Evening Star Newspaper, December 4, 1931, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON D. C, FRIDAY ;A Radio > “for a Gift at “Christmas The House & Herrmann stock | * otably ‘eomplete—with the “mukes of Radios, in the most popular models, and sold upon very convenient terms—| with assurance of complete and\ satisfactory eervice Philco No. 70 Baby Crand, $49.95 No. 90 Baby Grand, $69.50 No. 70 Highboy . . . $65.75 (As Tllustrated) No. 90 Highboy . . . $109.75 Majestic WNo. 151 Havenwood . . $44.50 No. 153 Ellswood . . . . $59.50 Xo. 251 Cheltonwood, $79.50 No. 253 Brentwood . .. $99.50 (As Illustrated) | reporting | of back stairs, HOME CONFERENGE 0.K'SHOOVER PLAN Railroad Rate Changes Urged for Decentralizing Industry. Blanket approval of the plans of President Hoover for loosening credits for home construction, including the proposed creation of a system of mort- | gage rediscount banks, and a recom- mendation for reform of the rafiread rate structure to encourage industrial decentralization came today from the | President’s Conference on Home Bulld- | ing and Home Ownership | A committee of bankers, realtors and | building loan leaders found fitself in | sympathy with the view of the Presi- | dent that the emergency must be met. | The committee unanimously records support of the President in any | remedial measures he proposes.” Members of this group this morning voiced approval of the plan recently an- nounced by President Hoover calling for establishment in each of the Fed- eral Reserve districts of a mortgage rediscount bank Second Mortgage Field. This group, headed by Frederick H.| Ecker, president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. reported that “the greatest deserrent fo sound home own- ership may be found in the second mortgage field.” It found that two- thirds or more of all home buying re- quires junior financing and that it was | not unusual for the home owner to pay a bonus of 15 to 20 per cent for this financing service When it is realized that often it is necessary to renew these junior mort gages, the extent of this burden is ob- | vious,” it added. It reported also that a great majority of second mortgage companies, set up on a purely com- mercial basis, have failed to weather the_depression. The committee recommended that no one should undertake purchase of a home wnless he can make a down pay- ment of about 25 per cent of the price, and that 25 per cent of the buyer's as- sured income be the maximum allot- ment for current payments for a home The committee emphasized that buyers should seek amortized long-term loans in preference to short-term straight mortgages, and that where there is a second mortgage the principal install- ment be deferred to the end of the sec- ond or third year. Rail Rate Reforms Urged. Believing that decentralization of in- dustry would relieve housing congestion a committee on this study urged reform of railroad rates. It stated “The railroad rate structure should be such that industries are as free to locate in the country as in the city. There should be currently in effect rates sultable to move the traffic if an indus- try locates there. The rates to country points should not be higher, in proportion to the cost of sarving them than in the case of the larger cities. Similarly, the industries should be free 0 locate in the region of a large city instead of in the congested area.” This group was headed by Stuart W Cramer, member Executive Committee, Cotton Textile Institute, There will be & general session of the 2,000 delegates tonight at Constitution Hall, where addresses will be given by Secretary of Interior Wilbur, co-chair- | man of the conference, and Mrs. Jane Deeter Rippin.. This afternoor there will be s recep- tion at the White House for the delegate its Large-Scale Operations. Recommendation for large-scale oper- ations in residentlal development was brought before the confersnce by a group headed by Alfred K. Stern, di- rector of the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and including Louis Brownlow, director Public administration Clearing House of Chiesgo. | Substitution of mass production of | dwellings for the current single-uniu plan would make poskible adequate housing for the vast group of clerical and industrial workers whose needs are inadequately met under present meth- ods of financ> and construction, the ! committee declared. | The large-scale operation, it was held, | is economical, modern and efficiently designed, and a good investment be- cause it dispenses with the multitude of small financial operations, and beczuse, | by creating neighborhoods of homo- | geneous character, it guards against deterioration Such types of operations m:ke possi- ble low rentals, the committee found. Reduction in Cost. The cost of construction of housing can be reduced by adoption of new practices, the conference was informed by the committee headed by A. P. Greensfelder, president, Associated Gen- eral Contractors of America. Accurate estimating and cost ac- counting, use of rtandardized materials, of labor-saving devices and equipment and proper job crganization were some of the recommendations. This group found that at presen houses are not produced as efficientl: as sutomobiles and that the building industry may learn a lesson by a study of the automotive industry. Bullders should consider the follow- ing topics with & view to effecting economies The simple ,lin versus the compli- cated design, co-crdinated with ma- terials; eliminaticn of cellars and at- tics, type of foundation, room dinfen- slon to meet siock sizes of lumber, standard framing, doors and windows, location of bath and kitchen so that short length of pipe may be used, lath and plaster versus 1l board, spray painting, pre-fabrication construction units and interior fixtures, elimination smaller number of in- possibilities provided elimination R. C. A—Victor R7 Superette . . . $69.50 R-10 Lowboy . . . $86.75 (As Tllustrated) R-11 'Highboy . . . $119.00 Come in and let us give you a demonstration of any of these ! models so that you may know from actual experience the spe- cial merits of each. ‘Furniture of Merit” *-~Seventh at Eye REPAIR PARTS for Furnaces and Boilers Fries, Beall & Sharp 734 10th St. N.W. nal Electrical Show Watch l'l:l:i:liyiwiorh Weonders See What Is New in Electrical Appiiances Ideal as Chi ELECTRICAL SUPPLY CO. - 1328-30 New York Ave. N.W. of false fireplaces and gables and the use of well seasoned lumber. - Continuation of construction during Winter months was seen by the group 8s another means of reducing costs. D. C. Members of Committee. o ‘Washington members of this tee are Willlam C. Miller, a director the National Aséociation of Real Es Boards; C. Clinton James, past “presi- dent of the United States League of Building and Loan Associations; M. J McDonough, president Building Trades Department, American Federation of Labor, and Vincent B. Phelan, United | States Bureau of Standards Apparent lack of interest in the im- provement of home grcunds in many communities is due largely to ignorance of the ease with which conditions may be bettered, according to the Confer- | ence Committee on Landscape Planning. It also emphasized the rise in the value of property which results frcm good planting. Mrs. Junius S. Morgan of Princeton, N. J.. is chairman of the committee. Progress in ridding American cities of blighted areas and slums is almost negligible, according to the report of the committee that investigated the subject for the President's conference, Slum Conditions Burden. Slums, the committee says, exist in practically all cities and constitute an economic and social burden which is s0 heavy as to portend an irresistable demand for Government relief, The committee recommends the re- conditicning of the buildings structur- ally sound and the complete demolition and replacement of buildings in a di- lapidated state. District replanning for the promotion of .the rehabilitation of blighted and slum areas is also sug- gested. The project for the recon- struction of a large portion of the lower East Side of New York City is cited as an example Abram Garfield, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, served as chairman of the committee. There were 19 other members. The immediate emergency organiza- | tion of community groups in all centers to stimulate home repair, remodeling and modernization activities is urged by a committee of the President's Confer- ence on this subject Effect on Unemployment, The effect of such a movement on the unemployment situation was con- sidered by this group, headed by Fred- erick M. Feiker, director of the Buresu | of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. A panoramic picture of the farm home of America presented to the con- ference by the Committee on Farm and Village Housing revealed conditions "of neglect and backwardness in compari- son with urban housing. Due to existing distribution of “in- come throughout the American popula- tion, many families now are barred from purchasing homes it was found by the Committee on Relation of Income and the Home, headed by Niles Carpen- ter, professor of sociology, University of Buffalo. Improvement in buying policies of the household, scheduling of household tasks and provision of adequate stor- age space dre essential to the. saving of money and fatigue in home-making and o t6 the increase of benefits of home-ownership, in the judgment of the committee on household manage- ment This group, headed by Miss Effie T Raitt, professor of home economics, University of Washington, found that the buying policies of the household. rathet than the income, are often the determining factor in the ability of the family to provide adequately for its house. The characteristic rectangular Ameri- can land subdivision has frequently proved a failure, the conference was informed by its committee on subdi- vision layout, headed by Harland Bar- tnolomew, president of the National Conference on City Planning. Spaciousness i a controlling principle land aevelopment, the com- | in mittee found. EISEMAN’S ?Seventh and F Sts. $4.-65 Just bring in your odd coat or vest ... we can match it. ARK i 1219 G Selling Out ENTIRE STOCK AT DRASTIC SACRIFICE! COATS Lavishly Furred New Sport and Dress WINTER COATS 74 Coats that were $28 now 45 Coats that were $38 to $58 now. 34 Coats that were $58 to $68 now 105.Winter 122 Winter RESSES Dresses that were $6.75 and $9.75" GOLORED HOUSING - RELIEF PROPOSED {National Commission to Pro- mote Laws Urged by Committee A large majority of the colored pop- | ulation of the United States lives under conditions inimical to health. morality and contentment, according to the findings of the Committee on Negro Housing, a department of the Presi- dent’s Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership The problem of improving conditions in this fleld, the committee believes, is complicated by special racial factors d economic circumstances, but & eries of recommendations is offered toward relleving the situation. The | establishment of a national housing | commission to carry on research and | encourage the passing and enforcement | of adequate housing laws is the first | suggestion. Other proposals call for the | stimulation of colored people to move in | to subdivisions in which modern homes can be built, adequate financing agen- | cles at reasonable interest for people of | low incomes, and research investigations on subjects such as changes in land values incident to colored invasion of an area The report was based upon an analysis of recent studies made in large cities of the North and South and on a limited number of surveys of housing in the rural South. 12 Million Colored Census. "The colored population, the commit- | tee 'says, was nearly 12 million in 1930, or 10 per cent of the country’s total | Four-fifths of this population is in the | Southern States. .But there is & dis- cernible trend toward the cities. Be- ween 1910 and 1920 the rate of increase for urban centers was 323 per cent, | while the rural areas showed an actual decrease of 3.3 per cent. Colored ple in New York City numbered 91,709 in | 1910; 327,706 in 1930. The rapid increase in colored popula- | tion has not been accompanied by an | | expansion of colored neighborhoods. | The result 18 serious overcrowding, In| | New York OCity the total density per | acre was 223, the colored density 336 | | per_acre. Insufficient housing causes high rents. A study of low-income fami- | lies in New York City showed the typi- cal rental for all such groups to be $316 annually, the colored rental $490. There is more congestion in the colored sections of Northern cities than in those of the South. But gross de- ficiency in sanitation is greater in Bouthern communities Concerning the belief that colored | residents depreciate property the com- | mittee advanced evidence intended to show that colored appearance in a neighborhood is more frequently a symptom than a cause of depreciation Overcrowding and insanitary condi- tions among oclored people result in a high rate of delinquency, a high rate of mortality and a distorted standard | of living. The committee quoted the reports of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, in- dicating that similar conditions among | other groups produce similar results | Any Make—Any Model 5.000 Cars in Stock Glasser’s Auto Wrecking Co., 1nc. 2nd and Fla. Ave. N.E. Phone Met. 8867 door glass Installed, not over $2.50 Come Here for Special Trousers A special depart- ment, including a selection of over 5000 pairs of spes cial trousers. S SOON WE WILL CLOSE OUR DOORS Street Coats $8.75 Coats $4.75 Dresses that were $9.75 and $12.95. The difficulty, according to the comit-| tee, lies in the fact that other groups can escape from overcrowding and bad housing with higher incomes, whereas suth escape is almost impossible for colared e. Colored: death rates are nearly twice | as high as whites; they are higher tn( the North than in the South, and high- er in cities than in the country. The committee submited a study of condi- tions in the alley dwellings of Washing- ton, indicating that the mortality among colored persons from four lead- ing diseases is from 11, to 4 times as| great as it is among those lving in| better neighborhoods. ! Colored people are obliged to spend | a larger proportion of their incomes for | rent than other groups. In certain cities the rent runs over 20 per cent of the budget. in some instances is | even more than 75 per cent. But the committee reported that | home buying in Northern cities has | about doubled since 1920. In 1910, col- ored home owners numbered 506,580; in 1930 they had increased to approxi- mately 750,000 However, the committee said that home ' buying is obstructed by the fact that new housing developments are not | freely open to colored persons either in the North or in the South, except where they -are sponsored by colored persons or are exclusively designed for them. Colored people are charged more than white people for loans on real estate, and efforts to buy and to im- prove property are thus handicapped. The committee found that one reason for this low credit rating is that col- ored people are forced to buy in dilapi- dated areas and that, therefore, their | properties are not good risks | DiCrubl’ 4, 1951 TAX RELIEF URGED FOR BETTER HOME COmfnitiee Would Improve Administration of Laws and Cut Spending. Declaring there is striking evidence of the “excessive burden of taxation,” the committee of experts on this sub- ject has informed the President's Con- ference on Home Building and Home (?twnrt;’shm fl‘ifldt boevfl! of the present situation coul remedied, tho with difficulty: it Better admiriistration of present tax laws and reduction of public expendi- fures were' among measures proposed to encourage home ownership. This group found not only that ex- cessive taxation of residential real estate has restricted home ownership but that it also has contributed to poor housing. Thdmas S. Adams, professor of po- litical economy of Yale University, is chairman of this committee which also includes Willlam P. Richards, tax as- | sessor for the District. “The burden imposed by the property tax upon real estate is nearly every: Where heavy and in many communities destructive,” the commit'ee reported. “In millions of cases today the assessed value equals or exceeds the actual market value.” Figures were cited to show that tax delinquencies have risen sharply since 1820 in some States. This was said to be accompanied in many districts with a practical breakdown of the machinery of enforced. callection and.tax sale. Inequality of assessments added to | the burden on real estate-and on small |homes particularly, the committee found. In Chicago, the range of assess- ment for a number of properties studied in 1927 was found to be from 1 to 100 per cent of their sale value. Specific recommendations committee are: 1. Improve the administration of the present tax laws by correcting the bias of assessments against small homes and | by improving the assessment of tangible personal property. 2—Impose State taxes on stocks. bonds and similar intangible person: property. 3—Impose a pro,teulve personal in- come tax in most of the States in which | such a tax is not now in force, provided it be accompanied by effective measures. to check public expenditures and ad- ministered by assessors appointed on the basis of merit and subject to State di- | rection and control. 4—Create other revenues, such as in- | come taxes on corporations and insti- | tute fees for special benefits to individ- | uals which are now furnished at the | public expense. | _ The steps proposed are all aimed at | relieving certain taxpayers by shifting | part of their burden to others, and ex- | tension of some relief to all by reduc- | tion of public expenditures. of the For 43 Years Santa Has Made Our Store His Headquarters! Chias Schwartze Son Home of Perfect Diamonds Founded 1888 GIFTS that LAST 43 years is a long time found the same policies of fair dealing the same 100% antee of satisfaction but for 43 years folks have the same guar- service. . .that alone is responsible for the popularity of our store at Christmas time. Personal service at all times Folks like the idea of dealing direct with Mr. Chas. or Mr. Sam Schwartz on hand to gift both men will be found, always personally assist you in selecting the proper For many years we have told and retold our story of PERFECTION...many hundreds of Washingtonians have profited by our policy Diamond” . . will be valued greatly. if your diamond is a of “Every Diamond a Perfect chwartz Diamond # ® youll make her happier with ¥ : You'd ezpect to pay much. more for a 27-Dia- mond Platinum Engage- ment Ring of such distin- guished beauty and refine- ment Value Supreme—by Chas. Schwartz & Son. FOR Nationally Known WATCHES Nationally Known CLOCKS Nationally Known JEWELRY Nationally Known SILVERWARE AT REGULAR STANDARD PRICES NO EXTRA CHARGE buy to st TERMS Central Seventh Street and Save Xmas Dollars GIFTS Now PA NEXT YEAR Use your Christmags money for other things— fine, lasting gifts of Diamonds or Jewelry at Standard prices . . paying until Next Year, We will cheerfull weekly or monthly terms . forget arrange art after January 1st. TASTES CALLED LOW | Committee on Home Decoration Points Out Need for Education. The Commitiee on Home Purnishing and Decoration of the President’s Con- ference on Housing reported that “except for the small gioug .ef high-income families present standa; low and furniture of grlte! within' the reach ofi: ulk . of - Amerizans is lacl E suggested that “‘education Is | remedy” for the situation | _Ruth Lyle Sparks, president of the | Decorators’ Club of New York, is | chairman of the committee, which ad- ‘\'ised establishment of extensive lec- | ture courses and schools devoted to | this subject Nine ‘different kitchen plans were submitted by the Committee on Kitch- ens _and other work centers, headed | by Miss Abby L. Marlatt, director of | home economics, University of Wis- consin. Drafted after laboratory experiments, the plans represent efforts to produce the most efficient arrangement and size for kitchens with a view to reducing fatigue for the housewife and elim- | inating, wherever possible, the ‘“bad | practice of using the kitchen as a dining room.” The ccmmittee contends that “it is the architect and builders who must be converted first, not the housewife.” Sailors aboard a battleship are not permitted to whistle—with the excep- tion of the boatswain, who conveys signals from officers to crew by means of a special pipe or “bo'sun’s whis Look for the Schwartz GOLD CLOCK ON SEVENTH STREET THE HOME OF PERFECT DIAMONDS Founded 1888 709 14th St. N.W. 5w