Evening star., 1954-10-12
Public Housing Free
OF Taint, Says Cole;
Spurs Drive on SIums

0puS UIlH on yumS
By Robert J. Lewis
Star siaff Correspondent
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. a.
Housing Administrator Albert M.
Cole said today public housing
authorities throughout the coun-
try are free. so far as he knows,
Of the kind of irregularities re-
Gently disclosed in the Federal
Housing Administration, and no
broadscale investigation Of them
Is either underway or proposed.
Here to address the Nations
housing officials. Mr.. Cole said
the Housing and Home Finance
Agency maintains a continuing
check on policies and operations
of local housing authorities. But
nothing has been turned up that
is at all comparable to the sit
uation in FHA.
There have been some prob
lens of alleged defalcation." he
said. But there is nothing to
compare to what happened in
FTIA."
Urges City Organizations.
Addressing a general session
of the National Association of
Housing and Redevelopment Off
cials. Mr.. Cole urged more cities
to organize public and private
sources in q "hard-hitting at
tack" against slums and urban
blight.
Most of our towns and cities
are as yet doing too little. NOV
ing too slowly to develop the
kind of really broad local pro-
gram that is necessary to make
our communities slum-proof,"
the Nations top housing official
said.
I'm every American city, even
while major SUM clearance ef-
forts are proceeding. valuable
sections have been deteriorating.
They have become heavy social
and economic burdens that sap
the strength of the whole COM
munity, block its progress and
drain of its cash reserves to pay
for crime and pestilence," he
said.
Meanwhile, it was learned the
HHFA soon is expected to
change its regulations and per-
NIT local redevelopment agencies
to sell slum-cleared land with
out competitive bidding.
This forthcoming modifica-
ton will take the steam out of
voiced here yesterday |
to an order issued not long ago
requiring local agencies all over
the country to invite sealed bids
before sales are made.
(The HHFA's recent adop-
tion of the competitive bidding
requirement raised immediate
questions about it's effect on
redevelopment proposed for
Southwest Washington.
Negotiating on Southwest.
(The reason is that the Dis
trict Redevelopment Land
Agency has been negotiating
for months with the New York
firm of Webb q Knapp about
a Southwest redevelopment
plan. Under an agreement
signed last March the New
Yorkers are to make a firm
proposal after a one-year
study.
F(Tlle proposal Is expected |
to say how much of the water
'FRONT.' area the firm would |
like to buy and rebuild. After
that-provlding the plan is
approved by city officials-it |
has been presumed that def
mite contract would be nego-
tiated.
(RLA officials have said pub
licly they felt sure the new
requirement could be worked
out. But there have been strong
feelings. in Washington and |
other cities, that the restric-
ton would put major barriers
in the way of redevelopment
plans.)
Order Held Unrealistic.
Roland r. Randall, a Phila-
1elphia industrial real estate
broker and former president of
The Society of Industrial Real
tors, told a session of the meet
ing that he regarded the HHFA
order requiring competitive bids
10 be unrealistic.
He pointed out that the Gen.
'ral Services Administration re-
;ently had been authorized by
Congress to employ real estate
brokers' to handle sales of sur
,lus Federal real estate on an
'exclusive-listing" basis, with
'ees to be paid out of the sales
price. :.
Superseding Order.
Under this system, negotiated
iales would be possible. he point
ID out. whereas local redevelop-
nent agencies throughout the
country would be required, under
he recent HHFA order. to sell
,nly on the basis of competitive
lids. except for certain exempted
Actually" a spokesman for
he HHFA said here. "It is not
to withdraw our earlier
on competitive bids.
,ut to supersede it. /
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