Trouble Among the Moles

One of the worst of Washington's snafus is defense housing. No one can agree on how many new houses the U.S. needs, where to build them or when. Meanwhile, spot shortages have cropped up all over the U.S., and many landlords have been gouging civilians and soldiers, Last week Rent Stabilizer Tighe E. Woods let fly at what he thought was wrong.

The trouble, said Woods, is a lot of squabbling "second-echelon moles" holed up in the Critical Areas Committee, the group responsible for deciding which areas should get the benefit of relaxed credit restrictions and other Government housing aid. The squabbles, said Woods, are made worse by constant pressures from Congress, the real-estate lobby and other interested parties.

Real-estate men would like nothing better than to have building restrictions relaxed. But, in most cases, when an area is declared critical, rent control must also be slapped on, and builders want no such thing. Said Woods: "They all want to get in on the sugar, but they don't want to take the castor oil." Of 250 areas where rents should be controlled, said Woods, the Critical Areas Committee has certified only 50.

Hardly were Woods's words out of his mouth when Mobilization Chief Charlie Wilson slapped him down. Wilson said he was confident that the Critical Areas Committee, composed of representatives from five defense agencies, "was operating efficiently." To end the feuding, Wilson appointed Raymond M. Foley, head of the Federal Housing & Home Finance Agency, as head man of all defense-housing activities, including Woods's rent-control department.

Woods might be right about the moles. But there were also other troubles. Defense-housing legislation is inadequate. While $600 million was appropriated for FHA loans which private builders could use, Congress made little provision for direct public housing if the private builders should balk, have trouble getting mortgage money or materials. The legislation provided only $25 million for federal housing projects. During World War II, one such project alone, at Vancouver, Wash., cost $26 million.

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