the purchase of obligations of the Alaska Housing Authority. The $10,000,000 constitutes a revolving fund to provide the working capital of the Alaska Housing Authority for its use in stimulating or accelerating the production of housing in the Territory and the development of a local building industry capable of meeting the acute civilian housing needs. If private sponsorship or adequate private financing is not otherwise available, the Authority, with funds loaned by the Administrator and under such conditions as the Administrator may prescribe, may construct sales or rental housing or make loans to regulated public agencies or corporations for housing construction. Loans up to $500 each for improvement of dwellings in remote areas but not to exceed a total of $1,000,000 are also authorized (within the $10,000,000 appropriation).

Following the appropriation in October, negotiations were entered into between the Alaska Housing Authority and the Housing and Home Finance Administrator for the establishment of procedures for making funds available to the Authority and by the Authority to builders for their assistance in housing construction during the following building season.

Progress was made in 1949 under the provisions of the Act which liberalized Federal financing aids to private builders independent of the revolving fund assistance. During the year FHA made mortgage insurance commitments on 11 Section 608 rental housing projects totaling 1,391 units. Construction was begun during 1949 on 3 of these projects totaling 749 units located in the city of Anchorage, where some of the most pressing needs exist. The remainder, some of which will require further assistance from the revolving fund, are expected to be started in 1950 for location in Anchorage (4 projects, 179 units), Fairbanks (2 projects, 271 units), Juneau (1 project, 84 units), and Ketchikan (1 project, 108 units). Commitments under Section 203 FHA mortgage insurance were made during the year on over 200 units in 1- to 4-family buildings for all Alaskan cities. Most of this activity occurred under the liberalized provisions of Public Law 52 and is substantially greater than that in previous years.

C. International Aspects

During 1949, the world over, the problem of housing received increased attention in the programs of many Governments and in the activities of several international organizations. HHFA has continued its participation in those phases of international housing activities which are in the interest of housing in the United States and in the interest of the broad international policies and programs of the United States Government. The interchange of housing information and experience between HHFA and agencies of foreign countries has received increased impetus during the past year.

In order to gain the experience of foreign countries which is useful to HHFA in the formulation of its housing policies and programs, the Agency has developed a system for the acquisition of reports and publications on foreign housing. HHFA has formulated with the Department of State a foreign service reporting circular which will improve and systematize the reporting on housing and allied topics from the United States missions abroad.

The development of the United States international programs has increased the cooperation between HHFA and other agencies of this Government. HHFA has provided advice and assistance to the Department of State in the formulation and carrying out of its international programs involving housing, e. g., the shelter problems of Arab refugees. The Agency has helped visiting foreign housing missions, arranged for technical assistance missions to other countries, assisted in the preparation of the position to be taken by the Government in relation to the work of international organizations in the housing field, and in the preparation of materials and agenda for international conferences.

The responsibility for the housing phase of the proposed Point Four Program of technical assistance to underdeveloped countries has been assigned to HHFA. This Agency has worked with the Department of State in the development of the program which includes the assignment of experts abroad, the training of foreign housing and city planning professionals in this country, and the establishing of tropical housing research stations. In this connection and for other technical assistance assignments, a canvass of experts in the housing field has been initiated, and a roster of those qualified for foreign missions is being developed.

Increasing interest from abroad in United States housing and city-planning activities has necessitated a wide distribution of HHFA publications. Such publications are provided through the Department of State to all United States missions abroad. Further, documents are exchanged between this Agency and similar agencies in foreign countries. Materials were also provided to the Department of State for exhibits in Japan, Yugoslavia, Uruguay and other countries, and to the Voice of America.

Advice and assistance were given to ECA concerning its activities and responsibility in the European housing field; Commerce Department on export-import controls for building materials (the problem of export controls has become practically insignificant and the problem of imports has become more important than in the previous year); the National Security Resources Board relative to housing experience in wartime Britain and Germany; and the Export-Import Bank on loans for housing construction in foreign countries.

Finally, further cooperation has developed through the State Department, with international organizations, such as the United Nations, on experience in tropical housing and the assembly of national experience for UN publication; the Economic Commission for Europe, Subcommittee on Housing, for the development of an international documentation system for housing publications; the Pan-American Union on the agenda and documentation for the regional seminars for experts in housing and city planning; the Caribbean Commission on documentation for the West Indian Conference (4th sess.); the InterAmerican Congress of Architects and the International Federation for Housing and Town Planning, relative to their international congresses.

Appendix A

STATISTICAL AND FISCAL TABLES

TABLE 1.—New permanent nonfarm dwelling units started, by type of financing and by location: Annually, 1920-49

TABLE 2.-New permanent nonfarm dwelling units started, by type of structure: Annually, 1920-49

One- Rental-type structures! family 1

8.5

14.0

18.6

21.0

20.8

22.2

28.4

31.7

31.7

27.9

22.4

17.7

6.7

12.9

9.5

13.6

19.1

15.8

17.5

1 All units in one-family structures are classified as owner-occupied while those in two-family and multifamily structures are classified as rental type. Source: U. S. Department of Labor.