon to submit really per-
suasive evidence as to their abil-
ity to rehouse m decent accom-
modations the families to be dis
placed from proposed project
- IaA co;l