Home Builders Active in 50 Stotes, 3OO Cities in New'Builders' Committee for Nixon-Lodge' Boom

Washington, D.C.-Rodney M. Lockwood, former president of the National Association of Home Builders and prominent Detroit builder, has been named by Vice-President Nixon to head a newly formed Builders' Committee for Nixon-Lodge, announces Charles S. Rhyne, national Nixon-Lodge Volunteers chairman.

Lockwood said, in accepting the appointment:

"We are activating key builders' committees in all 50 states and 300 major cities. The function of these committees will be to mobilize the building profession-Independents, Democrats and Republicans-to the support of America's most-experienced and best-equipped leadership team-Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge. I am confident that a large segment of the building trade and profession feel as I do and will work through our committee to elect the Nixon-Lodge ticket on Nov. 8."

The Michigan builder is a past president of the Detroit Association of Home Builders. He served on a five-man F'ederal Housing Programs and Policies executive committee appointed by President Eisenhower in 1953, and on a similar 23-man advisory committee on housing, also by Presidential appointment.

During the postwar building reconversion, Lockwood's special 1946 study of industry-government problems, called the "Lockwood Report," led the way to solution of many production bottlenecks.

Wrote the Vice-President in acknowledging Lockwood's chairmanship:

" . The importance of the Home Building industry, and the need for continued stimulation of its growth as a vital sefJment of our economy, cannot be over-emphasized. Despite the recent accomplishments of the housing industry, some stubborn problems stand in the way of achieving our common objective of better homes for all Americans, and the federal government must help provide the economic climate and the incentives which will make this objective obtainable. To achieve these ends, we must rely increasingly on tl-re active participation of interested and informed citizens in developing suitable programs."

Where the Candidates Stand on Housing

Washington-Presidential candidates, announced and unannounced, were agreed : housing construction is lagging behind the nation's needs. They don't agree on how to solve the problem. But they are deeply concerned with housing needs.

Their views were expressed in exclusive statements to the NAHB Journal of Homebuilding and published in the June issue. The Journal is the monthly publication of the National Association of Home Builders.

The statements on housing needs were made by:

Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, (D-Tex.) ; Sen. John F. Kennedy, (D-Mass.) ; Vice-President Richard M. Nixon; Gov. Nelsor.r D. Rockefeller (R-N.Y.) ; Adlai E. Stevenson, (D-I11.); and Sen. Stuart Symington, (D-Mo.).

Johnson thought the Federal government "can be of distinct assistance-both to home builders and home buyers," and that positive steps can be taken to smooth out the supply of mortgage money, put it on more of an even keel and straighten out some of the fits and starts in home building.

Johnson said a constructive suggestion has been made to the effect that a Central lVlortgage Bank-perhaps using the framework of the Federal National Mortgage Association-should be established to regulate the flow of funds into the mortgage market and see that these are available in reasonable amounts. (Legislation is pending in Congress to carry out some of these ideas.)

Kennedy outlined five steps that should be taken in a drive toward the goals of the Housing Act of 1949. First,

See More Lumber Ssles lo Fcrrms

More lumber may be sold for the construction end repalr of farm houses and farm servlce bulkltngs as a result of recent actlon by the Agrlculture I)ept., whlch has eased the conditlons under which it wln grant farm-housfurg loans under Titlo V of the Housfurg Act of 1949. Prevlously, to obtain such a loan, a farmer had to gain a "substantlal" portlon of hfu lncome from the fa,rm. Now the farm must produce for sale or home use only $400 worth of commodltles at 1944 prlces.

reverse present high-interest rate policies; second, increase efforts to clear slums and renew cities ; third, adapt the mortgage insurance provisions of the Federal Housing Administration to modern needs; fourth, do more to en- courage development of rental housing, particularly rental housing for the elderlv: and fifth. develoo new housins p new ng housing elderly; and fifth, techniques through modern science and technology.

Nixon wrote a California official of the NAHB. His letter. quoted in the Journal, said it is doubtful whether anyone would contend that high-interest rates alone are the most satisfactory way of fighting inflation.

"The Administration certainly endorses the policy of curbing unnecessary government spending to combat inflation," the Vice-President's letter said. "We also recognize the need for some additional methods of dealing with management-labor wage controversies to avoid more inflationary wage-cost pushes."

Nixon's letter said that the Administration is very much in favor of maintaining as high a level of home building as is consistent with stable economic growth and that the mortgage money and home-building situations are being watched very carefully.

Rockfeller, in transmitting his housing recommendations to the 1960 session of the New York State Legislature, said that in New York the most urgent housing need is for "middle-income" residents-those whose incomes are too high to make them eligible for subsidized public housing and too low to enable them to purchase or rent housing produced by unassisted private enterprise. His recomnrerrclations were sent by his office to the Journal.

The Governor said that "private endeavor must be encouraged and stimulated to construct the housing to meet this need." It is essential for government to help develop the programs necessary to attract adequate investment of private capital to meet the critical housing needs of families and persons of middle income, he said.

Stevenson marked portions of a speech he made to the American Council To Improve Our N.eighborhoods (ACTION) last year and sent them to the Journal.

"The plain fact is," he said, "that those who oppose Federal aid for urban renewal are actually against urban renewal. For they know full well that many of the possib.ilities of local revenue have been pre-empted by Federal and state taxing bodies, that the largest urban centers are operating under archaic revenue authority with little hope of relief from state legislatures dominated by non-urban lawmakers."

Symington told the Journal that "the stimulating and assisting role of the Federal government in the housing field has been held in check by the shortsightedness of many top policy of6cials. They fail to understand that investment in homes, in slum-clearance projects, and in rehabilitation of obsolete communities are sound investments in the present and future health of our country.

"I favor private housing first, where it can meet the needs. I favor public housing where private investment cannot, or at least does not, meet the needs," Symington said.