Hon. DAVID I. WALSH, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, DEAR SIR: With this letter I transmit a copy of a resolution adopted by the New York State Board of Housing in support of the proposed United States Housing Act now before the Committee on Education and Labor. Yours very truly, GEORGE GOVE, Secretary. RESOLUTION OF THE STATE BOARD OF HOUSING ADOPTED APRIL 17, 1936 Whereas the Legislature of the State of New York by chapter 823 of the laws of 1926 declared that congested and insanitary housing conditions which exist in certain areas of the State in low-priced dwellings are a menace to the health, safety, morals, and welfare and the reasonable comfort of the citizens of the State; that correction of these conditions in such areas being otherwise impossible it is essential that provision be made for the investment of private funds at lowinterest rates, the acquisition at fair prices of adequate parcels of land, the gradual demolition of existing insanitary and unsafe housing, and the construction of new housing facilities under public supervision in accord with proper standards of sanitation and safety at a cost which will permit monthly rentals which wage earners can afford to pay; and Whereas by further legislative declaration in 1934 the Legislature of the State of New York, having further found that the clearance, replanning, and reconstruction of the areas in which insanitary or substandard housing conditions exist and the providing of decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling accommodations in said areas and elsewhere for persons of low income are public uses and purposes for which public money may be spent and private property acquired; and Whereas the legislature having created the State board of housing and authorized the organization of limited dividend housing corporations and the establishment of municipal housing authorities which are declared to be agencies and instrumentalities of the State for the purpose of promoting the public health and safety by providing for the elimination of insanitary and dangerous housing conditions, for the relief of congested areas and the construction and supervision of dwellings, and for the letting of apartments at reasonable rentals; and Whereas mortgage funds are not available in amounts sufficient to finance large scale limited dividend corporation projects, or public funds available in amounts sufficient to finance projects of municipal housing authorities without the aid of the Federal Government in the manner substantially as set forth under the terms of the proposed United States Housing Act, being Senate 4424, by Wagner, and H. R. 12164, by Ellenbogen; and Whereas it is desirable that the benefits of a continuing Federal housing policy be extended throughout the United States by providing for a permanent housing agency in the Federal Government; Be it Resolved, That the New York State Board of Housing respectfully urges upon the United States Senate the enactment at the earliest date possible of the United States Housing Act of 1936, being Senate bill 4424, introduced by Senator Robert F. Wagner, of New York, and urges upon the House of Representatives the enactment at the earliest possible date of the identical measure introduced by Congressman Henry Ellenbogen, of Pennsylvania, being H. R. 12164; and be it further Resolved That a copy of this resolution be sent to the President and to the Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to the members of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Banking and Currency. Senator DAVID I. WALSH, BOARD OF ESTIMATE AND APPORTIONMENT, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor. date the United States Housing Act of 1936, known as the Wagner housing bill (S. 4424). Very truly yours, PEARL BERNSTEIN, Secretary. Be it resolved, That the Board of Estimate and Apportionment of the City of New York does strongly and earnestly request the Congress of the United States to enact at the earliest possible date the United States Housing Act of 1936, known as the Wagner housing bill (S. 4424); and Be it resolved further, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator Wagner, and the chairmen of the House and Senate committees having jurisdiction thereof. A true copy of resolution adopted by the board of estimate and apportionment, April 17, 1936. RESOLUTION PEARL BERNSTEIN, Secretary. Whereas it has been proven that bad housing is detrimental to the health of the people in a community and that slums constitute an economic waste; and Whereas it is an acknowledged fact that good housing for persons of low income cannot be provided through the ordinary channels of private enterprise; and Whereas city, State, and National Governments have accepted the principles and acknowledged the obligation of governmental responsibility for the housing of persons who cannot be reached through private enterprise; and Whereas private enterprise finds it unprofitable to provide housing accommodations of modern standard at rents sufficiently low to meet the needs of low-income wage workers, and therefore it becomes the responsibility of government to do so: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Lower East Side Public Housing Conference endorses a bill introduced in the Senate by the Honorable Robert F. Wagner, United States Senator from New York, and in the House of Representatives by the Honorable Henry Ellenbogen, Congressman from Pennsylvania; and be it further Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States; Hon. Robert F. Wagner and Royal S. Copeland, Senators from New York; and the Honorable David I. Walsh, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor; and the following Representatives: Hon. Henry Ellenbogen, Hon. James O'Leary, Hon. Samuel Dickstein, Hon. Christopher D. Sullivan, Hon. William I. Sirovich, Hon. John O'Connor, Hon. Martin J. Kennedy Hon. Henry B. Steagall; and be it further Resolved, That the Lower East Side Public Housing Conference requests of the chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency of the House of Representatives that public hearings be held to enable the proponents of the bill to set forth publicly their reasons for their support. This is a true copy of resolution of the Lower East Side Public Conference, dated April 20, 1936. MAC GOLDSMITH, President. UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, Senator DAVID WALSH, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor and Education, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR: At a meeting of the Social Service Committee of the New York East Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held yesterday in New York City, a motion was unanimously passed by the members of the committee present endorsing the Wagner-Ellenbogen housing bill (S. 4424; H. R. 12164), and I was instructed to communicate this vote to you. The New York East Annual Conference is composed of 307 ministers whose churches are located in New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut. The social service committee, a body of 37 ministers and laymen, adopted a report to be presented to the annual conference in May, which stated: "We commend the Housing Division of the Public Works Administratior of the Federal Government. It has made a beginning in providing housing for our low-income groups. "We are convinced, however, as a result of our study of the work of the Housing Division of the Public Works Administration and of the Home Owners' Loan Corporation and the Federal Housing Authority that more of these Federal organizations as now set up is making much real headway in providing lowrent housing for the thousands who are unable to pay more than $20 to $25 a month rent. Private enterprise has not supplied good housing for these families in the past, is not supplying it now, and offers no evidence as to its ability to supply it in the future. We urge Congress to create a permanent Federal Public Housing Authority which will have power to build good housing for the low-income group in cooperation with local public housing agencies. It is our conviction that such an authority, with an appropriation of $500,000,000 for the next 2 years, should utilize this sum of money in making grants and giving subsidies to local housing authorities. By this means a real beginning can be made in providing good housing for those families who have incomes of $1,500 or less; and by its continuance, our slums in the course of the next few years may be eliminated.' May we count on your committee reporting this bill favorably to the Senate? Sincerely yours, CHARLES C. WEBBER, Chairman of the Committee to send letter to Senator Walsh. PITTSBURGH, PA., April 20, 1936. Senator DAVID WALSH, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, United States Senate: Board of directors of Pittsburgh Housing Association unanimously support principles of Wagner-Ellenbogen housing bill, S. 4424, creating Federal Housing Authority. We respectfully urge support for this measure, which should provide basis for well-defined, long-range national housing policy, need of which is clearly evident. DEAR SENATOR WALSH: Enclosed you will find a copy of a resolution adopted by this organization at its regular meeting. The resolution urges the enactment of the Wagner-Ellenbogen Housing Act, which will help do away with slums and give adequate living headquarters to those less fortunate. The many unemployed of the heavy industries would be absorbed through the Wagner-Ellenbogen bill. We feel your favorable endorsement of this statute in the Houses of Congress would build the faith people have built for the coming prosperity. Anticipating the passage of this bill and relying on your feeling toward labor and the people as a whole, we are Respectfully yours, CHARLES VIGORITO, President. JOHN LYDING, Vice President. MARIANNA FIDONE, Secretary-Treasurer. Whereas the making available of modern low-cost housing for all of the people is now recognized as the proper concern of government; and Whereas housing for the great numbers of people of low income can be accomplished adequately only by governmental aid; and Whereas the low-income groups must of necessity live in cast-off housing in slum and blighted areas; and Whereas the continued maintenance of slum and blighted areas is socially undesirable and leads to social waste of human life, as well as widespread economic waste; and Whereas the Paterson the need for such housing is immediate and urgent and the several trade unions cannot finance a low-cost housing project for this city; and Whereas the Mayor of the city of Paterson has appointed a city housing committee on which labor is represented to secure such low-cost housing for this city; and Whereas such a project is possible only through the instrumentality of the Wagner-Ellenbogen Housing Act: Therefore be it Resolved, That this body, Dyers' Local 1733, representing 16,000 workers, urge upon the several legislators in the two houses of Congress enactment of the Wagner-Ellenbogen Housing Act; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the Senate Committee on Education and Labor now holding hearings on this act; to President Roosevelt; to United States Senators A. Harry Moore and W. Warren Barbour; Congressman George N. Seger, Representative of the Passaic County Congressional district; and Congressman Peter Cavicchia, Essex County Congressman; and be it further Resolved, That copies of this resolution be forwarded to the press for publication. CHARLES VIGORITO, Attest: [SEAL] President, Local 1733. MARIANNA FIDONE, Secretary. Hon. DAVID I. WALSH, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, Chairman, Senate Committee on Education and Labor, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR WALSH: The National League of Women Voters wishes to call the attention of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor to the personnel provisions in S. 4424, which is now before them for consideration. The United States Housing Authority which would be created under the provisions of this bill is a permanent agency. The positions here created and exempted from the provisions of the Civil Service Act and the Classification Act of 1923 require no more technical or expert knowledge than many positions in other permanent governmental agencies which have been successfully filled by means of civil-service examinations. In a field as important as this, where in many instances employees will be subject to political and other kinds of pressure, especially in making appraisements of real estate, it seems to us that it is exceedingly important that all employees should be selected solely on the basis of merit, that no employee should under any circumstances believe that he owes his appointment to any political party or any particular individual. The only way to insure such a result is to provide that the appointment of all employees be subject to the Civil Service Act and the Classification Act of 1923. The National League of Women Voters recognizes that it may not have been possible to make the appointment of personnel in temporary agencies subject to the Civil Service Act. There can be no such reason to exempt employees of a permanent agency, as is contemplated in this bill. During the past 2 years there has been an increasing interest among citizens throughout the country in the problem of governmental personnel. There can be no doubt that public sentiment supports strict adherence to the merit principle and starting this new agency on a merit basis would meet with popular approbation. We therefore urge that your committee consider favorably placing all personnel of the proposed Federal Housing Authority under the Civil Service Act and Classification Act of 1923 as amended. Very sincerely yours, Mrs. HARRIS T. BALDWIN, Hon. DAVID I. WALSH, Senate Chamber, Washington, D. C. CONSOLIDATED TENANTS' LEAGUE, DEAR SIR: I am enclosing herewith a copy of resolution adopted by the Consolidated Tenants' League at its regular meeting April 23, 1936, at the One Hundred Thirty-fifth Street branch of the Y. M. C. A., New York City. The resolution explains itself. Very truly yours, CONSOLIDATED TENANTS' LEAGUE, Whereas low-income wage earners of every part of the country are obliged to occupy dwellings which are a continued menace to health and safety, to life itself; and Whereas unsanitary and unsafe conditions of houses are an economic drain upon the entire community because the cost of the city for serving them is commonly many times greater than the amount received by the city in taxes from such property; and Whereas private enterprises find it unprofitable to provide housing accommodations of modern standard at rents sufficiently low to meet the needs of lowincome wage workers and therefore it becomes the responsibility of the Federal Government to do so; and Whereas the clearance of slum and the gradual rehousing of low-income families provide for a steady flow of activities in the long dormant building industry: Therefore be it Resolved, That the Consolidated Tenants' League at its regular meeting held on Thursday, April 23, 1936, at the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Street branch of the Y. M. C. A., city, county, and State of New York, by unanimous vote, go on record as endorsing and supporting the purposes and general provisions outlined in the Wagner-Ellenbogen slum clearance and low-renting housing bill; be it further Resolved, That a copy of the resolution be sent to the President of the United States, his Excellency Franklin D. Roosevelt; the chairman of the Housing Committee on Banking and Currency, the Honorable Henry B. Steagall; the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor, the Honorable David I. Walsh. THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, Hon. DAVID I. WALSH, Chairman, Senate Committee on Education and Labor, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR WALSH: I am enclosing herewith a resolution passed by the State board of housing, favoring Senator Wagner's bill, no. 4424, which is being heard before the Senate Committee on Education and Labor, of which I understand you are chairman. I would appreciate your bringing this to the attention of the committee. Sincerely yours, SIDNEY T. STRICKLAND, Chairman. RESOLUTION OF THE STATE BOARD OF HOUSING ADOPTED APRIL 22, 1936 Whereas the Legislature of the State of Massachusetts, through constitutional amendment which was ratified by the voters in 1915, made possible tne appropriation of public funds as follows: "The general court shall have power to autnorize the commonwealth to take land and to hold, improve, subdivide, build upon and sell the same for the purpose of relieving congestion of population and providing homes for citizens: Provided, however, That this amendment shall not be deemed to authorize the sale of sucn land or buildings at less than the cost thereof," and Whereas an act of legislature on May 26, 1917, approved the first appropriation made in the United States for public funds to provide homes for workers; and Whereas through the record of accomplishment after 19 years the homes provided under the above-mentioned appropriation have been nearly liquidated; and Whereas the acquisition at a fair price of adequate parcels of land and the construction of new homes for the group of low-paid workers would be helped through |