Show LOOKING AHEAD By GEORGE S. S BENSON President President Harding Harding College Searcy Arkansas Is America Housed Ill If you Ou listen only to boosters for government housing you OU will sometime get set the miserable feel feel- feelIng ing that America is in a bad way for shelter and housing You will vill be made to feel that the sit sit- situation situation is beyond remedy and nothing at all is being done about it According to the let it government boys if we dont don't start throwing billions of tax dollars around for housing projects then the whole population tion lion is at nt once ill That American housing is is- in ina ina a bad way is a 3 view point tre tre- tremendously tremendously tre- tre tremendously warped It is granted that families are doubling up in many homes and apartments are hard to find in some areas But Americas America's ability to house its people through private indus indus- industry industry industry try cannot be doubted Under private construction methods this country has done an exceptionally exceptionally exceptionally fine line job of putting roofs over the heads of its people It Itcan Itcan Itcan can do an even better job if gov gov- government government will ill let it Record of Industry While the year 1947 did not quite reach the peak of our building boom in 1925 it is esti esti- estimated estimated mated that new homes were build One family out of every 40 got new houses in 1947 That is an excellent record The Bureau Dureau of Census has reported report d that per cent of o all city houses are in satisfactory repair compared to 86 per cent in 1940 Our American housing is stead stead- steadily steadily ily improving despite the many difficulties that have been placed in the way One of these problems facing private building is government activity in house construction Many government projects put up so far arc are said to have been built because costs were too high for the citizens to undertake them Yet because the govern govern- government government ment is willing to pay these same high costs the costs arc are sure to remain high In government housing the difference between the rental income and the actual cost is simply passed on to the taxpayer The government cant can't work miracles but it can levy taxes Slum Clearance If II it is the object of federal housing legislation to clear away slums then I say let communities communities in which these poor condi condi- conditions conditions conditions exist clean up their bad sec sec- Some cities have already put slum clearance programs into effect without falling aIling on Congress for legisla o. o 1 Our lo 10 local cal governments is ca co X much uch to I stimulate bui 0 J V g e re- re qui h ing rt ners toy t good housing sta ds they the can also aiso eliminate narse ae and bug buggy buggy buggy gy building coder codes codes- code that keep costs high I To assume that Congress with r a public housing bill can clear dear dearaway away slums is taking a phony position There will always be SOME older and less expensive housing no matter how much we may build But if U you OU take charge of the folks with very low incomes in in- incomes I comes and put them in palaces the rest will be paying the bill for it Then who vho gets the pre pre- premium premium This is a beautiful way to more less for You see the fellow who earns cuns less is better off oU What You Can Do DoA DoA DoA A public housing bill could in inno inno inno no way relieve relie the housing short short- age Certainly this is not the time for the government go ot of come comein comein comein in and bid up prices of o the build build- building building ing in materials that are available Right now a government hous house housing housing ing program would bring no ad ad- additional additional skilled labor into the in industry industry industry but would simply take the labor that already works for private builders Do you think these men would produce any anymore anymore anymore more housing working for the government If you want to add to inflation and make it more difficult for private housing to go up if you want to pay your share of multi multi- multibillion multibillion billion dollar expenditures if you want to risk these experiments experiments ments while European recovery is costing us billions if you want wanta a bureau to control 10 per cent of o our housing and keep building prices high if i you want to create a giant bureau for poli poli- political political political purposes then purposes then youre you're for public housing But Dut the only sane thing to do is to ask your our Con Con- Congressman Congressman gressman to oppose public hous hOUSe housing housIng ing bills |