Boost

Eased credit restrictions on housing went into effect last week. Under the new Defense Housing Act, down payments on homes may now be as low as 4%, need be no more than 20% for houses $12,000 and under (as against 5% and 25.8% under the old regulations), an average drop of 4.1%.

House building could stand a boost. Private home building in August slumped to $920 million, one-third under the same month last year; the dollar volume of private commercial building dropped 6%, while industrial building doubled. With easier credit, builders who have been predicting dire troubles for the industry now expect to put up 850,000 houses this year, the goal of the Government all along.

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