i 1. 7293 A3 A 18 A3 U.S. Gov't Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924025931084 THE PRESIDENT HOli.WILLIAM B.WILSON SECRETARY OF LABOR ASSI TO TtiE SECRETARY pOBEHT WATSON _ ASSOC. DIRECTORS REPFSSEKniK WAfl DSPT. leitESEiiTifle NAVY OEPT. BUREAU OF INDUSTRIAL HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION OTTO M. EIDUT2 - DIHECTOR JOSEPH D. LELANO 3«o - ASST. DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE S ECt^TABV HARLEAH JAMES Organization Chart Bureau or Industrial Housing -^Transportation United States Department-Labor United States Housing corporation •Washington- DC DIRECTORS J OHM W. ALVORD CHARLES P. HOWLAHD FREDERICK L:OLKSTED WH. E. SHANNOn WM. J. apEHCER AMD THE OFPICEfiS U. S. HOUSING CORPORATION OTTO M. EIDLITZ-PRESIDENT JOSEPH D.LELAMD 3«° - VICE PRESIOEhT BURT U.FEIHMER - SECRETARY GEORGE 6. BOX - TREASURER J.IMenAMARA,AS3ITO [tXBLAKE,AS8T.10 VICE FKS. GENERAL MAMAGER BUHT.L.FENNER C-SRAnr LAFARflE 1 ASSlSTAHT WILLIAM A.PAYIHE/ GEMEBAL KGEa LIOHEXH03E3 ^_ ASST.TQTHESEHT.M6R. 1 FISCAL DIVISllON 1 i COMPTROLLER FRANrt QUIILTER H.M,WEB5TER. OtP^TY CDMPI GEMERAL AUDITOR L.R, LEWIS APPROPRi; TI.HE mSUilANCE TflABSPOHTATlOH ACCOUNTS TRAVELLIMS AUDITORS COHSTRUCnOH ACCOUNTS FURniTUHE AMD EO^tPMENTS ACCOUNTS HOTELS AND COMMISSARY ACCOUMTS ARCHITECTS EMSINEERS TOWH PUNIfilS ACCOOHTS FOR EA CH P WdECT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DIV. F.J.WARNE, MANAGER TREASURER CHIEf cLer: ifer CHIEF ACCOUNTAIST F.A.SELLER LEGAL DI VI SION CP.tjOWLAfiD, CHIEF COUNSEL 5.CHEVALi ER,AS5T.CQUMSEL DisBURsme OFFICERS ACCOUMTAMTS A.V.SCHOLES FOR EACH PROJEC- UTISATTOM FIELD AUDITOR h- ARCHITECTURAL DIVISION J.W.CROSS, MANAGER ^ ^ O.F.BLOUNT A.H.GILK1S0M R.F. JORDON T.B.UPPmGOTT J. H. STOflE CHIEF ORAfTSRAM AM.HEWHOUSE PLUMBIMG __ F.M'HAMARA FOR EACH HtATING S.A.5UTEP ARCHITECT CONTRACTS W.H. KIMBALL ENGINEERING DIVISION J-W-ALV pRD, CHIEF EHSINEER LK.SHERMAri,ASST.CHIEF EN6. iW.J.KUERTZ.C0UK5_EL V.M.PEIRCE EHG. SECRETARY W.H.FRITCHMAM ELECTRICAL EnSlMEER E. G. COUCH R.£-At1DREW3 DISTRICT EMGinEERS ALLEfl D.BOMTECOU aA.BOWMAH C.P. CHASE W.K.DURBIM P.E-GR££n OEJiEHDERSOn W.KIERSTED W.H.KIMaALL F.PARKHUBST FOR EACH I PROJECT TOWN PLANNING DIVISION F.L.QLM5TED. MAMAGER KV.WUBBARD.ASST. M6R. C.R.PARKER.ASST.TOMSR. HOMES REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION DIVISION JAMES PQBD, WAMA6ER HOMES fiE6[3TR'H SEflVIGEAHDfiEMT PROFITEERine F.MAHOnEY. CHIEF FIELD ASENTS SURVEY ©ST415TICS DIVISIN W.E.SUERIM.M NAGER^ D.A.CAI.HOUEI,A it. MSR. AO-HORTOH. CHIEF WX.FL£TOH£Fi,CBI£F OPERATING DIVISION CORA K.CORSOfI ASST TO THE MSR STATIST! Ci j BRAWCH I LMERlAM.Ch ■] [A.ft.Zlt«If1.GHmF' rHEOPOBfl KIMBALL FIELD IttVESTKATORS fl.E.SCHEHC>^ J.DOLL.CHICF TOWN MAfJAGEMEKT WAR IHDlffiTRlES BOARD ARMY-HAVy LABOR other govt departmehts WASHmSTON RESIDEItCf HALLS COMMUNITY FACILITIES FURNITURE AMD EOUIPMENT a.R.DAVI3^S5i:MMI C. PARTRIDGE. R.A. PETTIT W.S.3JRR)ME H.THOMPSOn PLAZA flfloUP !^^:^!^!i:!i!iiS£!^ IPT.OfAPMlHiSTR'i 8UIU>tKG G.M. CLARK FOR EACH PROJECT TOWNKAriASEfi ■).TH0MP30H.GHlEf Q.RRE1»HARD F. STORM BS CONSTRUCTION DIVISION D.T.WEBSTER, MAHAGER TOWN PLAMfiERS f A.C. COMEY T.H.DESMOND S.H. HARE R.A.OUTHET T.G.PHILL1PS aH.RAMSDELL P. WYMAM ' i A5ST5.T0THEM6H. COST REPORTS ENGINEER J.C.PRIOR.CHIEF 6.B.B£AUMDHI,CH(£F TRAVELLIMS SUPERVISORS A.M.eANSOn J. M. MURPHY J.H. MOLAN W. REiD.JR. M.REYnOLOS COMTRACT SRAiiCH H-MgLAREH, CHIEF REQUIREMENTS DIVISION t1.MAX Di;H»IHe,MAMA6ER ESTf MATIN© BRAMCH imDlMELL.CHIEF N.MAX DUHHmB WAR IMDUSTRILS BOARD . ANTICIPATED MATERIAL EQUiREMENTS U.3.RJl.ADMm. CAR SERVICE COMMITTEE CAR LOAD REauiREMEHTS SECTION OF WAD 1NDUSTR1E3 BOARD ISSUAMGf. OF LICENSES mmm materials aECTfON OF WAR IflDUST.BOARD ASSISTANT MANAGER W. C. LEWJ3 WASHlMGTOn H0U3U13 REPAIRS POWDER PLANT3 I I WORKS SUPERinTEnOEIfT COST REPORT EhGiriEER J. R.ALLen RA.H=CULUICH H.D.BELCHER C. H. RAPP A.A.BROWME A.J.SAUER W.W.COOK W.B.'WILLIS P.G.COOPER R.l. DODGE uiwoBramGiuB K.W.MARTIM C,W. WRIGHT COriSTRUCTrOH DIV.OF US. ARMY ALLOCATION OF PURCHASES MATERIALS PROGUREMEMT BRAHCH lP OBIRDStYEjCHlEF J.E.SGHUVLER WAR INDUSTRIES B.OARD COMMODITY 3ECTIlSe AHD PRIORITIES IHSPECTORS r MATERIALS SECTION aA.PORTEfl,CHll;f 1 PRICES LOCAL ORDERS L.s. vAnce AR PACKARD PRIORITY SECTION C'.BIRP3EYE.CH1EF ^ TRANSPORT WIOM FURMISHlrlSS TRANSPORTATION DIVISION i. F.WELLS, MANAGER W. A.MELLEN, ASST. M6H. HJi.EASTERLY,A8ST.T0 MGR. DISTRICT ENGINEERS CONSTRUCTION EMSIMEERS OFFICE. ENGINEERS TRANSPOETATim SUPERVISORS U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF INDUSTRIAL HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION OTTO M. EIDLITZ, Director REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION DECEMBER 3, 1918 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1919 CONTENTS. Letters of transmittal 5 Chronological statement 7 Organization chart 9 Preliminary organization and incorporation 11 The various activities of the Housing Corporation 11-23 Homes Registration Service 12 Rent profiteering 13 Requigition of unoccupied dwellings 14 Transportation facilities 14 Stimulation of building by private capital 15 Distribution of labor and war contracts 16 Construction and operation of houses 17 Method of procedure — -Acquisition of land — Design , 17 Method of letting contracts — Sapesvision of work 19 Projects planned or under construction 21 Management and operation of the houses 21 General observations 22 Continuation of the work undertaken by the Government 23 Appendix I. Personnel of the United States Housing Corporation 25 Appendix II. Division of Surveys and Statistics 29-37 Information furnished to other departments 31 Exhibit A 31 Exhibit B 35 Appen'dix III. Homes Registration and Information Division 39-45 Statistical statement 44 Appendix IV. Transportation Division 47-53 Purpose of work 47 Interpretation of act 47 Organization 47 ^ Scope of work - 48 Installation of special train service for war workers 48 Rearrangement of railway schedules 48 Financing railway extensions and additions 49 Amount of appropriations 50 Safety car 50 Statistical statement • 51 Appendix V. Real Estate Division 55-60 Responsibilities and results 55 Procedure 55 Preliminary investigation and appraisal "55 Appraisals as safeguards 56 Acquisition of real property 56 Maintenance of competition 57 Acquisition by purchase 57 Acquisition by requisition 57 Commandeering houses 57 Closing of contracts and taking titles 58 Salvage 58 Disposition of real property held by housing corporation 58 Need for centralization of Government real estate activities 58 Acknowledgment of services .(. 59 National Association of Real Estate Boards 59 Conclusion 59 Statistical statement 59 Appeiidix VI. The Design Divisions 61-74 Architectural Division 62 Engineering Division 67 Statistical statement 71 Town Planning Division 73 4 CONTENTS. Page. Appendix VIT. Requirements Division 75 Appendix VIII. Construction Division ' 79-87 Contract Branch 80 Materials Procurement Branch 80 Cost Reports Branch 81 Sales Department 84 Statistical statement 85 Appendix IX. Industrial Relations Division 89 Appendix X. Operating Division 93-96 Furniture and equipment 95 Appendix XI. I,e?al Division 97-102 Advisory work and conferences 97 Incorporation 97 Real estate .♦. 98 Construction and personal service contracts 99 Contracts with companies and municipalities 100 Employment of local counsel 101 Appendix Xll. Fiscal Division 103-104 History and organization 103 Scope 103 PoUcy... 103 Accomplishment 104 Appendix XII I . Committee on Requisitioned Houses 105-121 Houses commandeered in Washington 105 Statistical summary 110 Government houses operated in Washington 119 Statistical statement 119 Appendix XIV. Washington Division, Homes Registration 123-126 Ijoans to boarding-house keepers 125 Statistical statement. . 126 LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL. Department of Labor, Office of the Seceetart, Washington, December 11, 1918. I have the honor to transmit herewith, in accordance with section (i of the act of May 16, 1918, " An act to authorize the President to provide housing for war needs," a full and detailed report covering all of the transactions with relation to the subject matter of that act, up to and including October 31, 1918. Very respectfully, W. B. Wilson, Secretary. The President, The White House Washington, D. G. Bureau of Industrial Housing and Transportation, United States Housing Corporation, Washington, D. C, December 10, 1918. Sir: Herewith please find report of this bureau and its various divisions, including the report of the Fiscal Division up to October 31. It was impossible to compile this report of the Fiscal Division up to a later date, because vouchers from the various contracts had to come in many cases from long distances and in two developments from the Pacific coast. Faithfully yours. Otto M. Eidlitz, President. The honorable the Secretary of Labor, Washington, D. G. REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION [Dated December 3. 1918.1 CHRONOLOGICAL STATEMENT. October 10, 1917. — Committee appointed by Council of National De- fense to advise with the various Government departments inter- ested in the problems of housing war workers. Octoher 30, 1917. — Committee reported, with recommendations, to Hon. Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War and chairman Coun- cil of National Defense. February 7, 1918. — Bill introduced in Congress for appropriation of $50,000,000 to meet needs of "housing for war needs" of War and Navy Departments. February 8, 1918.— Otto M. Eidlitz appointed Director of the Bu- reau of Industrial Housing and Transportation by the Secretary of Labor. May 16, ,1918. — Bill passed giving the President authority to form a bureau. May 28, 1918. — Bill introduced in Congress for an appropriation of $60,000,000 for "housing for war needs." ■June k, 1918. — Bill passed for appropriation of $60,000,000 to be ex- pended under the direction of the President for "housing for war needs." June 18, 1918. — Executive order by the President delegating his authority under the act of June 4 to the Secretary of Labor. July 8, i5i5.— Additional appropriation of $40,000,000 authorized to be expended under the housing act. July 9, 1918. — Incorporation of the United States Housing Cor- poration under the laws of the State of New York. July 26, 1918. — First funds made available for disbursement by the United States Housing Corporation. 7 I '& I b O Q o: -« o ea o H < o. O o < u. o >< H u o CO z o i2 ai O Qu c« •< -a! ^ as ^ o s .J -a: Q 2 Z o -j: as o a. cc o 2 So 3 O X CO u en Q Hi z ;3 as e a < i| S EU is eu > OS uj *c bd H -J ^ S o OA E O a M u h- u« h- o 5 ^ o n 25 >• -e o ;- U] >■ BS 3 «0 h- o PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATION AND INCORPORATION. As indicated by the foregoing statement, the housing organization began its preliminary work as the Bureau of Industrial Housing and Transportation under the Department of Labor, and this title has been continued down to the present time. Later, in July, under authority of an act of Congress, the United States Housing Corpora- tion was formed and thereupon took over the work previously begun by the bureau, with the exception of certain minor matters where it was deemed advisable to continue in the name of the bureau. It will be noticed that the housing appropriation was not made available until July 25, 1918, and most of the work covered by this report has been done since that date. Little need be said in the present report concerning the impera- tive war necessity and the unusual conditions which called these or- ganizations into being and which justified the action of Congress in making an appropriation available for supplying housing facilities for those engaged in war industries. We believe the wisdom of its action has since been fully demonstrated by the experience of the Corporation and of the various branches of the Government immedi- ately concerned in the production of war material and the handling of labor for that purpose. It will be recalled that to carry out the war program, it became imperatively necessary to provide for the fast increasing numbers of industrial workers in certain localities where war contracts had been placed and to insure their remaining at their tasks. It was found that, in many of these important industrial centers, the congestion of living conditions made it practically imposible for the war industries to secure or hold the labor necessary to carry on their operations; that, chiefly as a result of the inadequate housihg facilities, the labor turnover often ranged from 200 to 300 per cent a year, with the attendant financial loss, waste of time, and inefficiency. It was evi- dent that the prosecution of the war was being materially slowed up as a consequence. Normal peace-time expenditure in the United States for working- men's houses has been estimated at one billion dollars a year; in 1917 the war pressure cut down the expenditures for this purpose to 10 per cent of that amount. It was found that restrictions upon building materials, the general scarcity and high cost of labor, the derangement of prices incident to the war and the consequent diffi- culty in securing building loans combined to discourage private in- vestment and made Government aid imperative as a war measure. THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES OF THE HOUSING CORPORA- TION. The function of the Housing Corporation, in attempting to meet the need thus described, has been not merely to build houses for in- dustrial workers but to provide houses for such workers in every 11 12 EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. manner possible, building being resorted to only when other means were clearly inadequate. Eoughly speaking, the corporation has sought to meet the housing needs created by the war in industrial communities in the following various ways: (a) By making available to the utmost such housing facilities as were found by careful investigation to exist in or near the communities in question; (h) By linking up, through improved transportation, the places where labor was needed with the places capable of hous- ing it; (e) By stimulating, aiding, and encouraging private capital to build ; (d) By aiding in the distribution of labor and in the placing of war contracts in order that housing congestion might in this manner be avoided or reduced; And finally, and only as a last resort — (e) By the construction and operation of houses, apartments, and dormitories. In many communities all of these methods were employed; in others, only ore or two as the conditions seemed to warrant. Appli- cations for relief came through various channels — from civic organi- zations, from munition manufacturers or other contractors engaged upon war work, or from the War or Navy Department direct. But all applications were either referred to or received from the War or Navy Department, and the corporation acted only after these depart- ments had certified to the Housing Corporation the urgency of the need, and had given a rating according to the importance of the output with relation to war manufacturing. An investigation was then made of the community applying for aid in order to ascertain all the facts bearing upon the character and extent of the relief to be afforded. The survey attempted to include an accurate and care- ful report of the number, kind, and condition of all local indus- tries engaged wholly, in part, or not at all in war production; the number, classification, and earnings of their emploj'ees; the rate of labor turnover in each plant, with evidence as to its cause; the resi- dence of the employees, local or at a distance, with schedules, rates of fare, and quality of transportation furnished the community; whether or not there was housing unavailed of in or near the com- munity, and the general character and extent of existing housing; sanitary conditions and the state of public utilities generally; aver- age rents and land values; available building sites; facts as to schools, churches, amusements, recreation facilities, and welfare or- ganizations; the amount of building being done or projected by pri- vate interests ; the banks and lending companies which might aid in such enterprises — and any other information which the investigators could gather to aid the corporation in gauging the housing needs of the various communities and in determining the best method of meet- ing those needs. (a) HOMES REGISTRATION SERVICE. With the facts above mentioned available, the corporation was in a position to determine which one or more of the various remedies above enumerated could best be applied in a given case. The first method to be considered and applied was the discovery of existing EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 13 housing facilities in or near the community and the enabling of war workers to find and use such facilities. This work was the function of the Homes Registration Service, so called. The reasons for giving first importance to this work in each com- munity were two : to build housing requires time, and speed was of the essence of our program ; and the spending of public funds for hous- ing could be justified only when it was clear that the need for housing facilities could not otherwise be met. The point toward which the Homes Registration Service worked was complete " saturation of housing space " — that is, the occupation by war workers of all fit living accommodations within a reasonable radius of the plants, up to the point where all were suitably housed at prices commensurate with the wages earned. But varying condi- tions combined to make this a complex problem. One community may show a surplus of lodgings for single men, but afford scant accommodations for workers with families. A locality may supply a thousand rooms suited to the needs of the worker earning two or three dollars a day, but few rooms which would satisfy a worker earning more, and vice versa. Lodging houses may abound where the demand is heavy for boarding or housekeeping accommodations ; and boarding places may be the rule in the vicinity of a plant, the labor in which, for reason of overtime or high-pressure work, re- quires the other system. To ascertain and, where possible, adjust and alter these conditions devolved upon the Homes Registration Service. Vacancy canvasses were made covering all unoccupied houses, flats, and, in the most pressing conditions, even rooms which house- holders might be induced to rent. Houses and rooms were graded not only as to convenience and price but also as to cleanliness and sanitation. Lists of all available accommodations thus made up were maintained in each community at the local Homes Registration Office, and were checked and kept up to date by daily reports and frequent inspection. Field agents visited some 60 or 10 cities in the United States where need for housing was known to exist and estab- lished Homes Registration Bureaus therein. The Bureau of Indus- trial Housing and Transportation in Washington furnished the nec- essary card systems and methods of organizing such bureaus, but, through the loyalty and patriotism of the local citizens, the communi- ties themselves undertook to operate thereafter these bureaus, and did so with great success, reporting in most cases weekly to the Wash- ington division. Their whole work, however, was supervised from i Washington, with visits from our field agents to see that proper progress was being made and proper methods observed. The total number of registries established and reporting place- ments by November 16 was 66. Local registry committees had been established by that time in 41 other cities, and in most of these vacancy canvasses had begun. The total number of placements reported by the registries was 31,389, the recorded weekly placements in Novem- ber running well over 2,000. The actual number placed, however, is estimated to be from two to three times this number. Rent profiteering. It was soon found that one of the causes for the high labor turn- over was the exorbitant charges made by landlords, who have acted 14 KEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. on the economic principle of charging '' all that the traffic will bear," and the corporation has tried, through the Homes Eegistration Serv- ice, to put some restraint upon this form of profiteering. So far as effective legal authority was concerned, the Housing Corporation found itself helpless to check such excesses, but it has achieved meas- urably satisfactory results through the enlisting of public opinion, following the general plan instituted at the suggestion of the War Labor Policies Board in New London, Conn., where a committee, made up of representatives of labor, of employers, and of the public, sits in arbitration upon the cases of disputed rental charges. Com- mittees organized under the direction of the Housing Corporation in general accordance with this New London plan have operated suc- cessfully in 76 cities, and it is gratifying to be able to report that the results achieved more than justified the experiment. Requisition of unoccupied dwellings. It was found advisable in a number of communities to requisition the use of unoccupied dwellings. These dwellings generally were found to have been kept idle for an indefinite period by their owners from one motive or another, but frequently because of a refusal to rent or sell the property at what appeared to be a reasonable sum, they thereby seeking to profit unduly by the necessities of the war. In Washington the use of 141 properties was taken over in this man- ner; in Bethlehem, Pa., 143 houses were requisitioned, and in various other places an additional number amounting to about 100. In the great majority of cases little difficulty was found in persuading the owners, after the houses had been requisitioned, to consent to their rental to war workers on reasonable terms, and thereupon the requisi- tion was canceled and the property returned to the owner. This power to requisition unoccupied dwellings, given by the housing act, was therefore found to be a useful means of curbing the disposition to profiteer by holding property vacant until an exorbitant rental could be secured. (b) TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. Where there is complete housing saturation already existing or secured through the efforts of the Homes Eegistration Service, as above described, there may still exist within reasonable distance from the industrial community in question, other communities offer- ing housing vacancies which can be made available, provided ade- quate transportation can be secured. Here, again, it was found to be cheaper and quicker to provide transportation to such adjoining communities than to build new houses. It was the function of the Transportation Division of the corporation to secure such facilities after a careful study of the possibilities of each community. The problem was met in various ways. By special train, trollev, or boat service timed to the schedules of the war factories, and by the simple rearrangement of schedules; in some instances the Transportation Division has put and held some 8,000 workers in touch with their jobs. An investigation in many communities developed that the local transportation companies were in urgent need of financial aid to pro- vide the greatly increased facilities made necessary by the influx of iSEPOBT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 15 war workers, and that because of conditions brought on by the war it was impossible for the companies to secure this aid through the usual channels. In order to secure the cooperation of the companies already operating transportation facilities and thereby avoid the great expense of itself undertaking to construct such facilities, the Housing Corporation adopted the policy of advancing money in the form of loans to these companies on proper security and bearing 5 per cent interest, in order that they might buy additional cars or supply other facilities needed. About $7,000,000 was advanced for this purpose. In addition, however, to readjusting schedules for existing service and to giving aid in the form of loans, negotiations were entered into with both steam railroads and trolley systems to supply additional service to meet the needs suddenly created by the presence of large numbers of war workers. For instance, arrangements were made to have a train run from Perth Amboy to Asbury Park, at which latter place the corporation had found, through its Investigation Division, a considerable number of vacant houses. At the present time there are about 2,000 workers commuting every day froni Asbury Park and Long Branch to Perth Amboy — employees of the copper indus- tries of Perth Amboy and of important shell-loading plants of the Ordnance Department. The regular rate for this trip was 42 cents, but in order to induce the workers to take advantage of these facili- ties and to make this 30-mile trip, the corporation arranged to have the fare reduced to 25 cents, absorbing the 17 cents diflFerential. A ferryboat was chartered to take care of the Staten Island indus- tries working for the Navy, and the entire ferryboat system of Hamp- ton Roads was taken over by the Housing Corporation, new ferry- boats bought, and arrangements made to increase docking facilities so as to relieve the acute congestion in this district. In the Chicago district five trains were put on and schedules ar- ranged. Some of the roads had never carried passengers, but arranged to do so without cost to the Government and with very material results to the steel industries in the neighboring steel towns. Lumping loans with the cost of differentials supplied by the corpo- ration, the division estimates that the expense per worker per year for transportation will amount to approximately $35. As the housing expense where the construction is undertaken by the Housing Corpo- ration is estimated at $550 per man in the dormitories and from $1,750 to $2,250 per man in dwellings, the substitution of augmented trans- portation facilities represents a great saving over the building of dwellings or dormitories. (c) STIMULATION OF BUILDING BY PRIVATE CAPITAL. In investigating congestion due to war work, the corporation re- ceived its information as to the importance of the war output of the locality from either the Army or Navy. Localities were rated A, B, and C, in the order of importance, and as the appropriation of Con- gress was obviously inadequate to take care of all the projects that demanded relief, the corporation tried to give relief to those of chief importance. In addition to the methods already mentioned, the corporation, through the Priorities Section of the Requirements Di- vis^n, made an effort to stimulate private capital to take care of 16 BEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. the housing shortage for industrial workers in a great number of communities where no financial aid could be given. It was recom- mended to such communities that since tbe Government had placed important contracts therein and the communities were greatly bene- fiting therefrom, and from the influx of new workers of all descrip- tions, they should undertake to the extent of their ability to care for their own housing, and that unless some disposition was shown thus to cooperate during the war emergency they might expect that future contracts would be placed elsewhere. The corporation further represented to these communities that it would secure for them priorities as to materials, the license to build under proper restrictions, safeguarding the worker as to rental and sale, and that wherever possible the corporation would secure Government prices for their projects. All plans were passed on by the corporation before the license was issued, and a sworn statement in each case was drawn up and signed by the persons seeking the license, in which they agreed to terms suggested by the corporation. In this way licenses were issued, through the War Industries Board, for about $43,000,000 worth of homes for workers. (d) DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR AND WAR CONTRACTS. The corporation further sought to solve some of the difficulties presented by the housing problem by bringing about a better dis- tribution of labor through its diversion from less essential industries to those making munitions of war, in conjunction with a redistri- bution of war contracts by placing them where factories were idle, or partly so, and where there was labor supply and more adequate housing. Because there nowhere existed such an industrial survey as gave direct and reliable information, the corporation, through the Division of Surveys and Statistics, undertook to supply the neces- sary facts, woi'king through the regional advisers and the labor con- trol boards in the various centers of industrial activity. . A complete list of every factory employing over 10 men was made in a large number of cities, including a statement as to the kind of work that the less essential factory could take on as a war measure and how long it would take that factory to change over. In this way it became evident that in many localities no housing would have to be provided if a certain percentage of laborers from the less essential factories was diverted to those engaged in war work. Not only in the matter of time, but also of money, these surveys have proved to be an agency of economy. In one city, for example, where a superficial investigation seemed to justify an allotment of $900,000, such an allotment was found to be wholly unnecessary be- cause the survey showed that only a little more than half the local labor was engaged in war work; that no housing congestion existed; and that, in fact, the local manufacturing interests were employing about eleven hundred fewer workers than at the beginning of 1917. At another place, instead of providing three-quarters of a million dol- lars for additional housing, it was found through the survey that, without employing new labor, the city could readily convert to war industries much of its existing manufacturing industry, 60 per cent of which was engaged in commercial nonwar work. A survey of a western town revealed the fact that a large manufacturing concern REPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COHPOKATION. , 17 available for war work was operating at only 50 per cent capacity with 500 idle laborers in a city with housing accommodations avail- able for 5,000 people in addition to its then population. A report of these facts being made to the War Industries Board, steps were taken to have the factory receive new contracts and to see that other industries would be encouraged in the locality. (e) CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OP HOUSES. The final method of meeting the needs of the community was by the acquisition of land and the construction of housing thereon. Where the other methods mentioned above were inadequate, it was necessary for the Housing Corporation to embark upcfti the building of houses for the accommodation of war workers; and in some in- stances this involved the building practically entire of a new commu- nity. This enterprise was termed " a project." Before determining upon the construction of such a project, however, the corporation satisfied itself, after careful investigation, as to the industrial sta- bility of the community and the probable existence of a normal popu- lation in nonwar times which would justify such an addition to the local housing so that the enterprise would be regarded as a safe in- vestment. Permanent construction in such a project usually included all the house combinations, single, doubled, or grouped as rows in varying number; boarding houses, apartments, and sometimes dormitories. Dormitories, however, have been employed only where there was the clearest assurance of their being urgently needed, where great speed was essential, and especially where the nature of the industry indi- cated as an unstable postwar existence. It may be mentioned, in passing, as a confirmation of the wisdom shown by the Government in thus aiding in the construction of in- dustrial housing that the mere announcement of an intention to build by the Government was of the utmost value in holding workers at their jobs, and that as the work of construction progressed there was a marked diminution of labor overturn in that community. Method of procedure — Acquisition of land — Design. At a meeting of the president of the corporation and the associate directors of housing, representing the Army and the Navy, with the stail of the corporation, the report of the investigator for the project under consideration is presented and fully discussed, and a tentative allotment of funds made to take care of the housing project decided upon. Thereupon, a realtor would be sent out to report upon avail- able property and general values. On his return there would next go out a committee on sites, composed of architect, town planner, engineer, and real estate expert, to make choice of specific site, taking into consideration all the various factors affecting its location. Thus, the engineering difficulties involved in one plot might be prohibitive, and another would have to be chosen. Again, lack of transporta- tion facilities might make one attractive section unavailable, or the unadaptability to the character of housing required might adversely affect another site which would otherwise be suitable. This group returns to the corporation and renders a full report with recom- 97379°— 19 2 18 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. mendations signed by the four specialists. These recommendations are then presented to the staff at a special meeting, and when ap- proved, a special architect, town planner, and engineer are appointed for that project, and the project is launched. Steps are immediately taken then to acquire the real property necessary for each project, the architect, town planner, and engineer in the meantime entering upon their work. A real estate negotiator is sent to the place to ac- quire the property, with a view to protecting the Government against payment of an excessive price. Appraisers are secured through the patriotic cooperation of the mayor, the rotary club, the real estate board, and the assessor. The negotiator then undertakes to secure from the owner a reasonable price at which he will sell, and this price is submitted for approval to the president of the Housing Corpora- tion. It is estimated that of the purchases made by the Real Estate Division, properties to the amount of $5,600,000 were secured by the Government at about $870,000 less than the asking price. It should not be inferred from this that any advantage was taken of any vendor, but the corporation, being in position to know the actual value, secured for the Government these various properties at a fair price. In some instances we were compelled to requisition property, but in all such cases the Government is also in position to sub- stantiate the values that were offered, and to fix " just compensation " as required by law. The corporation has tried in this manner to establish that the purpose of the Government to purchase land ought not to be allowed to increase its value. The Architectural, Engineering, and Town Planning Divisions of the corporation respectively appoint the architect, town planner, and engineer above mentioned for each project, these men being carefully selected from among private practitioners of high profes- sional standing ; and the three constitute a committee of design. Each of them reports to the division to which his work relates and his work is reviewed and checked up minutely in all constructive and mechanical details; the three men collaborate in their work of aesign. They receive from the respective divisions full instructions as to requirements a.id lijaitations of the project and also the varioi.3 standards and data whereby they are to be governed. In a certivin sense the • architect for these projects faces a new problem, for al+hough in designing a house it is usual to consult the requirements of the family, on the one hand, and of the servants, on the other; a house that is constructed for the industrial worker must keep in view the needs of the one person who will take over all of its interna] management; that is to. say, the wife, who is both the housekeeper and -jook. The Hiusing Corporation ha3 sought to build for the comfort, convenience, and labor saving of the woman most concerned, and to that end the architect consults the ^leeds of the wif J of the workingman in order to ascertain what type of house will best meet her Tvai 's and comfort A house which is suited to one community for this purpose may be entirely unsuited to the climate, general living conditions, and habits of another community, and hence comes the need of making a study of each community where houses of this character are to be built. EEPORT OF XJKITED STATES HOUSING COEPOKATIOST. 19 The project town planner is responsible for the design of the project as a whole with reference to the site upon which it is to be built; the plan of roads and walks; the subdivision into lots, the general arrangement of the buildings on those lots, the allotment and arrangement of recreation spaces, etc. The project engineer is charged with the design of all that part of the project designated as " utilities," including sewers, sewage dis- posal, lighting, water supply, grading for roads, sidewalks, etc. The results attained by these designers — although working as tech- nical experts — should be such as to appeal at once to the least trained eye, as achieving the most practical, sensible, attractive, and econom- ical construction and locating of houses possible out of the material in hand. We may take, for example, a project in which the type is the simple; economical, two-story, red-brick house with low stoop and gable roof. Street after street in various cities is lined with this species of architecture "built by the mile and sold by the foot," to the uttermost wearying of the eye because of the monotony of the lines, dreary as the unrelieved straightness of the thoroughfares on which they are built. Worse still, much intensive occupation of land leads to many evils, such as bad sanitary conditions and juvenile delin- quency, for the children have no other playground than the streets. In our completed project these same simple two-story edifices take on a new attractiveness. Balancing yield against investment, it was no extravagance to break the roof lines and shorten the rows into groups with some single and double houses; to construct the street plan with winding streets and closed vistas ; to provide sufficient open area ; to adjust the proportion rightly, and vary the color and texture of the roofs and wall surfaces. Inside there has been the same effort directed to the best results without extra cost ; putting four bedrooms where three used to fill the same space, eliminating superfluous hall- ways and the like ; while due regard has been had throughout for the requirements of proper sanitation and the laws of health generally. 'The result of this combination of trained talent ought to give to the Government the maximum value for its investment and thereby en- able it to get the best results when it comes to sell these houses to private investors. Method of letting contracts for construction — Supervision of work. After the drawings and specifications are completed and approved,' the Construction Division lets the contract for the building of the houses, in accordance with the requirements of the housing act. To a specially prepared list of " responsible competing contractors " selected for reliability, efficiency, financial ability, and, where possible, because of proximity to the project, invitations to bid on the build- ings are sent. In the meantime, the Requirements Division has pre- pared an itemized estimate of the cost of the proposed buildings, which is used as a standard to check up the bids when received. The materials, at a fixed price, are purchased through the Construction Division of the Army, the prices for the materials entering into con- struction being given to the bidder. The contract is to be given under the terms of the act to the lowest responsible bidder. In the early stages of the bureau's history a few contracts were let for a fixed price, but experience (supplemented by a much larger ex- 20 REPORT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. perience of the Emergency Fleet Corporation of which this bureau had full knowledge) showed that no fixed ptice contract for any con- siderable amount of work could be let under war conditions without compelling the Government to pay an exorbitant price for the work. Prices for material took frequent upward jumps and doubled in a short time, labor costs were increased with unprecedented rapidity, higher wages were constantly demanded, and no one could tell where or when the increases would stop. Under these circumstances con- tractors in figuring on a fixed price naturally included every possible contingency of risk that might occur and the bids were out of all proportion to the value of the results to the Government. It was obviously a better course for the Government to pay actual costs ; out of all the possible increased costs on which the contractors figured some at least would not occur anJ on the cost basis the Government would get the benefit, and so the result proved. In every case the cost contracts Imve been made at a lower rate than similar contracts or corresponding bids on the fixed-price basis. _ " Cost-plus percentage " contracts were forbidden by the act, be- cause contracts of that sort increase the contractor's fee the more he makes the contract cost the Government. Hence most of the proj- ects were awarded on a fixed-fee basis, the contractor making an esti- mate of the cost of the work, giving a list of his plant, the rental that would be charged for it, and the time in which he would execute the contract, as well as his organization chart with list of salaries. Upon an estimate prepared by the Estimating Section of the corpora- tion, the maximum fee which the corporation would pay was fixed and stated in the submission sheet. If the final cost of the work exceed his estimate, the contractor is penalized to the extent of one- half of his fee. If, on the other hand, he effect a saving under this estimate he can increase his fee, receiving 25 cents on each dollar saved up to the limit of one-half of his fee. Some of our contracts do not contain the penalty feature, but all of our fee-basis contracts contain the provision for a fixed fee with a bonus for a saving in the cost. It may be interesting to note that the average contractor's fee under this system on all of our contracts over $1,000,000 is only 2| per cent and on contracts less than $1,000,000 about 3^ per cent. The contract having been let in this manner, it devolves upon the Materials Procurement Branch to arrange for the requirement of the necessary public utility and building materials and for the priority shipments on the railroads, no such materials or shipments being pro- curable except upon clearance by the War Industries Board. A works superintendent is appointed tu each project charged with general authority over the work of the contractor in the field, and with the duty of seeing that the work corresponds with the specifica- tions. A field auditor and disbursing officer are also appointed. At the beginning of the work the Industrial Relations Division sends out its field representative. He combines the duties of a personnel offi- cer, an arbitrator, and an adjuster and exercises a general outlook for the conditions surroimding the men on the job. His one concern is that thy job shall proceed with a maximum of speed and a minimum of trouble. He must watch for signs of labor troubles, investigate and ad- just disputes between the contractor and his men, keep track of and re- port upon all matters having to do with wages, working standards, hous- ing, labor turnover, and the like. The responsibility rests upon him REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 21 for the general health and comfort of the men and also to see that sufficient recreation is provided. (This refers to the workingmen building the housing project, not to the war workers who will later fill the houses.) The purpose is to keep the labor continually on the job that it may be completed at the earliest possible moAient. How effective the measures he takes may prove is evidenced in one case among others by the report from a certain plant showing that out of 450 workers who wished to quit for other jobs, 385 were saved to the contractor largely through his care for the workers on his project. The Housing Corporation has been able to maintain its 10- hour day, with Sundays off, for the contract work, although other en- terprises have bid against it with a 12-hour day, or even higher, Sun- day included. Projects planned or under construction. The following table shows in summary form the number of projects, the state of progress, and their present state: Construction contracts let 60 Plans completed, ready for contracts 23 Plans in preparation ^ 5 Plans ordered ! 2 Investigation completed; construction postponed 4 — 94 Projects abandoned November 11 54 Projects curtailed November 11 15 Projects to proceed as planned ; 25 — 94 From this it will be seen that 40 projects in whole or in part are proceeding, and that 54 that were started have been canceled. Had the armistice not been signed until a month later, some 90 projects would have been in course of construction. An appreciable number of projects will be ready for occupancy by the first of the year, several to be ready for occupancy within two weeks. With few exceptions the 40 projects should be completed in the late spring. The cancellation of projects and the handling of materials which has been ordered in many cases ahead of the letting of contracts have naturally brought about a situation which it will take some time to adjust, but the Housing Corporation will do its best to solve this problem without material loss to the Government. The program in hand at the time of signing the armistice provided housing for approximately 75,000 workers. The reduced program provides for about 25,000 workers. Management and operation of the houses. All is not finished with the completion of the project. Having called its enterprise into existence, the Housing Corporation must now run it to the satisfaction of the tenants. For the multiform duties involved in this a town manager is appointed by the Operating Division, which has already provided such equipment as it was de- cided to install. He is, as it were, a hotel manager on an extended scale besides being a real estate agent and a sort of morale officer. He is responsible for the physical upkeep of the houses, the mainte- nance of sanitary conditions, the abatement of nuisances, the ad- justment of those troublesome neighborly disputes which, unad- justed, lead to the police court, and for the general welfare supervi- 22 BEPOKT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPORATIO;sr. sion of the populace. He fixes rentals and determines priority of occupancy, based upon the importance of the workman as reported by the War or Navy Department, whichever may be taking the out- put of the neighboring plant. His duties include the establishment and maintenance of the various desirable social and recreational, ac- tivities; he is, in fact, the energizer of community life. Both the business success and the maintenance of morale of the project rest upon his shoulders. And largely owing to whether he is a success or a failure will the men stand by or quit the job. A contented house- holder is usually a, reliable and stable workman. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. ' To the casual observer the general proposition that houses were to be built for workmen would seem a simple one. But actually it is a large, complex human and economic problem, with so many sides to it that for its solution there needs to be invoked the joint endeavor of those in numerous and greatly varied walks of life, ordinarily thought of as unrelated. The union of all these forces does not,, in ordinary circumstances, occur. It is possible only where the magnitude of operations upon a wholesale scale permits the absorption of the overhead expense it , entails. The United States Housing Corporation has worked upon such a scale and has therefore been able to assemble into one closely woven organization these many agencies. Here have been owner, manager, realtor, designers in all branches, constructor, experts in the technicalities of building, of transportation, of schools, hospitals, living conditions, and the law. The special knowledge of all these has been available for exercise at the moment when needed and con- tinuously throughout. The advantage is easily demonstrable; to have, for instance, the advice and cooperation of the builder who will construct and the manager who will conduct the property, from the very inception of the planning and through all its stages to com- pletion in all its various parts, is obviously beneficial. The same is true of the larger group. It is also a fact that these specialists should all be the best in their respective lines; to take one only, when the town planner lays out streets that follow contours advantageously he is avoiding the needless expense of cut and fill that would result from an unintelligent or haphazard plan. The corporation, because of the importance of its work and through the patriotic appeal in- herent in its objects, has been able to command such talent and at very small expense. The organization has functioned as what may fairly and appropriately be called a teain; there has been illuminat- ing evidence of the essential interdependence of its factors, and of the value of so uniting them when the problem of industrial housing, whether for war workers or those of peace, is to be adequately solved in its many economic and social aspects. Any attempt to appraise the actual functixsning of this assembly must take into account the fact that it had to be conceived; its per- sonnel found and brought together; its methods devised, tried, and elaborated, under the almost overwhelming pressure of a stupendous volume of production work requiring the greatest possible speed, and carried on concurrently with the internal processes of organization. The completed projects will be the best proof of the wisdom of the EEPOET OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. 23 methods employed to accomplish the results under the extraordinary difficulties which had to be overcome. CONTINUATION OF THE WORK UNDERTAKEN BY THE GOVERN- MENT. It is to be hoped that the work performed by the United States Housing Corporation will not be lost when the war emergency is over, and that some means will be found to make use of the vast fund of experience and of material which that emergency has thus made available. Just how this is to be accomplished must, of course, be left to those powers in the Government which control such matters, but it might be well for our country to turn its eyes to what our allies are doing on the other side, and perhaps learn a lesson that may be of importance in promoting a contented citizenship in these United States. There follow in the appendix the detailed reports of the various divisions of the United States Housing Corporation. These divi- sions reporting are as follows : Architectural Division. Indu' trial Relations Division. Construction Division. Legal Division. Division of Surveys and Statistics. Operating Division. Engineering Division. Real Estate Division. Fiscal Division. Requirements Division. Homes Registration and Information Town Planning Division. Division. Transportation Division. EespectfuUy submitted. United States Hoxtsing Coepoeation, Otto M. Eidlitz, President. Deoembee 3, 1918. APPENDIX I. PERSONNEL OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSING COR- PORATION. The following is a list of the United States Housing Corporation personnel, including executive and division nianagers,^ with their branch and section heads : \ President Otto M. Eidlltz. Vice president Jos. D. Leland, 3d. Secretary 1. Burt L. Fanner. Treasurer George G. Box. Board of Directors. Otto M. Eidlitz, Chnirman. John W. Alvord. Jos. D. Leland, Sd. George G. Box. Fred. L. Olmsted. Burt L. Fenner. William E. Shannon. Charles P. Howland. William J. Spencer. Assistant to the president J. J. McNamara. Assistant to the vice president R. P. Blake. Executive secretary Harlean James. General manager Burt L. Fenner. Assistant general managers C. Grant LaFarge. William A. Payne. Assistant to the general manager Lionel Moses. ABCHITECTUKAL DIVISION. Manager , John W. Cross. Chief draftsman M. A. Dyer. Architectural examiners George Blount. A. H. Gilkison. R. H. Jordan. T. B. Lippincott. J. H. Stone. Electrical Section A. P. Newhouse. Heating Section G. A. Suter. Plumbing Section F. McNamara. Specification Section G. F. Temple. COXSTKUCTION DIVISION. Manager Daniel T. Webster. Assistant manager William C. Lewis. Assistant to the mana.ncer T. E. Videto. Assistant to the manager W. J. Thistlewaite. Contract Branch H. McLaren. Coordinating officer Maj. Schuyler. Cost Report Engineering Branch J. C. Prior. > Division managers are staCE members. 25 26 EEPOET OP UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. Materials Procurement Branch G. Birdseye. Materials Section G. A. Porter. Powder Plant Projects W. S. Painter. Repair Branch _: Capt. Moore. Requisition Section A. M. Worthington. Traffic Section Sidney King. Traveling supervisors C B. Beaumont. A. M. Ganson. E. M. Murphy. J. H. Nolan. Walter Beid, jr. M. Reynolds. SURVEYS AND STATISTICS DIVISION. Manager W. E. Guerin. Assistant to the manager D. A. Calhoun. Analysis Section i E. E. Wolf. Compilation Section .John Doll. Interdepartmental Branch A. A. Zinkin. Statistical Branch __.L. Meriam. Survey Branch W. L. Fletcher. ENGlNEEiaXG DIVISION. Chief engineer :__.Tohn W. Alvord.- Assistant chief engineer L. K. Sherman. Attorney, contract relations W. J. Kuertz. Cost engineer B. P. Burke. Electrical engineer E. C. Couch. Fire-protection engineer IJ. E. Andrews. Gas engineer W. A. Fritchman. Highway engineer D. M. Pierce. District engineers K. Allen. D Bontecou. C. A. Bowman. C. P. Chase. W. H. Durbin. P. E. Green. C. Henderson. W. Kiersted. W. H. Kimball. F. Parkhurst. G. T. Prince. FISCAL DIVISION. Treasurer George G. Box. Comptroller Frank Quilter. Deputy comptroller H. M. Webster. Chief auditor L. R. Lewis. HOMES EEQISTEATION AND INFORMATION DIVISION. Manager Dr. James Ford. Chief field agent -Francis Mahoney. Education Section R. E. Schenck. Information Section: A. O. Norton. Reference Library Theodora Kimball. INDUSTEIAL RELATIONS DIVISION. Manager Dr. Frank J. Warne. LEGAL DIVISION. Chief counsel Charles P. Howland. Assistant counsel Stuart Chevalier. Legal advisers Henry Gale. Louis S. Weiss. REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPORATTON. 27 OPEEATING DIVISION. Manager Allan Robinson. Assistant managers F. R. Howe. G. R. Davis. Assistant to the manager Cora Corson. Manager, Washington Residence Halls Alfred S. Amer. Commissary Branch James Thompson. Community Facilities Branch Geo. Gove. EEAL ESTATE DIVISION. Manager William E. Shannon. Assistant managers S. S. Thorpe. I. E. Macomber. B. .T. Treacy. Counsel I. Kellner. ' REQUIREMENTS DIVISION. Manager N. Max Dunning. Estimating Branch W. W. Dibrell. Materials Investigations Branch D. K. Boyd. Private Enterprises Branch D. W. Southgate. TOWN-PLANNING DIVISION. Manager F. L. Olmsted. Assistant manager H. V. Hubbard. Assistant to the manager G. R. Parker. District supervisors A. C. Comey. T. H. Desmond. S. H. Hare. R. A. Outhet. T. S. Phillips. P. Wyman. C. H. Ramsdell. TRANSPORTATION DIVISION. Manager Gardner F. Wells. Assistant manager W. A. Mellen. Consulting engineer A. L. Drum. Financial investigator E. P. Smith. District managers J. Peyton Clark. H. A. NichoU. APPENDIX II. DIVISION OF SURVEYS AND STATISTICS. ITS CREATION, ORGANIZATION, AND WORK. For some time prior to the 1st day of August, 1918, contracts for Government requirements had been and were being placed with large contractors in certain portions of the country where labor shortage and housing facilities and transportation were such that almost universally production was being retarded and deliveries seriously interrupted and delayed. Up to that time no action by the Govern- ment to relieve this situation had been undertaken. On the 5th day of August, 1918, Mr. Otto M. Eidlitz, president of the United States Housing Corporation, submitted to the heads of several Government departments a memorandum setting forth the necessity for the creation of this division for the special investi- gation of industrial conditions and housing and passenger transpor- tation facilities and service in various communities throughout the United States. A copy of this memorandum is hereto attached marked " Exhibit A." ORGANIZATION. The War Labor Policies Board, adopting the suggestion of Mr. Eidlitz as contained in Exhibit A, authorized the creation of the Industrial Service Division of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and charged it with the duty of acquiring on behalf of the various de- partments of the Government information in relation to every sub- ject affecting industrial activities, including housing and passenger transportation facilities and service. This division was immediately organized and began the making of industrial surveys. For various reasons, and especially for the purpose of effecting greater coordina- tion of effort, the division was transferred to the United States Hous- ing Corporation and became its Division of Surveys and Statistics. As a result of this action, the United States Department of Labor, the Railroad Administration, the United States Shipping Board, the Emergency Fleet Corporation, the War Department, the Navy Department, the War Industries Board, the Fuel Administration, and the United States Housing Corporation, by their duly accredited representatives, formed the Joint Board on Industrial Surveys, com- posed of the following : Members. Representing Dean Edwin F. Gay, chairman . Mr. George N. Peek.. Mr. Otto M. Eidlitz . . Mr. Felix Frankfurter War Industries Board, War Trade Board, Depart- ments of War and Navy, Emergency Fleet Cor- poration, U. S. Railroad Administration, U. S. Fuel Administration. War Industries Board. U. S. Housing I 'orporation. Department of Labor. 29 30 REPORT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. The Joint Board determined that surveys should be conducted by the Labor Department, acting through its local labor community boards, the War Industries Board through its regional organizations, and the Joint Board through the representatives of this division. No surveys were made except on the order of the Joint Board. The procedure followed in the inception and conduct of the work of industrial surveys was as follows: A request for the same would be made to the United States Hous- ing Corporation by the Army, Navy, or some other Government department. Upon receipt of such request, the Housing Corpora- tion would issue its so-called " executiA'e order " directed to the mana- ger of this division ordering a survey to be made. This " executive order" was thereupon called to the attention of the Joint Board, which, after considering the evidence offered by the Housing Cor- poration with reference to the necessity therefor, either approved or disapproved the request. If the request was approved, the chief of the Resources and Conversion Section of the War Industries Board and the chief of the Department of Labor having charge of the local labor community boards issued instructions to their respective representatives in the district to be surveyed to the effect that they were to assist in the making of such survey in the following man- ner : The regional organization was to distribute and collect question- naires from all manufacturers. The local labor community boards wei'e to take an actual census of labor, collecting questionnaires from all employers of labor in the district surveyed except from manu- facturers the survey of whose labor was conducted by the regional organization. On the day assigned for the commencement of the survey, one or more representatives of this division went to the community under investigation, met the regional adviser and the chairman of the local labor community board, advised and directed in the formation of the necessary organization of such work, and appointed special com- mittees to canvass the community and ascertain all necessary in- formation in relation to existing housing facilities, the adequacy or in- adequacy of public utilities such as street railways, interurban rail- ways, freight facilities, wharfage, water transportation, sewers, gas, electric light and power, etc. Upon completion of the survey, the labor questionnaires were to be returned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for compilation, and iieport thereof was to be made to this division to be included in the final report of the survey. All other data were returned to the office of this division to be tabulated, compiled, digested, and embodied in the final report which showed the exact industrial conditions in the locality. Copies of this report were to be delivered to the various Government departments interested therein. Upon the request of any department, special reports were also to be made giving such further and detailed information and data as might be requisite to the needs of such department. Expenditures by several Government departments involving many millions of dollars have been either made or withheld in reliance upon the reports and recommendations of this division (see Ex- hibit B). No expenditures for industrial housing nor for the extension or improvement of passenger transportation and service were made by EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 31 the United States Housing CoTporation, except upon consideration of the data and information obtained by such investigations. It may be added that in the industrial survey special attention is directed to the product manufactured and the convertibility of plant equipment for manufacture of war or nonwar products. INFORMATION FURNISHED BY THIS DIVISION TO OTHER GOVERN- MENT DEPARTMENTS. A representative of this division attended all meetings of the Facilities Division of the War Industries Board, advised that di- vision as to the communities throughout the United States where housing and passenger transportation were such as to preclude the advisability of granting priorities for materials or the extending of manufacturing plants. Attention was also called to idle capacity favorably located which could assume additional Government work. This division has a highly trained staff of expert investigators engaged in organizing survey work in the field. It also has a well- organized statistical branch with all the facilities necessary for the tabulation and compilation of voluminous returns of industrial in- formation. This division is the only organization in the Govern- ment service at the present time thoroughly equipped and capable of immediately assuming and carrying on simultaneous industrial sur- veys throughout the entire country and is the only department in the Government service that has ever attempted to make complete industrial surveys. Respectfully submitted. WlLLLAM E. GUEEIN, Manager Division of Surveys and Statistics. Note. — Since the signing of the armistice this division has been entirely abandoned. Exhibit A. Washington, August 5, 1918. To the several Government departments that may he concerned: I respectfully call your attention to the conditions herein described and the plan of remedy proposed and request your approval and cooperation. „ . , - Otto M. Eidlitz, President. Subject: Coordination of effort in acquiring essential information relative to industrial conditions and the prompt and efficient dis- semination thereof to the various branches of governmental service. 1. This corporation, being charged with the duty of providing all branches of governmental service (exclusive of the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation) with housing and uassenger transportation facilities and service, has repeatedly had brought to its attention the fact that there exists no single centralized agency engaged in acquiring or disseminating information as to existing industrial conditions as they affect the coordinating of all Government activities. 32 REPOKT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATION. 2. Each governmer-tal department is now and ever has been, by itself and through its various bureaus, engaged in gathering informa- tion relative to its own particular needs, and thus each has, to a cer- tain extent, overlapped and duplicated the work of the others, so that almost universally different departments have been engaged in ob- taining the same information from the same sources at the same time. 3. There existing no method of disseminating the information so gathered from department to department or from bureau to bureau, much of the benefit which ought to and should result fi'om such in- vestigations IS wholly lost. 4. TKis duplication of work and the failure to disseminate the information obtained results in needless wastage of man power, the useless expenditure of large sums of money, lack of coordination be- tween the several departments and between bureaus aod bureaus within the same department, and thereby vitally affects and retards the efficient prosecution of all governmental war activities. 5. The present methods of obtaining information, varying with each department and bureau and continuously calling upon the offi- cials of industrial plants, and each inquiry being, in large part, a duplication of others, have so irritated and disgusted these busy men that they are now responding to inquiries for information in a loose, careless, and indifferent manner, and it is not too severe a criticism to say that it is laying an unjust and unwarranted burden upon the business men of the country. 6. This corporation is, and must necessarily continue to be, con- tinuously engaged in gathering and keeping revised and up to date, for its own use, information relative to industrial conditions in every industrial section of the country. Much, if not all, of such infor- mation is equally essential to each and every department of the Gov- ernment, and with a jelatively small additional organization and expense this corporation could at the same time it was engaged in gathering information for its own use obtain the information adapted to the special needs of or as requested by such other department. 7. This corporation would thus be in a position to understand- ingly and expeditiously impart to all departments by regular and special reports the information thus gathered and collected by it. 8. The information so gathered by this corporation would be collated and kept on file and would thereby be instantly available upon application from any department or bureau, whether or not it had been previously reported to such department or bureau. This information would not only be availaWe and valuable during the war period but would be of even greater value in the industrial re- organization and expansion that will surely follow a world peace. 9. This corporation is charged with the responsibility of seeing that wherever industrial work is being done or contemplated for the Government such housing and transportation facilities and service exist or are provided as will not hinder or impede efficient and expeditious pi-oduction. It must therefore keep informed as to the supply of, and conditions surrounding, labor in every part of the country. It must : ot only keep informed as to what Govern- ment work is now being carried on, but also as to the character of new work and the time and place where it is contemplated to be per- formed, and it must also know the present productive industrial EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COSPORATION. 33 capacity of the country as well as that portion thereof that is most essential to the carrying on of the war. If this corporation is to do its work well, it must aid, where possible, in preventing work for one department from being assigned to a locality where labor, housing, or transportation condition would interfere with existing production for some other department in the same locality. 10. This corporation should also be kept fully informed by each department as to its probable or contemplated contracts for new or additional material and its requirements or needs for additional labor in the production thereof. 11. If the plan above outlined be adopted, this corporation would in effect be a clearing liouse, collecting, receiving, compiling, and collating such information as has been mentioned, keeping it up to date and on file for ready reference and disseminating it from time to time by regular and special reports to the various depart- ments and bureaus to which it would be of inestimable value. 12. The plan above outlined involves, first, a general industrial survey and is essential to the various departments, and,- among others, for the following reasons : To this corporation. (a) If the shifting of labor from less essential to essential industries can be arranged, it will in many cases be possible to overcome present housing shortages and existing transportation deficiencies. (h) If labor is properly shifted, housing and additional or improved transportation facilities and service may be avoided where otherwise the same would be re- quired. (c) To show existing conditions of transportation facilities and additional requirements to meet present and future necessities and to improve or increase, as required, such existing service and facilities. (d) To show existing conditions of housing facilities and additional requirements to meet present and future necessities and to improve or increase, as required, such existing facilities. To the Labor Department. {a) In showing where war production may be speeded up by shifting labor or by adding additional laborers. (&) In ascertaining sources of labor supply where no ques- tion of additional housing or transportation difficul- ties will attach. (c) In furnishing information for the stabilizing of labor and the preventing of unregulated competition for services. {d) In ascertaining the causes of, and suggesting a remedy for the prevention of, excessive labor turnover. (e) In furnishing data relative to the scale of wages in similar industries in various parts of the country. (/) In furnishing information to enable the shift of labor from one industry to another in such a manner as to 97379°— 19^ — 3 34 KEPOET OF UKITED STATES HOUSING COBPOKATION. prevent disturbing labor conditions or unnecessarily hindering or destroying the industry from which such draft is made. To the "War Industries Board. (a) In showing where war contracts can be advantageously awarded, and where they should or should not be refused. (h) In ascertaining the resources of manufacturing corpora- tions not now usefully employed, to the end that the same may be turned to useful or essential purposes. (c) In ascertaining the names of industries to which priori- ties in the delivery of materials should be awarded or refused. To the Federal Fuel Administration. (a) In ascertaining where priorities in the distribution of fuel should be made to help in speeding up the pro- duction of war essentials. (h) In showing when and where fuel priorities should be refused. (c) In furnishing data available for the conservation of fuel. To the Navy, Army, Quartermaster, Ordnance, Aircraft, and Commerce^ Departments. (a) In furnishing information as to when, where, and how capacity production can be obtained and maintained. (&),In showing where and how less essential production ' can be displaced by essential production. (c) In ascertaining the sections where new plants can be constructed without impeding or impairing the ef- ficiency of present production. (d) In locating plants now idle because of war conditions and capable of being utilized for the production of war essentials. 13. In addition to the special information that might be desired by the several departments, this corporation intends, for its own use, to conduct an intensive industrial survey throughout the country, the scope of which will, among other things, elicit information along the following lines: (a) Labor requirements. (h) Sources of supply of labor and material. (c) Scales of wages (past and present). (d) The necessity or advisability of importing additional labor or shifting local labor. (e) The effect of importing or shifting labor upon existing housing and transportation facilities. (/) The effect and desirability of granting and refusing priori- ties as to material, fuel, etc. (g) Labor disturbances or unrest, their causes, etc. (h) The present status and present and future requirements of housing and transportation facilities. (i) The desirability of location and the distribution of new, or the reallotment of existing, war contracts. REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 35 (i) Other and additional information covering the several mat- ters and things suggested under paragraph 12 hereof and not in this paragraph specifically mentioned. _ 14. The plan above outlined for the proper -and efficient prosecu- tion of the business of this corporation must be, in large part, fol- lowed by it. This corporation can not properly fulfill its duties and responsi- bilities unless it shall receive the cooperation of the other depart- ments as above indicated. After all other questions have been considered and determined and before any department can safely or intelligently act in relation to any question involving war production, it must finally ascertain from this corporation the essential facts relating to housing and passenger transportation. This corporation has no interests that can in any manner conflict with the interests or business of any other department. It therefore appears that this corporation is the logical agency to carry through the proposed plan. 15. The suggestion of the plan outlined above is made without in- tending to usurp any of the functions of other Government depart- ments, but with the sole idea of so aiding and assisting in the co- ordination of effort and purpose on the part of, all departments that they may, without duplication of effort or unnecessary expense, act as a unit in giving to the great cause, to the prosecution of which all are dedicated, the greatest productive capacity of which the country is capable. Exhibit B. HOUSING PROJECTS AUTHORIZED BY THE UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION AS A RESULT OF THE WORK OF THIS DIVISION. No housing program has been authorized by the United States Housing Corporation since the creation of this division except upon consideration of the data and information obtained through surveys conducted by this division showing absolute necessity therefor, if the war program should be maintained or accelerated. These ex- penditures have approximated many millions of dollars. INSTANCES OF A FEW APPROPRIATIONS MADE UNNECESSARY BT SEVERAL, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AS A RESULT OF INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THIS DIVISION. The survey of Portsmouth, Ohio, conducted by the Division of Surveys and Statistics, showed that no housing congestion existed; that manufacturing establishments employed substantially 10,000 employees, which was 1,100 persons less than at the beginning of 1917. When these facts were brought to the attention of the United States Housing Corporation it was found unnecessary to make an allotment of $900,000. The report also showed that for the establish- ments as a whole, only 55 per cent of the labor force was devoted to war work ; that outside of the large steel plants employing about 40 per cent of the entire labor force, the Portsmouth industries are 36 BEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATION. devoted to war work only to the extent of 25 per cent, and that addi- tional manufacturing facilities existed for Government requirements. The survey of South Bend, Ind., conducted by this division, showed that no housing congestion existed; that there has been no increase in the labor force of South Bend since the beginning of 1917 — on the contrary there had been some decrease ; that the estab- lishments of South Bend were engaged on war work only to the ex- tent of about 40 per cent of their capacity; that there was a large amount of labor engaged on commercial work in the establishments that had no war contracts; that the labor of such establishments could be drawn upon to meet the shortage for war requirements; that the housing situation in South Bend revealed the fact that the facilities were in excess of the requirements of the labor force. The report further showed manufacturing facilities for a considerable increase in the number of workers ; that the power situation in South Bend was adequate for its present needs and with the additional unit then nearing completion would provide all future requirements. When these facts were brought to the attention of the United States Housing Corporation, it became unnecessary to make an allotment of $750,000 to that particular district for the construction of additional houses. Request was made by the United States Army for clearance of pro- ject for barracks to accommodate 2,000 soldiers and officers adjacent to Bush Terminal, South Brooklyn, N. Y., involving an expenditure of not less than $700,000. The Facilities Division of the War In- dustries Board refused to take any action until a survey as to hous- ing requirements had been made and requested this division to cause same to be made as soon as possible. This survey disclosed the fact that there were in the immediate vicinity 12 buildings, a number of which were used for storage purposes and, others in course of con- struction nearing completion, which could be made available on short notice. When these facts were brought to the attention of the Facilities Division, clearance was denied and the project was there- fore abandoned. The survey of the district within a radius of three-quarters of a mile of Government warehouses. South Boston, Mass., conducted by this division to locate housing accommodations for 1,500 uniformed men, disclosed the fact that there were 9 buildings which could be converted for this use and that at a very small expenditure. When these facts were brought to the attention of the Facilities Division, clearance was denied and the project was therefore abandoned. At the October 4, 1918, meeting of the Facilities Division, War In- dustries Board, relative to Michigan City, Ind., a representative of this division called to the attention of the meeting that an industrial survey of that city disclosed the fact that the Haskel-Barker Car Co., located at this point, was operating at only one- half capacity; also that there was housing available for 5,000 people, as well as 500 idle laborers. It was stated in the meeting that in view of the matter being brought to the attention of the Facilities Division, the car company would shortly receive contracts and that other industries would be developed in that locality. Facilities Division, War Industries Board, denied clearance on project involving the construction of a new plant by the Barber REPORT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 37 Asphalt Paving Co., 2 miles from South Amboy, N. J., which plant was required to fulfill a contract entered into by the Barber Asphalt Paving Co. and the Emergency Fleet Corporation for the manufac- ture of boilers. Eefusal was due to housing congestion which existed in the entire Newark Bay vicinity, the United States Housing Cor- poration having made an allotment of $6,000,000 to care for the exist- ing shortage. New plant would require between 400 and 600 skilled employees and housing would have to be constructed for same, thus causing an increased expenditure. The Facilities Division approved the stand taken by the representative of this division and refused to clear the project. APPENDIX III. HOMES REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION DIVISION. It became apparent during the early months of the Housing Buraaiu lliat the existing housing facilities in the congested industrial towns must be used to capacity, and the making of vacancy canvasses and establishment of registries was systematically organized for each of the cities in which the bureau was contemplating construction of houses for industrial workers. These canvasses covered all vacant houses, flats, and, in the most saturated cities, all vacant rooms in private dwellings which householders could be induced to rent to war workers. Emergency housing structures were also tabulated in cities where there was need. The purposes of the vacancy canvass were the following: 1. It would serve to indicate an abundance of housing accommoda- tions of certain types and shortage of other types. The figures as secured from the canvass were then compared with the returns from the industrial and social survey of the same community and the state- ments of expected increases in personnel by the manufacturing con- cerns engaged on Government contracts. Such comparison revealed in some cities an adequate number of all types of housing accommo- dation; in others a shortage of accommodation for married skilled workers ; in others a shortage for unnrarried unskilled workers or for married unskilled workers, or for women employees. The housing needs thus discovered coming to the attention of the executive staff revealed whether new construction was necessary at all, and, if necessary, what types of housing accommodation were needed. Such vacancy canvasses frequently proved that the con- struction of barracks requested by local war industries was utterly unnecessary. 2. Vacancy canvasses covering the suburbs of industrial cities and neighboring cities revealed the possibility of full or partial solution of the housing problem by transportation arrangements from the congested center to neighboring communities having abundant hous- ing accommodation. 3. The maintenance of a list of vacant accommodations made pos- sible the placement of incoming industrial workers in suitable homes recorded in a central registry. 4. The vacancy survey awakened the community to its own hous- ing problem and led to attempts to improve local housing conditions by special appeals to owners, landlords, and tenants to render their houses sanitary, or to put their vacant properties on the market for rent, or to repair or convert unsuitable properties so as to make them available as residences for those classes of the industrial population which needed homes. 5. Vacancy canvasses proved useful as a means of discovering communities with abundant housing resources which might prove suitable places for allotment of future Government war contracts. 39 . 40 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. The method employed by the Homes Registration Division has been to utilize to the fullest extent the services of local jjeople in the securing of this information. Arrangements were made in June with the Council of National Defense to secure the cooperation of State and local councils in making vacancy canvasses and establishing branches of the Homes Registration Service. Wherever the council of defense has bee ■. found in operation its assistance has been sought. The vacancy canvasses have been conducted under the direction of the agents of the Housing Bureau, by the local councils of defense, through Liberty loan canvass committees, \the women's branch of the council, or through such other local agencies as might be avail- able, such as the Young Women's Christian Association, housing association, chamber of commerce, but always with the cooperation of the council of defense, and under the immediate supervision of the Housing Bureau, which supplies the forms utilized for the can- vass and teaches the investigators how to use the forms supplied. With the cooperation of the local council of defense or community council a committee has been established in each such city with a chairman officially appointed by the Housing Bureau. This commit- tee has consisted of representatives usually of the following agencies : Council of defense or community council, manufacturers' association and the war industries, real estate board, commercial club or associa- tion, United States Employment Service, organized labor, commu- nity labor board, housing association, civic improvement society, Young Women's Christian Association, Young Men's Christian As- sociation, Federation of Welfare Agencies, and War Camp Com- munity Service. A branch office of the United States Homes Registration Service is established under the direction of this committee. This branch office is supplied with cards from the Housing Bureau for the listing of all vacancies and with publicity material as well, and reports weekly to the Washington office of the Housing Bureau. The committee's pri- mary task after the vacancy canvass is completed is to finance and operate a registry for the placement of all incoming war workers. If the supply of housing accommodation is adequate the lists are accessi- ble to the entire population of the city. In many cities the lists pre- viously maintained by the Young Women's Christian Association, War Camp Comniunity Service, and other room registries estab- lished by local civic bodies, as well as registries maintained at the local factories, haye been combined in one central office of the Homes Registration Service, so that only one list is maintained for the city and the total number of vacancies of the city from week to week are recorded with a fair degree of correctness at one central place. The branch offices of the Homes Registration Service to date have been supported largely by the manufacturers having Government contracts, but in some cities, as in Philadelphia, the support has been assumed by the war chest of the council of .defense; in others, as m Norfolk, Va., by the municipality; or, as in Pittsburgh, by the county and city treasury. In many places support has been received in part from the chamber of commerce or interested individuals. Frequently also clerks and investigators have been detailed by local manufactur- ers, the Young Women's Christian Association, the chamber of com- merce, or the local housing association, or other civic agencies of the community. REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATION. 41 The branch offices of the United States Homes Registration Serv- ice have been placed in offices of the United States Employment Serv- ice, so that the man seeking a job in the community may secure a room or house at the same office. They are, however, sometimes located in the city hall or other public building. In a few cases they have been given quarters by the chamber of commerce. Quarters have been provided rent free in practically every case and the furniture has generally been supplied in the same manner. A typical office for a city of 100,000 persons would have a salaried manager, generally a woman, and a stenographer-clerk. The in- vestigation of new addresses is generally made by an affiliated agency, such as the Young Women's Christian Association or a housing asso- ciation, without cost to the Homes Registration Service, though many offices have found it advantageous to maintain salaried investigators. Registries have already been established by the Bureau of In- dustrial Housing and Transportation in the following cities and were making placements prior to November 16, 1918 : Alameda, Cal. Alexandria, Va. Alliance, Ohio. Alton, 111. Asbury Park, N. J. Astoria, Oreg. Atlantic City, N. J. Bath, Me. Berkeley, Cal. Bremerton, Wash. Bridgeport, Conn. Butler, Pa. Camden, N. J. Chester, Pa. Chicago, 111. Cleveland, Ohio. Columbia, S. C. Davenport, Iowa. Dayton, Ohio. Derby, Conn. East Moline, 111. Baston, Pa. Elizabeth, N. J. Erie, Pa. Gary, Ind. Hamilton, Ohio. Ilion, N. T. Indianapolis, Ind. Janesville, Wis. Long Branch, N. J. Lowell, Mass. Miamisburg, Ohio. Moline, 111. Muskegon, Mich. Naugatuck, Conn. Newark, N. J. New Brunswick, N. J. New London, Conn. Newport, R. I. Niles, Ohio. Norfolk, Va.* Oakland, Cal. Pensacola, Fla. Perth Amboy, N. J. Philadelphia, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. Portsmouth, Va. Racine, Wis. Richmond, Va. San Francisco, CaL Seattle, Wash. Sharon, Pa. Sheffield, Ala. South Bend, Ind. Stamford, Conn. Tacoma, Wash. Tacony, Pa. Trenton, N. J. Tuscumbia, Ala. Utica, N. Y. Vallejo, Cal. Warren, Ohio. Washington, D. C* Waterbury, Conn. Watertown, N. T. Watervliet, N. Y. The cities in which a vacancy canvass had been made or was being arranged for at the time of the armistice and in which the Homes Registration Service was contemplated but not yet reporting place- ments on xiovember 16, 1918, are as follows: Hammond, Ind. La Porte, Ind. Long Beach, Cal. Los Angeles, Cal. Marblehead, Mass. Michigan City, Ind. Milton, Pa. Milwaukee, Wis. Muncie, Ind. Newport News, Va. Niagara Falls, N. Y. Norwich, Conn. Paterson, N. J. Pontiac, Mich. Akron, Ohio. Atlanta, Ga. Baltimore, Md. Bayonne, N. J. Buffalo, N. Y. Canton, Ohio. Charleston, S. C. Charleston, W. Va. Cincinnati, Ohio. Columbus, Ohio. Covington, Ky. East Chicago, Ind. Florence, Ala. Gloucester City, N. J. 1 Separate registries are malntainea for whites and colored in Norfolk, Va., and Wash- ington, D. C. Portland, Oreg. Portsmouth, N. H. Richmond, Cal. San Pedro, Cal. Suffolk, Va. Toledo, Ohio. Vancouver, Wash. Watertown, Mass. Waukegan, 111. Williamsburg, Va. Wilmington, Del. Wilmington, Cal. Youngstown, Ohio- 42 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATlON. Four of these registries in the first of the above lists were estab- lished before June, 1918. Sixty-two more registries were established between June and November 16 and 41 more were started, practically all of which have completed their vacancy canvass, but had not begun to make placements. Total, 107. All of the purposes of the Homes Registration Service are impor- tant in peace time as well as in war : 1. It is necessary for the placement of labor in suitable homes. In the absence of a central list the workman's choice of a home is largely dependent on chance, as he has few addresses to choose froni and does not have access to more than a small fraction of all available ad- dresses. Where, however, one central registry is maintained he is likely to find a house which meets his requirements in an adequate manner. 2. A large number of war industries must continue to operate until the treaty of peace is signed, which may be several months from now, and the Homes Registration Service is necessary to place persons in these industries. 3. During the next two years more than three million soldiers are to be demobilized. Many of them will not return to their former place of residence or their former industry. When they do return to their former industries the persons who have taken their jobs in their absence will be forced to look for new quarters. It is necessary to make sure that all of these soldiers and persons whom they displace are properly housed. 4. During this period of readjustment, the peace-time industries must be developed, materials must be supplied for reconstruction in Europe, and America will expand her industries to meet both the American market and the foreign market. Large numbers of laborers will be needed and brought from other cities and these laborers must be properly housed. 5. Unless labor is properly housed it will be inefficient and pro- duction will thereby be impaired. The man who is unhealthy because of living in an insanitary home and uncomfortable quarters will pro- duce less t'-an the -an who is well housed. Bad housing is not only a cause of inefficiency but also a cause of industrial discontent. 6. The Homes Registration Service has its basis in community organization subject to Federal promotion, and is exceedingly im- portant as a means of developing civic interest and cooperative action between the various interests represented in its personnel, notably between the employer and the employed. Such a responsible and representative local organization assigned to the study of local housing problems, the improvement of old properties, and the proper placement of incoming industrial laborers is greatly needed in every American city. COMMITTEES ON RENT PROFITEERING. In those industrial communities which have had a shortage of housing accommodation frequent complaints have been made of rent profiteering. Some landlords, taking advantage of the needs of the people in the most crowded of these cities, have tended to raise their rents to a very high point. A general rental increase is common in all crowded industrial cities. REPORT OF TJNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. 43 Not all cases of rent raising are cases of profiteering. Prices of labor and material and taxes have gone up during the war period in virtually every city and a reasonable allowance must be made for such increased charges. The landlord who has raised his rent only 10 or 15 per cent over the figure of 1915 is probably not guilty of profiteering. Greater increases than that are justifiable where con- siderable improvements have been made in property or under certain other special conditions. But complaints of increases of 100 per cent or more over the rental of 1915 have frequently been called to the attention of the bureau by commandants of navy yards and arsenals, and presidents and employ- ment managers of industrial concerns. Several have specified rental profiteering as a cause of high labor turnover, and numerous specific instances have been cited of the eviction of valuable skilled work- men in war industries from their houses simply because these per- sons have refused to pay exorbitant rentals. The Homes Eegistration Division arranged for the establishment of committees on rent profiteering of the type which the War Labor Policies Board had established successfully in New London. The New London plan in brief is as follows : To have a large local committee (in this case 24) consisting of representatives of organized labor, of the manufacturers, and of the general public, subdivided into four committees, one of which meets each week in the month. The complaining tenants and their land- lords are summoned before these subcommittees of six, both sides of the case are heard, and the landlord is either sustained, or, if found guilty of actual profiteering, is urged to reduce his rents to a figure set by the committee as reasonable. In case an offending landlord refuses to conform to the decision of the committee the facts of the case are published without comment in the local press. Fear of publicity leads most landlords to conform to the decision if they have not been previously persuaded by the logic of the committee and by its appeals to patriotism. The local district attorney, who attends all sessions of the com- mittee on rent profiteering, defends the complainant in case he is prosecuted in the courts by the landlord. The Homes Registration and Information Division has organized committees on rent profiteering in 76 cities and has reported cases to the council of defense or other agencies in 48 other cities or coun- ties. It is the intention of the Homes Registration Division to have the chairmen of the committees which it establishes acceptable in all cases to the representatives of both the tenant and the propertied classes. Such chairman should be a citizen of the community who is respected as just and fair in all dealings. It is beyond question that the local committees on rent profiteer- ing have played a very important part in reducing industrial dis- content in cities in which they have been established. This has been accomplished not only through the actual cases handled by the com- mittees but also by stopping profiteering at the source. The pub- licity which they have conducted through local newspapers has un- questionably led an immense number of landlords to understand that an excessive raising of rents on properties occupied by industrial workers interfered with the peace of mind of the industrial worker, 44 EEPOBT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COKPOHATION. caused discontent, and reduced the output of war essentials, and this knowledge has prevented them from raising their rents. The experience of the Homes Registration Division would indicate that committees of the above character should continue to exist in industrial cities, to handle not only cases of rent profiteering but all grievances find misunderstandings between landlord and tenant. A considerable fraction of such cases can be handled by a properly constituted committee out of court to the entire satisfaction of both landlord and tenant. The functions of such a committee are very much like those of the Labor Conciliation Board in the settlement by conciliation of disagreements between employer and employee, for each complainant can express his grievance and be shown a reasonable course of action to pursue by a committee whose judg- ment he trusts. Much discontent can be quickly prevented which might otherwise lead to serious social disorder. Respectfully submitted. , James Ford, Manager, Homes Registration and Information Division. Statistical statement of the work of the Homes Registration Service. Place. H.E.s. organ- ized. Post-office canvass. Registry canvass. First report. Last report. Total applica- tions re- ceived at last report. Total applica- tions filled at last report. Alameda, Cal... Alexandria. Va. Alliance. Ohio.. Alton, Dl. Asbury Park, N. J.c. Astoria, Oreg AtlanticCity, N. J.. Bath, Me Berkeley, Cal Bremerton, Wash. . . Bridgeport, Conn Butler, Pa Camden, N.J Chester, Pa Chicago, IU.« Cleveland, Ohio Columbia, S.C Davenport, Iowa Dayton, Ohio DerbyjCoun East Moline, 111 Easton, Pa Elizabeth, N.J Erie, Pa Gary, Ind Hamilton, Ohio lUon.N. Y IndianapoUs, Ind Janesville, Wis Long Branch, N. J. /. Lowell, Mass Miamisburg, Ohio.... Moline, HI Muskegon, Mich Naugatuck, Conn Newark, N. J 1918. Sept. 13 Oct. 29 July 9 Oct. 9 July 17 Oct. 10 Sept. 13 June 17 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 May 31 July 15 Aug. 28 Sept. 4 June 27 Aug. 4 Oct. 22 July 16 July 3 Aug. 8 July 17 July 11 Sept. 16 Apr. 24 July 13 Sept. 4 Oct. 'is' Oct. 12 July 29 June 24 Sept. 18 Aug. 8 Nov. 8 Aug. 6 June 29 1918. Sept. 13-15.... Sept. 16-23..., June 29 None made . . . June24-July6. Oct. 11-12 Aug. 19-23 June 17. None made do Apr. 27-29 July 22 Aug. 15-18 Aug. 1-6 July 1-6 Aug. 3 Oct. 14 July 16 June 28-29 July 22-24 July 16 July 10-12..... July 6-10 Apr. 25-June 3 June 23 Aug. 29 None made Sept. 12-13.... None made June 26-27 June 12-14 Sept. 18 July 18 None made.... July 23-24 June 27- July 1. 1918. Sept. 23-26... W pt. ii-14.... Bept July 11-17, Oct. 21-23 Aug. 20-Sept.l June 17 1* Sept. 23-25.... Sept. 30-Oct.2. June 17 "i July 18-20 Sept. 5-8 Sept. 2-6 July29-Aug.l9 Aug.l6-Sept.4. m Aug. 8-12 July 8-13 Aug. 6-8 Aug. 12-13 July 16-18 Aug. 24-31 C) July 20-23 Sept. 10-14.... Sept.4 Previous canvass. <: Hundreds of placements were made as a result of Homes Registration Service canvass and publicity which were not recorded. d Continuing. « Printed list ol vacancies was made as result of Homes Registration Service canvass. Hundreds of unrecorded placements made. f Many unrecorded placements from printed list prepared by Homes Registration Service. BEPORT 01 UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOKATION. 45 Statistical statement of the work of the Homes Registration Service — Contd. Place. H.R.S. organ- ized. Post-offlce canvass. Registry canvass. First report. Last report. Total applica- tions re- ceived at last report. Total applica- tions filled at last report. New Brunswick. N. J. 1918. July 22 June 1 Sept. 23 Nov. 4 July 30 Aug. 7 Sept. 13 Sept. 27 July 31 Sept. 16 Oct. 21 Sept. 25 Oct. 8 Nov. 4 Sept. 13 Sept. 24 July 23 Sept. 24 Sept. 10 Aug. 27 Oct. 8 Aug. 7 Sept. IS Sept. 26 Sept. 6 Sept. 12 July 27 Sept. 6 1918. June 28-JuIy 3. 1918. July 25-27 Nov. 6-9 May 18 6 Nov. 9 Sept. 25 6 Aug. 106 Sept.23-Oct.21 Oct.26 Aug. 6-7 Sept. 27 6 Oct. 21 !> Nov. 2-6 Oct. 16-19 Oct. 27-Nov. 6 Sept. 24-30.... Oct. 21-24 Aug. 1-3 Sept. 286 Sept. 10-17.... Sept. 5-8 Oct. 15-17 Aug. 14.-26.... Sept. 18-21.... Sept. 286 Sept. 1-5 Sept. 16 July 31-Aug. 3. Sept23-Oct.l4t (') Aug. 266 Sept. 19-21.... (0 1918. Aug. 3 ...do July 13 Oct. 12 Oct. 6 Oct. 19 Oct. 28 Nov. 2 Aug. 10 Sept. 28 Nov. 9 Oct. 12 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Oct. 5 Nov. 9 Aug. 17 Oct. 12 ...do Sept. 28 Oct. 26 Aug. 31 Nov. 9 Oct. 12 Sept. 21 Aug. 24 Sept. 5 Oct. 19 Nov. 9 Aug. 17 Sept. 28 July 6 1918. Nov. 2 Sept. 14 Nov. 16 Oct. 26 Nov. 16 ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do ...do Nov. 9 Nov. 16 ...do ...do ...do Oct. 26 Nov. 16 ...do ...do ...do ...do Nov. 9 ...do Nov. 16 ...do ...do Nov. 9 Nov. 16 ...do.... 3,788 967-1- 4,045+ 222 1,099 471+ 1,620 216 543 332 68+ 499 410 6 348 1,600 193 178 93 171 160, . 457/ 12 8+ 259 2,440 254 3,676+ 140 187 212 2, 211+ 925 837+ Newport, R. I.o Niles, Ohio May 18-28 July 9-10 Sept. 25 July 28 Sept.25-Oct.l0 None made June 26-July 8. Aug. 6-Oct. 1. Nov. 1-7 None made.-.. Sept. 24 Aug.20-Sept.l4 None made.... Sept. 26-28.... .Tulyig None made Sept. 9 Aug. 27-28.... Oct. 10-12 Aug. 7-15 Aug. 7-12 None made.... Sept. 6-9 Sept. 13-14.... July 26 Sept. 18-19 d. . 4,045 73 Norlolk, Va.: ■White 544 Colored 471 478 Pensacola, Fla PerthAmboy, N. J... Philadelphia. Pa Pittsburgh Pa Portsmouth, Va Racine "W is . ... 67 253 94 29+ 153 363 Richmond, Va San Francisco, Cal Seattle, Wash 232 686 160 Sheffield, Ala South Bend, Ind Stamford. Conn Tacoma, Wash Tacony , Pa 76 66 76 •22 408 7 Tuscumbia, Ala Utica, N. Y 7 104 Valle/o, Cal 423 Warren, Ohio 59 Washington, D.C.: Whiter 1,132+ 136 Waterbury , Conn Watertown, N. Y Watervliet,N.Y.^... Aug. 24 July 31 Aff, July 23-24 Sept. ll-Oct.2 None made . . . 76 81 1,438 Total 52,872+ 32, 679+ a Majority of placements were of transients for War Camp Community Service. Placements oi in. dustrial workers not separate. cThese™re placements for four weeks only, beginning with the incorporation of the room registry of the District Council of Defense with the Housing Bureau. • dCanvass by police, Sept. lS-19. « Soldiers' canvass, Sept. 23-Oct. 14. ^ j ^ i,, n • u / This registry was maintained in the Watervliet Arsenal but reported to the Housing Bureau. I Several canvasses made by arsenal. APPENDIX IV. TRANSPORTATION DIVISION. PURPOSE OF WORK, The Transportation Division of the United States Housing Cor- poration was organized for the purpose of improving present and creating new transportation facilities for war industrial workers, in accordance with an act of Congress dated May 16, 1918, authorizing the President to provide housing for war needs. Among other things, this act anticipated that in certain localities it would be found that transportation would solve the housing problem. This could be brought about by making communities where there were vacant houses in abundance available to employees in congested industrial centers through improved transportation facilities. It was also anticipated that improvements to local trans- portation systems in conununities where intensive war manufactur- ing was being carried on would materially add to the speeding up of the work. That transportation supervision might properly be administered ample provisions were made in the act for equipping, managing, maintaining, purchasing, leasing, constructing, requisitioning, or ac- quiring by condemnation such transportation lines as might be neces- sary to provide adequate transportation facilities for industrial em- ployees engaged in war work. The act also carried with it the appropriation of certain funds for the beginning of this work. Subsequent acts have further in- creased the funds available. INTERPRETATION OF ACT. Many special requests for assistance have come to this division from railway companies. or manufacturers, but a strict interpretation of the act of Congress indicated that the work to be handled by the division was to be considered from the standpoint of war necessity. The work was therefore confined principally to requests coming from the War or Navy Department. ORGANIZATION. The Transportation Division consists of manager, assistant man- ager, consulting engineer, 3 investigating engineers, 1 construction engineer, 3 stenographers, 2 typists, and 4 clerks in the Washington office ; in the New York City branch, a division manager, office man- ager, 2 investigating engineers, 1 accountant, and 2 stenographers; Chicago, 1 consulting engineer and 2 assistants ; Philadelphia, 1 con- sulting engineer; Erie, 1 construction engineer; Hampton Eoads, 1 division manager and 2 construction engineers. 47 48 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPORATION. SCOPE OF WORK. The pricipal work of the division has covered the following: {a) Installation of special steam and electric train service for war workers. (b) Eearrangement of steam and electric railway schedules. (c) Financing necessary electric railway extensions and addi- tions. ' (a) Installation of special steam and electric train service for war workers. Through the efforts of the division, 21 special steam trains, to pro- vide transportation for war workers, have been installed in various parts of the country as shown in the following list : State. Points connected. Number of trains. 1 Indiana - Chicago to Gary... 3 Chicago to Indiana Harbor and Gibson.. ' Ohio.. Cleveland to Wickliffe Asbury Park to Elizabethport . Morristown to Lake Denmark.,. Trenton to New Brunswick. Tullytown to Bristol.. New York Xlion to Canajoharie . Virginia Ricliniond to Seven Pines.. . The Eailroad Administration has established an especially low tariff for these workers and in many instances the Housing Cor- poration has granted a still lower rate, absorbing the incidental dif- ferentials. By this arrangement a large amount of vacant housing has been made available. At least 8,000 people have been cared for in this manner at a cost which will not be over $275,000 to the divi- sion, based on this service being in operation for one year. This is at the rate of approximately $35 per man per year. The experience of the Housing Corporation shows that the average cost of housing a war worker in a dormitory, completely equipped and furnished with cafeteria, etc., is $550, while the cost of housing workers in homes built especially for them is from $3,500 to $6,500 per house ; the assumption being that the average number of workers occupying each house will be two. On this basis it will 'readily be seen that through transportation improvements millions of dollars of investment have been saved. (b) Rearrangement of steam and electric railway schedules. In accordance with recommendations made to the regional director of the railroads under Federal control and through the cooperation of the United States Railroad Administration, war wotkers have been benefited in many localities by the rearrangement of schedules and the institution of extra stops on steam railways. Benefits have also been derived by rearranging schedules on electric railways. KEBOBT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. 49 (c) Financing necessary railway extensions and additions. In many instances it was reported by either the "War or Navy De- partnient that electric railway service in connection with war in- dustries was entirely inadequate. In every case a careful investiga- tion and study of conditions was conducted, reconunenda,tions were made, and estimates of the cost were compiled for necessary im- provements. When it was determined that new and additional transportation facilities were required, plans or recommendations therefor were presented to the companies with the request that measures be taken immediately to acquire or install the necessary extensions, additions, or betterments. These recommendations usually involved an ex- penditure for their accomplishment. In every case the companies pleaded that they were unable to finance the cost of the work at a reasonable rate of interest. They also objected to making expendi- tures at the time because of the abnormal cost of labor and material and the fact that the operation of these extensions and additions was unprofitable. It was also held by them that the service was for rush hour periods only ani that these periods were the most costly to operate. In spite of the foregoing, however, they invariably agreed, from patriotic motives, to carry out the Housing Corpora- tion's recommendations with its assistance and under its supervision. When it was decided what improvements should be carried out, contracts were entered into with the local transportation companies whereby the Housing Corporation financed the undertaking on a 5 per cent interest basis. In most instances the Government is to bear the excess war cost, this to be determined in the following manner : An appraisal of the additions and extensions is to be made on a date fixed by the Housing Corporation within a period of from one to three years after the declaration of peace, to determine in all cases its then cost to reproduce new. In a few exceptional cases the ap- praisers are to decide how much depreciation shall be borne by the company. The difference between this appraisal and the actual cost of the work is termed the war excess cost and this difference is to be borne by the Government. Where funds have been advanced, the companies have been required to furnish proper security by lien, mortgage, or pledging of securities, or guaranty of another and re- sponsible corporation. The amount as determined by the appraisers is in substantially all cases to be returned to the Government in five equal annual installments, the first installment being due one year after the date of the appraisal. In accordance with the above the Government, through the Hous- ing Corporation, has contracted to advance about $7,000,000 to vari- ous traction companies. A segregation of this amount is shown in Table A appended hereto. The present status of contracts entered into by the United States Housino- Corporation with the transportation companies is shown in Table B attached hereto. The various transportation problems investigated by this division, as of November 16, 1918, are shown in Table C appended hereto. 97379°— 19 4 50 EEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOKATION. AMOUNT OF APPROPRIATIONS. The total appropriations for the Transportation Division orig- inally amounted to $15,000,000. As soon as the armistice was signed, the amount was cut down to approximately $7,200,000, segregated as shown in the following table. There may be a further reduction due to the omission of some of the work planned : Executed contracts with electric railways (Table B)__ $5,673,147 Loans with electric railways recommended (Table B) — 1,275,000 For operating steam trains (6 months) 137,500 Transportation Division administration expenses and overhead (6 months) 30,000 Total 7, 115, 647 Say 7, 200, 000 SAFETY CAR. In addition to the foregoing, the division has carried on an investi- gation in connection with single-truck and double-truck safety-car operations. The single-truck safety car is extensively used in many western cities and has given highly satisfactory results. It is low in cost and inexpensive to operate, because of its extreme lightness and because it requires only one man to operate it. The seating capacity is 31. The division has recommended its use wherever possible and it has contracted for approximately 100. It was realized that beyond certain limits the one-man safety car would not meet service conditions as well as a larger car of the double-truck type. In order that the advantages of the one-man safety car might be incorporated in the design of a car which would meet the approval of the leaders of the industry, this division re- quested the War Board and- the American Electric Kailway As- sociation to submit plans for thfe type of car which the War Board believed would best meet these conditions. As a result of this re- quest, the American Electric Kailway Association appointed a special committee which met early in October and decided to adopt designs for a car with a seating capacity of 52 passengers. The design of the car selected made it possible to use either the one-man system of operation, or to use a conductor who could collect fares as is done on what is known as the Peter Witt type of car. It is believed that the car recommended will meet any operating conditions in any city requiring a car of its size. The bureau was about to order 50 cars of this type to be used in various places where needed, but this plan was given up following the signing of the armistice. Respectfully submitted. Gardner F. Wells, Manager, Transportation Division. KEPOBT OF UNITTSD STATES HOUSING COEPOEATIOIT. 51 Table A. — Status of loans- and proposed loans as of ^oi;. 16, 1918. locality. Name of company. Contract executed lor loan. Loans rec- ommended in reports. Bethlehem, Pa Lehigh Valley Transit Co $650,000 1,350,000 74,000 235,000 33,000 169,000 315,000 Bridgeport, Conn The Connecticut Co Buffalo-Depew Buffalo & Depew Ry. Co Chicago, 111 Chicago City Ry. Co Gary, Ind Bo Gary Street Ry. Co Hammond, Ind Hammond, Whiting & East Chicago Ry. Co.. Hegewisch, 111 Hilton, Va.(Newport News,Va.) Milton, Pa ■. Newport News & Hampton Ry., Gas & Electric Co. Lewisburg, Milton & Watsontown Passenger Ry. Co. 25,000 15,000 a 215, 000 Norfolk district &300 000 Norfolk, Va Virginia Rv. & Power Co 300, 666 2,284,000 105,000 118,147 Philadelphia, Pa Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. . « Rock Island, 111. ... : United Light & Rvs. Co Seven Pines, Va. ' Richmond-Seven Pines Ry Wa^shingtnn T> C Washington Ry. & Electric Co . . 600,000 Total. 5,673,147 1 275 000 SUMMARY. Contracts executed ' S5, 673, 147 Loans recommended 1, 275, 000 Total 6,948,147 o Purchase by Housing Corporation. i> Construction by Housing Corporation. Table B. — Status of contracts with transportation companies as of 'Nov. 16, 1918. Trans. Div. No. Locality. Transit company. Status. 10 2 6 64 49 la lb 36 50 27 38 33 23 29 40a Bethlehem. Pa Bridgeport, Coim. Buffalo, N. Y Chicago, 111 Hegewisch, 111.. Hammond, Ind. Gary, Ind. . .do. Milton, Pa Newark district. Norfolk, Va .do. Hilton, Va. ....do ....do Philadelphia section do do Rock Island, HI Seven Pines, Va Washington, D.C... do do Watertown, Mass... West Hanover, Mass Lehigh Valley Transit Co The Connecticut Co BuHalo & Depew Ry. Co Chicago City Ry. Co. (Thirty- ninth Street). Calumet & South Chicago Ry. Co Hammond, Whiting & East Chi- cago Ry. Co. Gary Street Hy. Co Gary & Valley Street Ry. Co... Lebanon, Milton & Watsontown (Passenger) Ry. Co. Jersey Central Traction Co Virginia Railway & Power Co.. .do. Newport News & Hampton Rait way. Gas & Electric Co. do .do. P. R. T. (Navy and Eddystone). South Philadelphia Traction Co. P. R. T. (Frankford Arsenal)... United Light > , Muskegon Heights, Mich. do Newport News, Va Newport News Light & Water Co Newport News, Va Newport News Railway, Gas & Electric Co. (electricity and gas). United Fuel Co Sharon, Pa Sharon Water Works Co ' South Bend, Ind Staten Island, N. Y Electric Co ' Staten Island, N. Y. New York & Richmond Gas Co . Ridley Park, Pa Philadelphia Suburban Gas & Electric Co ' Total 384,650 1 MUNICIPALITIES— CANCELED PROJECTS. LocaUty. Name of city. Contract executed for loan. Loans recom- mended in re- ports. Possible future allot- ments. Butler, Pa Charleston, S. C Dayton, Ohio Ilion.N. Y Neville Island, Pa. . . Staten Island, N. Y. Warren, Ohio Watervliet, N. Y Butler, Pa. (paving) Charleston, S. C. (waterworks department). Dayton, Ohio (water, sewers, paving) , Ilion, N. Y. (water) Pittsburgh, Pa. (water) New York (water) Warren, Ohio (sewers and paving) Watervliet, N. Y. (sewers) Total. $13,280 6 8,560 6 173,200 6 10,000 6 660,000 6 6,000 2,810 6 1,300 6 865, 150 » Plus or minus; engineer's estimate of cost. b Minimum estimate. 72 REPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATION. SUMMARY. Loans recommended; Municipalities 5865,150.00 Utility companies 384, 650. 00 Total loans; Canceled 1,249,800.00 Not canceled 1,729,019.50 Total (all loans) 2,978,819.50 Note.— The report of the Engineermg Division gives the total loan at $2,216,900. This amount does not include a number of cases where the cost of the construction of the utility is refunded to the United States Housing Corporation each month. The itemized statement of loans amounting to $2,978,819.50 Includes all short-time advances of money. Status of loans and proposed loans Deo. 11, 1918. UTILITY COMPANIES. LocaUty. Name of company. Utilities. Terms. Contract executed for loan. Loans recom- mended in report. Possible future allot- ments. Aberdeen, Md Alliance Ohio Havre de Grace Electric Co Alliance Gas & Power Co Lehigh Valley Light & Power Co. Lehigh Valley Transit Co." Springfield Consohdated Water Co. Public Service Corporation of New Jersey. (Gas Lighting Co. of New Brunswck). (Somerset, Union & Middle- sex Lighting Co.). Virginia Railway & Power Co... Norfolk City Gas Co E E E P W $5,400 C $7,000 95,000 6 15,000 Bethlehem, Pa Bethlehem Pa Eddystone, Pa. (Rid- ley Park). $500,000 40, 000 G E E G GandE NorfoDr, Va F F 146,600 6 23,000 115,000 NorfoUc, Va Hocklsland (111.) dis- trict. United Light & Railway Co. (Tri City Railway & Light Co.). Total 500,000 441,600 5,400 Contracts executed $500,000 Loans recommended , 441,600 Possible future allotments 8, 400 Total 6 947,000 Note. — E, electricity; P, paving; G, gas; W, water. C refund within 5 years; F, agreement for utility company to purchase within 1 year. MUNICIPALITIES. Locality. Name of city, etc. UtlEties. Terms. Contracts executed for loan. Loans recom- mended in reports. Possible future allot- ments. Alliance, Ohio Alliance, Ohio ■W,S,P S W W,S,P %y w.s W,S,P W,S,E W,S,P W,S,P W, S, P A D D D A C C B C A r. AandB A C 6$22,500 6 22,000 6 16,000 6165, 000 6 19,286 6 10,400 6 15, 500 c 54, 500 c 43,000 6 41,650 88,000 6 93,696 6 25,000 Bath Me Bath, Me Bath, Me Bethlehem, Pa Bethlehem, Pa Bridgeport, Conn East Moline, 111 East Moline, 111 Moline.Ill MoUne,Ill New London, Conn . . New London, Conn Niagara FaUs.N.Y.. Niles, Ohio Niagara Falls, N. Y Niles, Ohio Norfolk, Va Norfolk, Va Watertown N. Y Washington, D.C.... District of Coliunbia $175,487.50 Y Total 175,487.50 6606,532 Contracts executed $175, 487. 50 Loans recommended 6 606, 532. 00 Total 782,019.50 Note. — "W, water; S, sewer; P, paving. A, refund each month on certificate of cost; B, refund within lyear; C, refund within 5 years; D, long-period loan; E, purchase within 1 year. a Paving Western Avenue. 6 Plus or minus; engineer's estimate of cost. c Not over amount stated. REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. SUMMARY. 73 Contracts executed. Loans recommended. Possible future aUotments. utility companies $500,000.00 175,487.50 « $441, 600 606,532 $5,400 Municipalities Total 675,487.50 • 1,048,132 5,400 Contracts executed $675, 487. 50 Loans recommended a l,048, 132.00 Possible future allotment 5, 400. 00 Total 1,729,019.50 a Plus or minus; engineer's estimate of cost. TOWN PLANNING DIVISION. I. The Town Planning Division is particularly responsible fo'r the general site planning; the arrangement of blocks, lots, streets, and public open spaces, so that all the requirements of convenience, economy, and appearance shall be as well served as possible in the circumstances. The Town Planning Division is concerned, for in- stance, in determining the proportion of the land under considera- tion which is available for development as house lots; the necessary density of occupation in view of the probable cost of land and of development; the existing available facilities and possible necessity for increased facilities in respect to schools, playgrounds, public open spaces, recreational facilities, stores, and other neighborhood services of a public or quasi-public sort. , The Town Planning Division is responsible for checking in detail the general plans, construction plans, specifications, and estimates by the town planner members of the committee of designers. II. Its organization is as follows : A manager and assistant manager, who have the recommendation of the appointment of the town planners for the local projects, the issuance of instructions for the town-planning work, the review and final approval of plans and specifications submitted by the project town planners. An assistant to the manager, responsible for the office management, for the records and for the receipt, distribution, and issue of all cor- respondence and instructions. Nine district town planners, each of whom is assigned to a certain number of projects. The district town planner keeps himself com- pletely informed of the progress of the design of his projects from the town-planning point of view, and makes sure that all neces- sary instructions and assistance are given by the Town Planning Division to the committee of designers. He represents the Town Planning Division, with or without the presence of the manager or assistant manager, at every staff conference on the projects assigned to him- He checks in detail plans submitted by the project town planners and reports them to the manager for filial approval. The 74 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATTON. district town planner oft«n serves upon the second investigation team for a project to which he is later to be assigned. On certain projects the manager and the assistant manager perform the func- tions of district town planners without delegation. Six to nine draftsmen, working on general standardized informa- tion and especially on the plans of those few projects which are de- signed by the Town Planning Division in its own office instead of through project town planners employed on contract. III. The work of the town planner begins at the very moment of his inspection of a proposed site, by the exercise of his knowledge and his power to visualize. Whatever the present condition of the area under consideration, he "must see what it offers as a developed site; how its exposure will suit its occupancy; whether the topography is such as to afford convenient, economical, and agreeable disposition of communication and subdivisions; must see what natural features, if any, may be retained or improved to serve as recreational and breathing spaces, more especially if not fit for development as house lots. Further, though the design of the buildings may not be his task, yet their grouping will be, as well as their immediate setting, and he should have enough of architectural knowledge to realize the architectural possibilities. These are the things that his trained eye must perceive at once; the confirmation of his judgmnt is to come when, with a close topographical survey before him, he makes his plan of roads, lots, parks, and other com- munal features, works out his grades and establishes the balance be- tween cut and fill which is essential to the economy he must never lose sight of. Furthermore, the town plan largely controls the necessary cost per house for sewerage and other utilities and for foundations, cellars, and the grading and improvement of lots; the work of the town planner being done in close cooperation with both the archi- tect and with the engineer. Just as in the design of a building the practical, the sensible, the convenient are the best possible founda- tion for the good appearance which comes from the artist's touch, so in the town planner's lay-out, grading and planting, those same elements are necessary. The curving street that minimizes cost of grading and gives picturesque interest to the buildings along it must be a convenient means of circulation and make for the most advan- tageous subdivision of the lots on which those buildings are set. This work, no less than that of the architect, is no vague dream of Elysium, but is controlled by cold questions such as the cost of mov- ing cubic yards of earth, the percentage of rentable area to be got out of a given site, the convenience of access generally and indi- vidually, the share of the total cost to be borne by each housing unit, and its relation to the paying power of. the lessee or buyer. If out of these and such-like matters the town planner produces something which people want because of its attractiveness, he has done only what his employer, the United States Government, should have to validate its investment. Eespectively submitted. F. L. Olmsted, Manager^ %^own Planning Division. APPENDIX VII. REQUIREMENTS DIVISION. Between the work of the divisions charged with design and the building activities of the Construction Division stands the Require- ments Division, coordinating the functions of both by gathering and disseminating information about building materials, their use and cost ; by preparing in advance the lists needed for purchase and ship- ment; by advance analysis of the cost of projects and by subsequent checking of those costs. It is further charged with the investigation and determination of all applications for Federal licenses to construct houses for workers in war industries where these are financed by private capital. The Requirements Division is subdivided into the following sec- tions, whose duties are described below : 1. Materials Information Section. 2. Estimating. 3. Private Housing Project. 1. The Materials Information Section works closely with the Building Materials Section. War Industries Board, in the conferences of the Board on Building Materials and lends to the board the benefit of its judgment and experience on subjects pertaining to standardi- zation, conservation, and centralized control over building materials. It disseminates the resolutions of the Building Materials Section among the various interested parts of the corporation, keeping them informed of all developments in the materials situation, and sees that , the recommendations of the War Industries Board are made effective and immediately applied to housing projects. It investigates the relative merits of different materials appro- priate for housing use and attempts so to direct their use as to stabil- ize business and secure for each branch of the building material in- dustry its fair apportionment of orders placed, having in mind the appropriateness of material to certain localities and at all times the broad national aspect of the situation. It has arranged fire protection and prevention for all buildings under the corporation's program. 2. The Estimating Section functions more directly with the Con- struction Division. This section advises the production divisions, and through them the project architects, upon prevailing costs, as a guide in the preliminary preparation of drawings; prepares lists of anticipated building material requirements and advises the Re- qurements Division, War Industries Board, of future probable needs, in order that advance provision for their production may be made'; it further advises the Car Service Section, Railroad Admin- istration, in order that car requirements may be anticipated. It prepares advance purchase lists of building materials in order /that materials may be allocated, purchased, and started in transit to the project while competitive bids are being taken and contracts 75 76 REPORT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. awarded, thus obviating delays in receiving material after contracts are signed and work begun. The Estimating Section, upon receipt of final architectural draw- ings and at the time contractor's estimates are being taken, makes a quantitative estimate of the cost of each project and this carefully prepared itemized estimate is held in the files of this section. Upon contractor's estimates being received, a comparison is made between these bids and this estimate. The Construction Division is advised as to the reasonableness of the bids received and is guided accord- ingly. . . As construction work progresses, comparisons between actual and estimated costs on all " units " of construction are kept and where actual costs show increases over estimated, the reason for this " over- run" is immediately investigated. If this "overrun" is due to remediable causes, the remedy is applied; if not, arrangement for financing the additional cost is made or the extent of the project is curtailed to fall within the allotment. All bills of material or purchase orders from contractors are checked by the Estimating Section in order that any " over ordering " or " under ordering " may be detected and corrected before trans- portation begins. Since the active work of the United States Housing Corporation began, the Estimating Section has prepared itemized quantitative estimates for 41 projects with an aggregate value for buildings alone of approximately $38,000,000. It has furnished preliminary esti- mates and advance material-requirement estimates for these proj- ects, and has checked all bills of quantities and costs units on the work that has proceeded. 3. Applications originating anywhere in the United States for Federal licenses for privately initiated and financed projects for housing workers in war industries are transmitted to and passed upon by the Requirements Division. Through an agreement between the War Industries Board, Council of National Defense, and the United States Housing Corporation this corporation, through its Eequirements Division, is designated as the sole authority to give final recommendation to the Non War Con- struction Section, War Industries Board, for the granting of Federal building licenses for all such private work. By so doing, it is possible to exercise centralized control over all private housing work ; to take advantage of the facilities for investi- gation and to bring to bear upon the subject the vast amount of data pertaining to housing needs possessed by the United States Housing Corporation. The Eequirements Division has assiduously encouraged the build- ing by private capital of houses for war workers in those localities where there existed an acute housing shortage and where relief would otherwise necessarily have to be afforded by the Government. This division has thus far succeeded in interesting private capital to build approximately 13,552 houses for workmen, at a cost of $43,000,000, and has passed upon and approved privately financed dormitories, iToung Men's Christian Associations, Young Women's, Christian Associations, apartments, barracks, etc., accommodating for living purposes an additional 2,100 persons, costing approxi- REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 77 mately $2,500,000, thus reducing in a substantial manner demands upon the Federal Treasury. The success so far achieved, considering the short time the Re- quirements Division has been in operation, leads one to believe that, with restrictions further removed, private capital may be depended upon in an increasing degree to help solve the industrial housing situation. EespectfuUy submitted. N. Max Dunning, Ma/nager^ Requirements Division. APPENDIX VIII, CONSTRUCTION DIVISION. When the labors of the designers are concluded ; when all the draw- ings and specifications prepared by architect, engineer, and town planner are complete, the Construction Division enters upon the scene for action. Not that it has been entirely absent therefrom dur- ing the design stage, for there have had to be the many consultations which tie up the work of the planner with that of the builder and are so important a feature of the conception of this corporation as a unifying of all participants into a team; and the project managers have been the constant link between the progress of designers' offices and all divisions of the corporation up to the time when the burden upon them shifts from the office to the field. The formation of the Construction Division began about March 15, but a definite arrangement of personnel was not decided upon until about a month later, pending an indication of policy of action in view of the act which was pending before Congress during that period. In the meantime, as the problems incident to the handling of a great volume of separate and diverse projects over a wide area, for which no ordinary contracting experience offered an exact precedent, disclosed themselves, and as the magniture of the work became evi- dent, it became necessary to frame and to create the nucleus of the administrative staff in the division, and to secure the services of well qualified men as chiefs of its different branches, in order to be pre- pared for the anticipated requirements when actual construction work should proceed, and also to prepare the formation of the field executive staffs. As a description of what the administrative problem was and of its solution, the following statement of the work of the division, of its component branches and their duties should suffice. The Construction Division organization consists of the manager, an assistant manager, and a general supervisor. The assistant man- ager has general supervision of the personnel and work of the office in Washington and of the personnel of the field staff; the general supervisor has charge of the field work, though the lines are not strictly drawn, both keeping in touch with all branches of the work. In the corporation office are stationed project managers, each of whom has from three to six of the projects under his charge; in ad- dition to these men the Construction Division also contains the Con- tract Branch, Cost Reports Branch, and the Materials Procurement Branch with sections for ordering material by requisition (Requisi- tion Section), for the procurement of the material so ordered (Pro- curement Section), for the expediting and delivery of the material (Traffic Section), and the obtaining of priority (Priority Section). Besides these there are a number of traveling supervisors who have 79 80 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. direct supervision of the work in the field ; they are directly under the general supervisor. THE CONTRACT BRANCH. To this branch was a,llotted the duty of keeping a record of all contractors' questionnaires, and the records in connection therewith; the obtaining of estimates and their tabulation; the preparation of contract forms, and the filing of all records pertaining to the con- tracts. MATERIALS PROCUREMENT BRANCH. The creation of the Materials Procurement Branch was necessary because under war conditions it was neither possible nor desirable for the individual contractors to buy large quantities of materials in the open market. It was essential that the division's purchases, as well as those of the Army, Navy, and other Government departments, should be controlled by the War Industries Board. The functions of the Materials Procurement Branch are just what its name implies, for it supervises the procurement of the pub- lic utility and building materials required for the entire program of the corporation. To this end it performs nearly all the duties of a huge purchasing office, and in addition has several branches of work — such as priorities and clearances through the War In- dustries Board — which were not known before the war. It pre- pares or approves requisitions for materials, determines prices, locates sources of supply, issues purchase orders, inspects and expedites materials and insures their prompt transportation to widely separated projects, furnishes standard prices on which con- tractors may figure their bids, cooperates with the Requirements, Facilities, and Priorities Divisions and the several Commodity Sec- tions of the War Industries Board, and acts in close cooperation with the Army. Not only is a huge amount of material required but it has had to be secured in a very short time. The first order was placed late in July, and by the end of October almost thirty million dollars' worth had been procured. During the latter part of October the pur- chases averaged almost a million dollars daily. In addition to this the Materials Procurement Branch had aided municipalities and private corporations in securing materials required in making the extensions of existing public utility or transportation facilities made necessary by the housing projects. Arrangements were made with the Construction Division of the Army to allocate, order, inspect, and expedite the production of most of the division's requirements. The contractors, too, assumed much of the responsibility for expediting the delivery of their ma- terials. Four sections were created in the branch — ^the Requisition, Mate- rials, Priorities, and Traffic Sections — and a chief of each was ap- pointed. These men planned the work of the branch, prepared requisition and other forms, and so far as possible arranged the routine to be employed. On November 1, when the height of pur- chasing was reached, the personnel of the branch numbered 39. BEPOBT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 81 COST REPORTS BRANCH. f 'J^^s -branch is headed by a cost engineer. Its functions are two- loia— the keeping of accurate records of both the cost and progress ot work performed on each project and the utilizing of this record to improve existing r-nnrlitir.r.Q The contracts, determined after competitive bidding, are usuaUy ot the kind known as cost plus a fixed fee," the corporation paying actual cost of construction and the contractor receiving an agreed sum for the use of his plant, equipment, organization, and for his personal attention. It is therefore necessary to maintain constant and careful record and analysis of cost; this is done upon the basis of unit prices for all parts of the work, designed to cover materials and labor, these unit prices being agreed upon at the time of making the contract. Their determination as well as their subsequent use IS a matter of close and ingenious computation. Under the system employed by this branch a check is kept upon current costs in the field, in comparison with those estimated by the contractor and em- bodied in the contract ; when they show overrun, then, through in- formation to the contractor and the activities of the works super- intendent, proper remedies are applied and reduction effected. The Cost Reports Branch has an engineer on each project, to- gether with the necessary assistants, who keep account of all material built and work done and check the unit costs and total costs from week to week, keeping the works superintendent and contractor ad- vised as to the relation between the actual and estimated costs. A staff of project managers was organized— to act as assistants to the assistant manager — to follow up the details of each project from inception to completion. Part of their duties has been indi- cated above ; in addition thereto they, with the works superintend- ents, aid the selected contractors in the preparation of official esti- mates, progress schedules showing the time of beginning and finish- ing each division of the work, labor schedules showing amount of labor in each trade necessary from week to week, and schedules of contractors' organizations and of the corporation's field forces. Each one of these, consisting of works superintendent, assistants, and inspectors, field auditor, and cost reports engineer, and the three chief members are instructed in Washington as to their duties under the direction of the project manager. He also checks the requisi- tions for materials sent in by contractors, to see that they comply with the requirements of the drawings and specifications. There is also a corps of traveling supervisors reporting to the manager after periodical visits to the various sites where work is in progress. Tne detailed duties of each member of the organization were de- fined in manuals of instructions. The selection of the work superintendents in charge of the field staffs was arranged in conjunction with the committee of design (composed of the architect, engineer, and town planner) for each project, and the nominee then thoroughly questioned and investigated by the division heads before approval was made, and if satisfactory they were then appointed shortly prior to actual work being started ; in addition the division appointed a direct corporation representa- 97379°— 19 6 82 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COBPOKATION. tive, whose special duties are to keep the manager thoroughly posted as l^o conditions of the work while in progress, in addition to the weekly and biweekly reports received from the works superin- tendent. The work in the field is in the sole charge of the works superin- tendent, who reports directly to the manager of the Construction Division. The traveling supervisor of the district in which the proj- ect is located is the only person in the Construction Division other than the manager who has authority to direct the works superin- tendent in the field, and they have authority superior to that of the works superintendent only in dealing with the contractor. The works superintendent reports daily to the manager of the Con- struction Division, giving the details of the work done, the number of men employed, and such other information as may from time to time be pertinent. In addition to this he renders a short weekly report on the state of advancement of the work and a detailed report every two weeks, prepared in conjunction with the cost reports engineer, giving the cost of the work to date, estimated cost to finish, and the percentage of work done, comparing this with the original estimated cost and time for the entire project. The field auditor, who, though a member of the field force and under the direction of the works superintendent, is appointed by and reports to the chief auditor of the Fiscal Division of this bureau, not only keeps an account of all pay rolls and labor costs, but also supervises the checking of all materials delivered to the work and audits and pays all bills for both labor and material. All orders for material placed and all bills and pay rolls, when audited, are ap- proved by the works superintendent before the materials are actually ordered or any payment made. The duties of the field staff are fully set forth in the Field Staff Manual. The manual also instructs the superintendents as to the method of planning, the commencement of the work, and the arrange- ments to be made with regard to fire protection, hospital requirements, distribution of material, and the functions of the departments coordi- nating with the Construction Division. The selection of contractors to estimate upon the various contracts has been a serious matter; each applicant was required to fill out a special questionnaire form for record, and, furthermore, through the courtesy of the Emergency Construction Committee of the Coun- cil of National Defense, access was had to the questionnaire files and records for additional data. Bradstreet and Dun reports were re- ferred to for financial standing of the selected contractors and in many instances our traveling supervisors investigate the actual stand- ing of the contractors in the vincinity of the projected contracts, and the data were compiled for reference, together with information ob- tained from other sources. To insure competent and responsible bidders, taking into consid- eration the size of the contract, location, and type of work to be done, when a project was ready for estimate a tentative list of eli- gible contractors was prepared by the Contract Branch, checked by the manager and referred with comments to the president for final analysis and approval. EEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COBPORATION. 83 Estimates were delivered in specially prepared envelopes, stamped when received as to date and time, tabulated and rated .by a com- mittee, after analysis, and the results presented to the general man- ager and president for award based on the construction manager's recommendation; the successful contractor was notified and in- structed by the various branch chiefs in methods to which he must conform governing the execution of his contract. In beginning the work on each project various and interest- ing problems presented themselves to be solved. In many cases the preliminary operations were as important as the actual building of the houses; sites had to be cleared, barracks and commissary build- ings erected, and other accommodations prepared for the welfare of the workmen engaged on the work; railway sidings to be con- structed; sawmills and trestles for material erected; transportation arranged; and general organization effected. Special reports from the project manager and works superintendents explain in detail the manner in which this was done; also a schedule of the actual work completed or under way for each project up to December 1, 1918. The requirements for labor are forwarded to and handled by the Industrial Eelations Division of this bureau. Of necessity, in the organization of an entirely new machine, there were complications and .difficulties to be met in its preliminary opera- tions, and rearrangements had to be made from time to time as con- ditions became evident. Each such case was taken promptly in hand and proper adjustments made to insure a harmonious and effective working staff in conjunction with that of the contractors. Labor difficulties have been prevalent and it was unfortunately not possible to find a sufficient staff of men to operate the jobs as expeditiously as was desired; there has been also the need to compete with other governmental branches that were trying to rush the work assigned to them and experiencing similar difficulties; the allocation and delivery of material was retarded in many instances because of con- gestion and extraordinary demand ; yet with the aid of the War In- dustries Board and affiliated governmental assistance and the efforts of the staff of this division and the cooperation of the contractor, in the main contracts have proceeded with fairly uniform speed and on schedule time in the majority of instances. "Weekly meetings have been held under the direction of the assist- ant construction manager for the interchange of views by the project managers and other members of the Construction Division, and also in order to perfect and coordinate the functions of the various branches of this division and the corporation in general. The traveling supervisors are in constant touch with the president of the corporation, acting as his confidential agents in conjunction with their other duties as supervisors of the Construction Division, enabling him always to be closely familiar with actual conditions at the works, their reports being supplemented by the routine reports from, works superintendents and project managers and the personal reports of the manager. To expedite the emergency work on temporary accommodations for employees of the powder plants, a separate branch has been or- •ranized, where drawings and specifications have been prepared, 84 EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. orders and contracts placed, and the construction supervised. This branch in its operation closely conforms to the procedure described above for the Construction Division. Another Special Emergency Construction Branch was created and is actively employed in conjunction with the Homes Registration Bu- reau in Washington to attend to the repairs and alterations of vacant and requisitioned buildings in Washington, D. C., and to date 38 houses have been finished for rental and 16 are in course of being completed ; this branch is under the control of a superintendent and employs its own labor and acts as a contracting agent to the Con- struction Division, this being deemed a more economical and expe- ditious method of conducting this minor emergency repair work rather than to employ contractors. In connection with the cancellation and curtailment of contracts a special adjustment committee was formed to consider all data with the view of effecting equitable adjustments with contractors and manufacturers and the results of these deliberations are then passed upon by the manager and transmitted to the general manager and president for final review and approval. SALES DEPARTMENT. Since the abandonment of several of the projects and the curtail- ment of others it has transpired that considerable material will be left on the several operations. Some of this is perishable and all must be handled by sale or storage and protected from the elements and unloaded to save demurrage. This same condition exists on many other government operations, and in order to conserve all such materials and get the best values for them intelligently, a new divi- sion, known as the sales department, has been organized, with a chief and an advisory committee of two members from the Construc- tion Division, to get all data, formulate policies and keep the rec- ords of sales, making recommendation through the manager of the Construction Division to the president of this corporation for dis- posal of any material left from our several projects. The first contract was awarded July 8 ; since then 79 contracts were placed, 36 contracts were canceled, 12 contracts were curtailed, and at present 31 are under way. The average fee or profit on contracts as indicated by records to date is 0.0311 per cent, less the salary of the contractor's superintend- ent and office overhead. The average plant or contractor's equipment rental to date is 0.0142 per cent, this rate being based on the estimated total cost of contracts in operation. Eespectfully submitted. Daniel T. Webster, Manager, Construction Division. REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 85 Summary of contracts to date, showing approximate final cost. (Dec. 2, 191S.) Contract amounts. final costs. (A) Projects to proceed: Contract amounts $23,073,961.11 17,320,957.29 $23,073,961.11 (B) Projects to be reduced: Contract amounts Approximate final costs 11 297 471 00 (C) Projects to be canceled: Contract amounts 17,627,952.50 4,053,483.00 fD) Projects canceled without loss: AmoiiTit 5,458,275.75 Total 63,481,146.65 38,424,915.11 38,424,915.11 T o qj 53-H •- '-' o o o^r; o llillli!4llliiJ drtSS:§^-^< d £ w ^ S " ^ O d M " g£.|ssZg £ rt a £ § ^TT) H a ||||||||iti s s 1^ 09 »». n eo«3 O Is a >Q 2 o a « o < S t; 9 a ft ^ . .*: S^|«.^-a§sg ;£j ° of -a a § t. ajS & o b^ot: ""^ III ii«fiiiihii ■ a m ffl «?„« i^inSa c OS "^ "^S-g'o ogSg«S«=,§aBS go§^>,o ' m IV a^ > ^ ^ o ai o V u PI cur; £ o jh «a ^ o CO s a aa.s •OS ,2« >^A^B S " " o S^ •§ o « S ■*^ s ft S« = •o'a • s ftft .-^ g rf > ® sg£| 'ifrisf-s;- |lllll|SSgSig§||^.o|| I?- ag CO o ,P+3 43 So a •s •p *^ nasi 000 P o OS s ?s s O m O O 02 <{ ft" ft d) O CO ccOm o ft ft-t? fe ft ■ cqoqOZ cq « ^ 5 5 a ™ S) 5 iS C o S OS S+^CQ 00^ M W WWi-i CD -^WICS £C4Ph ™ g g «■§ <» g'giss £ .SS^^MM M aiiil fi M M 112 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COKPOEATTON. si 9 o a w A o M R W m <>! 14 ^gi 2;o> 3^ a e s 2 i-H C-1 .3 P OJO 00 l^ii *-^ — rt fcH fQMO „ gggg saai © a» cj 2' •S5 ^ 01 go Si 3 af=sg,| E-O c3 " -^ a o op?.. <» a 5&^o3 8 S-g I >r ^OOOOO «0 CO O QJ ^ © Omcoco ^ O Q,4a bb +J 5 Q.'S, hi) CL ^ t rt n fl-g o o o S gggs 3 3 3 3 3 a> a> V >>> V t> t> t> j:3p3^ S| > a a aaa 3:ss aaazzzz !? 2; BEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COKPORATION. 113 Ol Oit^u^OSCQOa M CO W^DOlOivOl t- w_7a ® 03*0 e -a c, ° So ' do : O n c3 ° cag- 5al +* o G « ., S O " • M 9 « aas o o c ' 1 .,^«MMI 2 S ° S II feS ??OT 2*8 dtiS9£«^ .(UOJiBCD o o o o o o ^ p a a a a g*^ 0) V « S O V .•• aaaaaas a; « <£i (& « » n ■ CB ffi © ® ^ Cb be bobc &£ ^O cQ c9 o3 CO cS A « a m d a a 5 cS O O O O O O Q, ■ 03 0) OJ « 03 « ° 4J ^ d) CO flJ • OJ Q g -°as I ^aSa ^ o cam (fl g SSS8S in o g C d I- o o ^aa. S'oo o o O^cncQ ^ CQ o ^ CO oo ■a ■< ■< «« B a a 03 ® tt> £ o oi3 w M o St; 5 o ■e 03 d a*® GO'S 03 g03 J _ ™—« 03 !>^p--3 ■H :da3:ST:s: >-( CO ^ W CO »-« OJt- MOJl^ rt MlOCOC5^i-( 97379°— 19- 114 REPOBT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. gag o P. 3 lO Of- o aj^ at .Hn i o^ ™ ^H o o3 ^ . C a d a SC>1 0} V 01 R 0} adsaals C3 Ih 03 d ^ ri^ ^ o t; o o o^ o aj ^o o aj * ^ ±i" S c§ S S S OJ -g ^ _Q3 _o _« _« oj o oj Q) a) aj QJ «sa zam w « pS »- -«< kOt^OOi- o Saja.C.S p. "o ao.a — o3 a sae a o •a » S 3 SS S ^ ci CO ■*■ « »« ■** !» 00 M l^ 00 0» aa 2| ^"s Sua 1-1 ~ ;= B@ o a S "fl OH « c^ n 00 go- '^- «.g jag en Ih (P o o 5* 2a a»5 X3« S ^"i; rt o ag ^.S 9 (t.'O o &5a astis 4 A n -■*^ If-, oS g-S « s III it-sl' lis. "iS^fi o'a«go Sa 1 f^ m •*-''»' nil 5 2,gs>5H;|'Sso 3|oaeioi|s| i.+j ^ .(-" ^ T? .<-. tft^ ®c© S !D ra S Oil' hJ 1-1 1-5 CO A sa J5' jq a a ^ s a a OS REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 115 w5 ■* s g 5S S t-i m cs i-i eq ^m 3 S 3 ^H ■OS 2 ■v „ o r o 2 ■ OS a a ^ 'C S'Sto a a o S Soiw« -a . 5 n-§_. " s a:zi 2'".a|sS^aH "«§>s:asttte asj 03 «3 S Sfe-o » a 3 C= rt la ►-1 ^ gp.'g oa§ -^ IS m a t ° 'aAw'^^^Sr-'-'o Sfi^Sao-Bog '6 ""^a^^o- fl ea d S ►? S ®-*^ ' B ai R a) rH ^ ^^ o3 ( OS •-* as do O o C3 (-, O M,X I 55-< a| 3fe6S-g^ i^s ^a So a ^5! a ^ .2 05 O oJ h^ O CR^ T=^S O aa ??'aaB I IB ■S&ES3 §a sat 3&H O*^ sg-B'PZma +^ 2 _• IS _, ^o 2 Om'-' o ^ O P o <^ O^ 1^ h^ ij ■S"*' a>a o e"'osoa s*l^°a ^ ^' f>. >t e3 ca ^ c^ ss s 00 s & ^ m ■< c C aj a a % s$ eao s I E/l m CQ •^oa So <1. 8 S & rt ;S ^ S I I P? oa 4i ® d O d d -^ ■-- S^ls es O S . d >« °j - a &-3--. 2 " S.2g-^ 5-gii .-05 '-'■*-■ d w 03 to ^^ ©a iff bO S 0) d ss ■fells a.tj-so o rt-a » ■S&Bg' a> b< o OS S ""> ^^ o o ^ 03 m « II IBs a o ■s s g g Ssaftgn +3 °3 tj)C«^ ® .O w m O g o ©r^ 2 S « 116 REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. ^ t-^ja O W C3 a »o « H M K O ^ P a g P o M w tn « o o « O o ) rt W a< O Q Z te ^ ^ ■3 = 2 ■§■"2? ■ioft^ |c|fg i ^ g » ^ da flJi r; EJ C r iS ■" " a illill I? $ s I I -< ■3 o o ■g I a I REPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 119 ^^^RT^R^fi? n1 ?x?^T^?-§x>^^ WASHINGTON TRANSFERRED TO THE BUREAU OF INDUSTRIAL HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION. Under the act " to authorize the President to provide housing for war needs the bureau was authorized " to take possession of, aher, repair, improve, and suitably arrange for living purposes * * * all houses on square 633, except the Maltby Building, owned by the United States, together with any other houses in the District of Columbia owned by the Government and not now occupied. " In accordance with this provision the 28 properties described in the accompanying table were taken over and operated by the Com- mittee on Requisitioned Houses through the Washington Division of the Homes Registration Service. It was found that the majority of these properties were in exceedingly bad repair. Twenty of the properties were already partially occupied at rentals ranging gener- ally from $1 to $5 per month. Under the terms of the Saulsbury resolution it was impossible to raise the rents of these properties without the consent of the occupants, even though many thousands of dollars might be spent on their improvement. The unoccupied properties were, therefore, repaired first and have been leased to competent persons for the housing of war workers at reasonable rentals. Agreements were signed in several cases by persons residing in the houses which had been found occupied by which the occupant consented to an allotment of a specified number of rooms for their own use, leaving the rest of the house to be filled and operated by the bureau. Owing to the relatively high cost of the necessary repairs per room made available through such agreements, repairs were begun in only six of these houses and had been completed in but one at the time of the signing of the armistice. In view of the change in war conditions it was voted by the committee at that time that extensive improve- ments and repairs to these houses should be stopped. Respectfully submitted. Committee on Requisitioned Houses. James Ford, CJiairman. W. E. Shannon. AiiLAN Robinson. Report on Department of Interior houses, Deo. 2, 1918. Address. Appraisal. Disposition. Cost of fur- niture. Total num- ber of rooms. Num- ber of occu- pants. 235 Arthur Place N W J25 a month. $50 a month. None None Rented by the United States Housing Corporation to William 0. Bowie at J25 a month from Nov. 9. Occupied by the United States Senate folding room. Occupied by Miss Ida Marshall, who has lived there 30 years and now pays SS a month rent. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rent of this house. Occupied by Miss S. L. Keyser, who has lived there about 14 years and now pays 15 a month for rent tor each of the two houses. The Sauls- bury resolution prevents increasing the rent of these houses. 5 12 29-31 B Street NW 32 120 EEPOHT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOKATION. Report on Department of Interior houses, Dec. 2, 19IS — Contiuued. Address. 33 B Street NW . 40 C Street NW. and 238 New Jersey Avenue. 44 C Street NW. , 46 C Street., 48 C Street, 60 C Street. 210 New Jersey Avenue 212 New Jersey Avenue. . . , 214 New Jersey Avenue — 216 New Jersey Avenue.. . . 218 New Jersey Avenue.. . , 220 New Jersey Avenue 222 New Jersey Avenue 224 New Jersey Avenue 226 New Jersey Avenue. . . , Appraisal. None. , None. . None., $40 a month. $40 a month. None.. $50 a month. $60 a month. $60 a month. $60 a month. f $60 a month. $60 a month. $60 a month. $60 a month. $60 a month. Disposition. Occupied by Mrs. Barker, who pays $5 a month rent. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rent of this house. Occupied by Mrs. Boswell, who pays $1 a month for 40 C Street and $5 a month tor 238 New Jersey Avenue. The buildings connect. The in- spector was unable to get accurate information as to the number of oc- cupants, but was told the houses were full and that at least 9 are war workers. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rents on these houses. Occupied by Mrs. Pauline Proctor, an invalid, who pays $1 a month rent. She has lived in the house for 27 years and has made her own repairs. The Saulsbury resolution prevents in- creasing the rent of this house. Leased by the United States Housing Corporation to lyieut. Cowen for $40 a month from Nov. 1. Leased by the United States Housing Corporation to Mrs. Magee, of United States Navy, and Mrs. Burns, of Quartermaster Corps, at $40 a month plus 20 per cent per annum of the cost of the furniture from Oct. 30. Occupied by Mrs. Taylor, who has lived there 27 years. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rent of thisnouse. Leased by the United States Housing Corporation to Mrs. M. H. King at $35 a mouth from Sept. 21. Leased by the United States Housing Corporation to Mrs. B. M. Morrison at $40 a month from Oct. 15. Occupied by Mrs. Minton, who has been paying $5 a month for rent and has now been oflered the house at $40 a month, she having agreed to have rent adjusted on account of repairs. Occupied by Mrs. S. E. PtDterton, who pays $5 a month for rent, but who has agreed to pay increased rent when repairs are completed. Rent has been set at $40 a month. Occupied by Mrs. E. D. Wetmore, who pays $1 a month for rent, but has agreed to pay increased rent when repairs are completed. Rent has been set at $40 a month. Occupied by Mrs. Loretta E. Smith, who pays $1 a month for rent, but has agreed to pay an increased rent when repairs are completed. Rent has been set at $40 a month. Occupied by Mrs. Mary D. Thornton, who pays $1 a month for rent and who refused to agree to pay an in- creased rent in consideration of pro- posed repairs. Occupied by Mrs. J. M. Williams, who pays $5 a month for rent, but is far m arrears. She lias agreed to pay increased rent on the completion of repairs. Rent has been set at $40 a month. Occupied by Mrs. M. J. McAndrews, who pays $5 a month tor rent, but has agreed to pay increased rent on the completion of repairs. Rent lias been set at $40 a month. Cost of fur- niture. $955. 12 Total num- ber of rooms. Num- ber of occu- pants.- 11 13 5 EEPORT or UNITED STATES HOUSING CORPORATION. 121 Report on Department of Interior houses, Deo. 2, 1918 — Continued. Address. Appraisal. Disposition. Cost of fur- niture. Total num- ber of rooms. Num- ber of occu- pants. 228 New Jersey Avenue None None None None 822.50 amonth 125 a month. Occupied by Mrs. Ayres, who pays $1 a month lor rent. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rent of this house. Occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Myers, who pay $5 a month for rent. The Sauls- bury resolution prevents increasing the rent of this house. Occupied by Mrs. Lament, who pays IS a month for rent. The Saulsbury resolution prevents increasing the rent of this house. Occupied by Mrs. Davis, who has' lived here 16 years and who pays $1 a year for rent for 234 and tS a year for rent tor 236. She claims to have spent $600 on repairs on 234 New Jersey Avenue. The Saulsbury res- olution prevents increasing the rent of these nouses. Leased by the United States Housing Corporation to George Playfair, a navy yard worker, at $20 a month from Sept. 20. The United States Housing Corpora- tion has been unable to rent this house because it is in a colored neigh- borhood and because there is no run- ning water in the house. g 230 New Jersey Avenue 10 232 New Jersey Avenue 15 234-236 New Jersey Avenue 22 1323 Twenty-fourth Street NW. 1108 Twenty-sixth Street NW. 6 6 7 APPENDIX XIV. WASHINGTON DIVISION, HOMES REGISTRATION SERVICE. In the fall of 1917 the Washington Chamber of Commerce, per- ceiving the rapidity with which war workers were coming to this city, endeavored to compile a list of vacant bedrooms for the pur- pose of furnishing the addresses to the workers mentioned, publicity to this activity being given in letters to various chambers of com- merce throughout the United States. The applications for rooms grew in volume daily and the Federal Government then became interested in the matter, a room registra- tion office, functioning under the District Council of Defense, having been established at 1321 New York Avenue in the latter part of January, 1918. This office became a part of the Government of the District of Columbia on August 31, 1918. On September 17, 1918, the Room Registration Office was taken over by the Bureau of Indus- trial Housing and its activities were coordinated with those of the Washington Committee on Equipment of Houses and the Committee on Requisitioned Houses. (See separate report.) The following are statistics regarding the activities of the room registry within the period from February 1 to November 1, 1918: Month. Persons receiving addresses. Pay roll and rent. Cost per person. 2,439 3,462 5,025 2,612 2,535 2,665 3,662 5,410 3,805 $1,487.56 1,517.31 1,5.55.33 1,596.84 1,647.33 1,795.16 1,837.70 2,557.08 4, 709. 94 $0.61 Ntorch ^ :::;::::;:;;; .43 April .30 May .61 .TnTip . .65 July .67 August ... . - . . . .50 SAptATnh#»r. .47 1.24 Total 31,615 18,704.25 0.59 » Average. The increase in cost per person placed in October is due chiefly to the following three facts : 1. The opening of the registry in the evening, which necessitates the installation of a double shift. 2. Enlargement of the force of inspectors and clerks due to de- mands of the War Risk Insurance and other bureaus for hundreds ot rooms on short notice. , 3. The opening of a separate office for the placement o± colored persons. , , ^ » The Room Registration Office has, of course, been a target tor some criticism, but it has been the object of a vast amount of praise tor 123 124 EEPOET OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOEATION. the assistance it has rendered to the war program of the Government, and also for the large element of human interest and sympathy it has infused into its work, holding itself out to incoming war workers as their friend and as an agency that would establish contact be- tween strangers within our gates and churches, other excellent organ- izations, and friends from home, in addition to assuring anxious parents and their sons and daughters who had failed to write home were well and happy. Incoming war workers might be compared to an assortment of pegs of various shapes and sizes, and it has been the desire and aim of the Room Registration Office to fit those pegs in properly as re- gards living accommodations. This has not always been an easy problem. The young girl from a small town who has never been away from home restraint, much less both away from home and in a large city, has been the cause of our greatest difficulty and anxiety. As a general rule she has desired living accommodations close to the place of her employment and also close to the bright lights and the picture shows. On the other hand, the college woman has been comparatively easy to house and the type of worker coming here has been steadily improving, due, it is believed, largely to the fact that business con- cerns in the States have advanced their salary scales to the point where the Government wage is no longer attractive to the person who formerly came here simply for a frolic or half-hearted work. It has been the constant aim of this office to hold down room and board prices to reasonable levels. Some persons have offered rooms at exorbitant prices, and it was politely suggested to them that their prices were too high. Many of the persons receiving such sugges- tions modified their prices, but in a number of instances they re- plied that " if we did not want the room we need not take it," and generally it was not taken. The persons whose rooms were declined because of an unwillingness to assist in profiteering have in numerous instances been the harshest critics of the Registration Office, both in and out of the press. There has been not only an intensely human side to the work but humorous instances have crept in here and there. A number of per- sons, planning to come here for war work at salaries of $100 per month and less, have requested lists of the best hotels in Washington. One young woman asked that some one meet her at the station,' as she had never been on a street car. Numerous interesting restrictions were also made by householders as to the types of roomers they would receive into their homes. Some did not want young women who would raid the family refrig- erator, use the family bathtub for laundry purposes, put worn-out garments in toilets, set hot irons on varnished surfaces, monopolize the parlor to the exclusion of the family, return late at night with sol- diers and sailors and turkey trot around the parlor to graphophone music, etc., and others would not receive young men who smoked cigarettes, or pipes, or cigars, or who chewed tobacco, some limiting their rooms to Hebrew girls, or men from New York, or Catholic girls from Louisiana. Fortunately the supply of rooms at the Registration Office has never been totally exhausted. Sometimes the supply would get quite REPORT OP UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPORATION. 125 low, but prompt steps would then be taken to increase it through a canvass or appeals through the churches, and much has been done ^^ j^-,7^^ °^ publicity by distributing thousands of posters and , handbills and by news items in the local press, the columns of the latter having been cheerfully tendered. In the interest of economy and efficiency a policy of employing most of the office workers on the per diem basis was inaugurated and has been continued, the result of which has been a good showing as to attendance of employees. LOANS TO BOARDING-HOUSE KEEPERS. Transmitted herewith is a statistical statement as to loans made through this office to aid in equipping and operating emergency boarding houses for war workers. To date, as' will be observed from the statement mentioned, there have been expended $16,447.43 in the payment of bills incurred by borrowers and approved by this office for furniture, bedding, dishes, and other needed merchandise. The sum of $2,140 has been repaid by these borrowers, leaving an outstanding balance due of $14,157.43, to be paid within 12 months in equal monthly installments. The plan under which these loans are made is substantially the same as was followed by the Housing and Health Division of the War Department in rendering financial assistance to matrons of approximately 25 emergency boarding houses opened in the spring and summer of the present year. An outline of the plan is deemed proper in this report : All persons applying for loans for the purpose indicated were carefully investigated, particularly as to their training, experience, ability, financial responsibility, morality, honesty, general health, and their capacity to exercise a firm and tactful control over but sympathetic interest in the occupants of their houses. We proceeded on the theory that an effort should be made to improve the living standards and health of war workers. Being satisfied as to the ad- visability of making a loan, the office authorized the applicant to incur bills, subject to approval, up to the amount of the loan E^greed upon, secured such loan by a demand note bearing interest at the rate of 5 per cent per annum and secured by a chattel deed of trust duly recorded, required the borrower to pay premium for fire, insur- ance on the chattels, stipulated dates and amounts of monthly cur- tails, limited the number of persons to be accommodated in the vari- ous rooms of the house and the prices to be charged such persons, and specified that the house was to be subject to inspection. In a few. instances, the office also obtained collateral security for the loan, or had the repayment of all or a part of the loan guaranteed by a third person. The plan of the Housing and Health Division of the War Department, hereinbefore referred to, worked very successfully and the plan adopted by the office should do likewise, except that it may be difficult, in view of changed housing conditions following the signing of the armistice to keep the houses practically full tor one year alter the respective dates of the loans.^ But even if fore- closure should become necessary at some future time, there would be small risk of loss on any transaction m which the borrower ha.l curtailed as much as 50 per cent of the loan. 126 EEPORT OF UNITED STATES HOUSING COEPOBATION. It is proper to remark that for the 303 persons accommodated in the houses for which there is an outstanding balance of $14,157.48, the cost per person is $46.72, which per capita under the plan adopted by this office decreases at the rate of about 9 per cent per month, as the loans are payable in some cases in 10 equal monthly installments, and in other cases in 12 such installments. Respectfully submitted. Edwin S. Hege, Manager Washington Division Homes Registration Service. Statement of loans made through the Room Registration Office. Borrower's name and address. Kind of property. War work- ers accom- mo- dated. Mortgage amount of loan. Agree- . ment date. Amoimt ex- pended. Amount curtailed. Mrs. Mary A. Webb , 1907 F Street . Miss E. E. Johnson, 1860 Califor- nia Street. Mrs. Margaret Baker, 1402 Four- teenth Street. Mr. M. Baturin, 1501 Seventh Street. Mrs. M. C. Moore, 1212 Twenty- fltth Street. Mrs. B. M. Sell, 1737 Riggs Place.. Noncomman dcered. do do 18 10 6 125 6 14 10 32 26 16 20 8 12 24 21 6 4 6 20 SI, 000. 00 200.00 800.00 3,500.00 500.00 1,000.00 275. 00 3,000.00 4,000.00 500.00 1,200.00 500.00 1,000.00 2,000.00 2,000.00 500.00 150.00 300.00 2, 903. 14 Aug. 23 Aug. 29 Sept. 6 Sept. 18 ...do.... Sept. 19 Sept. 24 Sept. 27 Sept. 28 Oct 2 ...do ...do.... Oct. 9 Oct. 21 Nov 1 Nov. 2 ...do.... ...do ...do.... Jl, 000. 00 200.00 794.22 3,385.87 495.71 1,000.00 275.00 2, 917. 47 3,652.20 488.81 1, 157. 15 500.00 581.00 SIOO.OO 150.00 240.00 do do do 300.00 50.00 100.00 Mrs. Mary N. Dudley, 1301 Ehode Island .Avenue. Mrs. Fanny W. Abbe, 3100 R Street. Mrs. R. S. Towson, 1437 Irving Street. Mrs. B. M. Morrison, 212 New do 35.00 .. ..do 350.00 do do Commandeered Noncommandeercd. do. 200.00 Jersey -Avenue. Mrs. Bertha C. Burwell, 1006 East Capitol Street. Miss Virginia Berry, 1634 Twenty- eighth Street. M. Popowski, 26 and 38 G Strfeet SW. Mrs. T. M. Anderson, 1636 Six- 200.00 60.00 100. 00 Commandeered do Noncommandeercd. do do Commandeered 175.00 teenth Street. Mrs B. E. Cook, 1763 N Street . . 160.00 Mrs. Margaret Baker, 1402 Four- 60.00 teenth Street. C. P. Fortner, 244 Eleventh Street NE. C. E. Pendleton, 1223 Franklin Street NE. Mrs. Mary Gale Davis, 1816 Bel- mont Road. 15.00 25.00 Total 384 25, 328. 14 16,44^^43 2,290.00 o Cornell University Library HD 7293 .A3A18 Report of the United States housing corp 3 1924 025 931 084