Show I LOOKING im AHEAD r I BY sY GEORGE GEORGES S. S BENSON President Carding College m S Arl Housing Sounds Good Public housing proposals like so many other measures that would take America way down the road to Socialism come up in nearly every session of Congress A government government gov gov- housing program known as the Wagner Taft bill found enough support in the recent Congress to get through the Senate It in the House Bills of this type have at least nine lives and you can expect to see more of them later It sounds good to nearly everybody every body to say that low income families are entitled to housing When the real issues are all clouded up with emotion and sentimentalIsm sentimental sentimental- Ism there are some who will vote yes without taking the trouble to get down to facts I too favor housing Housing Is essential for everybody But I am als also aware that the needy the unemployable the very paid lowest workers donot do donot donot not get into public housing projects What Is Low Income Fr From Fri all reports the situation at a family unit government project in New York State is typical The law states that a family earning more than 1700 cannot qualify there for an apar apart apart- ment Yet half halt the families in the project have incomes above the minimum some up to Only a very few destitute families ever get into government housing They cannot pay the high maintenance and operating costs Even government government govern govern- ment rents are too high for them I say these things to shed light lighton on the arguments argument of the planners who dote on the goodness of the government T The Their h e i 1 r sentimental propaganda serves no purpose but butto butto butto to mislead The W T-E-W bill promised promised promised prom prom- to build homes for low In come families Perhaps there are 10 million 20 million or maybe 30 million What's the measuring stick for low income a family Who would decide about this And where would they be put up To Get the Vote A joint committee of the Congress found that the Federal Public Housing Authority even with a dormant program employed employed em em- persons and used up upa a budget of more than a n year A m major jor part of ot the activities were devoted to creating a desire on the part of the public to depend completely upon a benevolent government Nor has the overlooked its opportunities op op- to set up systems of political patronage The W T-E-W bill calls calis for units of housing over the next five years Despite the tremendous cost of 7 billion this amount would not even begin to satisfy all the low income families But it would be enough to satisfy many a D. clan cian Think of the possibilities for keeping the party vote in line Why couldn't the government projects be put up where they would bring in ln the vote Despite all these dangers the sorry part is that public housing can give us no expanded production of materials no additional skilled construction workers In short it cannot relieve th the housing short age oge Besides real discouragement to to more private housing construction construe construe- tion the government would extend tits its powers over all the people through public housing We must not be fooled this way into a accepting accept accept- 11 ing Socialism i 1 |