Evening star., 1955-08-03
HOUSING
Continued From First Page


1T is loaded with so many OBJ
jectionable features, such as
trailer park financing, a split-up
Of Government housings co-ord-
ination by making the Home
Loan Bank Board an independ-
ent agency, q greatly expanded
program Of direct Government
loans for local public facility
construction. and other matters,
that It totally distorts the prin-
ciples and purposes Of the ad-
ministration's objectives."
Other provisions in the COM
promise approved by Congress
include:
/. An additional "a billion to
continue the Federal Housing
Administration mortgage insur-
ance program.
2. Authorization for q SIS bill
lion military housing program in
addition to the already author
lied program.
3. A $12.5 million limit on FILA
insurance on any single project.
4. A $2.500 limitation on FILA
insured loans for home improve
mentS.
Blocked in Rules Group
In the House, the housing bill
ran into its first major snag In
the Rules Committee. For more
than Q month, q 6-to-6 dead
lock had prevented Its clearance
for floor action. Chairman Smith.
Democrat of Virginia, and Rep
resentative Colmer. Democrat Of
Mississippi, sided with the four
Republican members against re-
leasing the bill as long as it con-
tanned q public housing pro-
vision.
Finally. last Thursday the
deadlock broke when several
Republicans switched their votes.
They reportedly did this with
an understanding that the House
would have q clear-cut oppor-
tunity to vote on a substitute
to eliminate all public housing
provisions.
From the outset Of this Ses-
sion Of Congress. housing bills
had had such a troubled course
that any legislation on the sub
ject seemed unlikely to 60 beyond
the planning stage. President
Eisenhower many months ago
proposed an extensive program
calling not only for $4,000 public
housing units q year for two
years. but also some slum clear
ance and urban developments
moves.
The Senate passed a bill speci-
flying many more public housing
units-135, 900 a year for four
years-than the President re-
quested. This bill contained
some other sections that the ad-
ministration did not seek.
Opposed by Wolcott
House Banking Committee
Chairman Spence tried unsuc-
cessfully to have his group report
out o public housing provision
similar to the Senate's. All that
the committee would allow was
the $4,000 figure and this was
over the vigorous opposition of
Representative Wolcott, Of Mich
igan, ranking Republican mem
Der.
MIR. Wolcott won the next
round. The House last Friday
voted PIT to 118 for the substi-
tute he offered In place Of the |
committee bill. That substitute
struck out all provisions for
public housing. It nevertheless
continued most Of the main
features Of the overall housing
program. Il allotted $3.4 billion
in new mortgage insurance au-
thority, extended the home re-
pair program for another year.
added $500 million for slum
clearance, but limited the pres
ent military housing program.
The acknowledgements bill
which the House defeated last
week would have increased from
$2,50O to $1,000 the limit on
individual loans which FILA
could have insured for home re-
pairs and modernization. It
would have raised from IS mil
lion to $12 million the Getting
on mortgages for large-scale
rental housing projects which
FILA could insure. Moreover, It'll
would have liberalized the mill
tary housing program.
. Units for Elderly
In addition to the provision
Tor $1,000 public housing units a |
year for two years, there was
m authorization for 10000 such
Wats . year for tive years forl
Z