| Show SLUMS MUST Gal GO G 0 says Straus Housing Authority Chief Opens Washington Office I Ready to Fight Squalor By Dy JOSEPH W. W LaBINE Maybe in the snugness of your living room you thought American living standards were pretty high But that was before a fellow named Nathan Straus became director of the United States Housing Authority After less than two months on the job during which hes he's talked freely Nathan Straus has made Americans hang their heads in shame Our housing conditions he explains are deplorable Mr Straus is not connected with the Federal Housing administration which has been insuring loans on private dwellings and is now attempting to stimulate business through a Ii housing boom Although 4 hes he's interested In FilA the monumental monumental menu menu- mental task facing Straus is to clean out the slums lie He is administrator for the new Wagner Wagner act For the present all United States housing activities are aimed at the spectre of Recession a severe dip in business which threatens to wipe out many of the past three years' years gains President Roosevelt seeks to stimulate Americas America's financial pulse with a housing boom through liberalization liberalization liber of existing laws as out outlined lined in his special message to congress congress con con- gress on November 29 Through this program he forecasts construction of to new houses In the next five years The Key Rey to Recovery Though slum clearance and private private vate housing are two separate enterprises enterprises enter enter- both can help avoid Reces Reces- I How lIow It Works The government will build no houses or apartment buildings Thirty Thirty Thir ty states have already adopted enabling enabling en- en en abling acts permitting them to set setup setup setup up local housing authorities needed for the new program These authorities authorities au au- can borrow 90 per cent of the cost of any project to be r repaid re re- paid within 60 years In addition to the 10 per cent building expense authorities must pay at least one one- fifth Mth the difference between the low rent charged and the economic rent The governments government's rent subsidy subsidy sub sub- sidy will never be more than four lour fifths of the difference If It a tenant cannot afford to pay the economic rent on his slum slum- clearance dearance apartment why should the government and local housing authority pay the difference The answer is II that the government has ha at last officially reco recognized zed that many Americans American can never afford to rent sanitary living quarters If these people are to be removed I from rom their squalor someone must help them It Is the governments government's move This recognition is one sign of a amore amore amore more sense common attitude toward toward to to- ward tile the housing problem slum clearance projects In New NewYork NewYork NewYork York Chicago and other metropolitan tan points were successful in wiping out parts of the blighted area but they failed because the Intended tenants tenants ten ten- ants couldn't afford rents of 12 12 a month per room Frills Are Nice But nut But Another good sign is Nathan Straus' Straus determination to give sensible sensible ble housing without the frills that went with projects sought ideal living conditions incorporating in In- cross ventilation no walk ups more than three or four h j Greatest of rw AS A'S slum-clearance slum projects was Williamsburg Houses In New York costing covering 12 city blocks and providing homes for 1622 Im The government expects to get halt half its Investment backs sion alon Economists now regard a large volume of new construction as the keystone to further recovery The small improvement in building evidenced last spring was hit on the head by rising costs strikes an armament boom and growing uncertainty uncertainty un un- certainty about the future Drastic action must be taken immediately for tor America faces the worst housing shortage in its history Speaking conservatively we need new dwelling units every year Actually we built only in 1935 in 1936 and about this year Although Mr Straus Straus' building activity activity ac ac- will be confined to helping those who cannot help themselves it does not mean that business will not profit The history of slum clearance projects in which Europe leads America to a shameful degree de degree de- de gree Is that government building always al ways stimulates private construction construe tion The Wagner bill was passed by congress last spring after a stormy year three legislative trip Briefly it creates the United States Housing authority which Mr Straus heads beads It provides half a billion dollars dollar's to be loaned state and municipal municipal mu mu- housing authorities during the next three years for use solely In In creating new dwelling units for forthe forthe forthe the tenement population Between and units is its three three- year goal In addition jo the loans annual subsidy appropriations will be made to state and local authorities authorities au au- au for making up the difference difference differ differ- ence between the economic rent renton on houses built and what the low low- Income renter can afford to pay For 1938 1933 this subsidy appropriation totals totals totals to to- stories and no room entered through another Straus also likes these frills but he realizes the necessity necessity ne ne- ne is to remove Americas America's lowest lowest low low- est one third one thIrd from the llie slums into decent decent de de- de cent living quarters not to place them in ideal houses Homes built under the new Housing Housing Hous ing Authority will rent for 5 to per room per month if U ble They will be plain but they will also be modern and sanitary Such economical housing will not conflict with private interests Mr Straus claims and with reason No private builder can erect suitable housing in New York or Chicago to rent at much less Jess than Ulan 12 to 14 a room per month At least he cant can't do it at a profit Straus knows because he sponsored Hillside a New York private housing project with 1416 1418 apartments renting at an average of 11 a room How United States Housing Ranks Americas America's slum conditions are the worst in the Western world No No- where outside the Orient can more squalor be found than in our own metropolitan centers Take indoor plumbing for example Though con con- a non essential on the farm it certainly ranks as a vital health factor in crowded city life Yet 25 per cent of American urban homes have no bathing facilities and one one- fifth are without private Indoor Water wa wa- tor ter Approximately American city families are without the barest modern modem Improvements Since 1919 about dwelling units have been erected In Great Britain through a combination of public and private effort Of Ot these have been built with some public assistance tile tie remainder by private Interests Although Eng Eng- lands laM housing program was started I under a labor government It was so any i a NATHAN STRAUS STRAITS successful that the conservative administration administration ad ad- ministration continued it Economic Factor Paramount Although the social aspect of slum clearance has long been stressed Inthe in inthe inthe the United States it was an economic economic economic eco eco- development that led to establishment establishment es es- es of the Housing ty Juvenile delinquency and physical physical cal deterioration of slum dwellers have been mourned for tor years but the government is tackling its present present pres pres- ent Job as 81 a business proposition It goes deeper than the current Recession Blighted areas affect both the tenement occupant and the themore themore themore more fortunate Un In some respects taxpayer Run-down Run cities require large police pollee fire and hospitalization appropriations Moreover dilapidated ed residential areas spread like a plague destroying neighboring property When these things happen happen hap hap- pen the city is apt to get in serious financial difficulty Look at statistics a moment from both boUl social and economic view view- points Twenty one per cent of Cleveland's murders are committed in a slum district covering less than 1 per cent of the city's area and housing 2 per cent of the population tion In Harlem tuberculosis is three times as prevalent as in the rest of ot New York city A third city finds its wide city-wide police protection costs per capita but in the slums it is 1150 Similar convincing figures can be produced in any city of the nation Unlike Mr Straus does not plan to build apartments in the midst midst of yesterdays yesterday's ruins New sites situ will be chosen in areas and tenants will be lifted away from the slums completely In due time if the Housing Authority is successful all present slum sites will be evacuated The property will then be open for commercial development New Homes New People Mr Straus does not believe belleve that slum dwellers will create slum conditions con wherever they go experience has been good in this respect re reo respect proving that underprivileged classes are largely victims of circumstance circumstance cir cir- ready to reform If given an opportunity The present half billion dollar appropriation appropriation ap apo ap- ap is hardly more than a drop in the bucket Mr Straus ad ad- mits To the needy one one- I third of our population would require require re reo re- re quire new dwelling units compared with units possible under the present fund But half halt a billion dollars will help get the ball rolling and should demonstrate for all time the possibilities in slum clearance work Aided by the experience experience experience ex ex- of PW A which did not establish establish es es- es such a bad housing record as many people would believe the new Housing Authority can start its work without pioneering The newest of the New Deals Deal's administrators ad ad- administrators Mr Straus is probably one of the most capable Ills His experience experience with Hillside and other c i 1 ii e L. L Another slum slam vanished In Indianapolis to make for Gardens Garden which cost way Rents Rent ave average Be 2280 2 80 per month for a three-room three apartment Including utilities vate housing projects s equips him I from the practical point of view while his social mindedness gives him enough of the Idealists Idealist's viewpoint view view- point to forge ahead despite cles Iles Ills His career has been varied startIng startIng start start- Ing hag with two years at Princeton two more at Heidelberg and a few more as a department store official He once published the humorous magazine Puck rose from gob to ensign during the World war and was an active and liberal New York state senator from 1921 to 1926 1928 His Ills chief Interest growing with the years has been low low cost cost low the rental rente housing That it seems seen s. Is kind ot of a man who should h ld head the t United tty Ity States Housing Author C 0 We Western Urn Newspaper Union |
