U.S. Congress HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY. UNITED STATES SENATE SECOND SESSION ON H. R. 4761 AN ACT TO AMEND THE NATIONAL HOUSING ACT BY INSURE THE AVAILABILITY OF REAL ESTATE FOR HOUSING PURPOSES AT FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES MARCH 26, 27, 28, 29, AND 30, 1946 Printed for the use of the Committee on Banking and Currency .A 5 ว Statement-of- Page 1 Christman, Elisabeth, secretary-treasurer, National Women's Trade 249 208 Edelman, John W., representing the legislative committee of the CIO__ Hildebrandt, T. T., the Palmetex Corp., Washington, D. C_-- Downs, James C., Jr., Real Estate Research Corp., Chicago, Ill_ Ketchum, Omar B., legislative representative, Veterans of Foreign Marquette, Bleecker, executive secretary, Better Housing League_ Nobles, Bert, Buck Privates Association, Washington, D. C‒‒‒ O'Neal, Edwin A., president, American Farm Bureau Federation, Taylor, Col. John Thomas, director, national legislative committee, 141 Warren, C. J., McNary, Ariz_-- 217 West, George W., Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Wash- 247 Base period, current, and estimated 1946 production of selected 118 248 Chicago Council Against Racial and Religious Discrimination, letter Chutick, Jack, Harry Osias, Louis Kenin, and Harry Sudakoff, Comparison of number of nonfarm dwelling units and nonfarm families, 16 Kaiser, Henry J., letter to Hon. Homer Capehart, also statement.. 79 15 National Committee on Housing, statement. National Congress of Parents and Teachers, letter- National Council of Administration of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, VETERANS' EMERGENCY HOUSING ACT OF 1946 TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 1946 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOUSING OF THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10:30 a. m., pursuant to call, in Room 301, Senate Office Building, Senator Alben W. Barkley, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding. Present: Senators Barkley, Murdock, Taylor, Mitchell, Taft, Buck, and Capehart. Present also: Senators McFarland, Millikin, and Hickenlooper. Senator BARKLEY. The subcommittee will come to order. We have before us today H. R. 4761, a bill to amend the National Housing Act. The bill will be made a part of the record at this point. (The bill under consideration, H. R. 4761, is as follows:) [H. R. 4761, 79th Cong., 2d sess.] AN ACT To amend the National Housing Act by adding thereto a new title relating to the prevention of speculation and excessive profits in the sale of housing, and to insure the availability of real estate for housing purposes at fair and reasonable prices, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the National Housing Act, as amended, is amended by inserting after title VI thereof a new title, as follows: "TITLE VII-STABILIZATION OF HOUSING PRICES "SEC. 701. (a) The Congress declares that an emergency exists wherein there are insufficient facilities for housing large segments of the population, that large numbers of veterans of the armed forces are returning to civilian life in need of housing accommodations which are not available, and that it is necessary for the health and safety of the people that all facilities of the United States Government be made available and coordinated to obtain a maximum amount of housing. The purposes of this title are to stabilize the prices of real estate to be used for housing purposes, and to prevent speculative, unwarranted, and abnormal increases in the selling prices of such real estate; to eliminate and prevent profiteering in the sale of real estate for housing purposes, the hoarding of materials necessary for the construction of housing and other buildings, and other disruptive practices; to encourage the production of housing at a fair profit; to improve the housing of the people of the Nation in order to foster their health and general welfare; to encourage employment in the housing construction industry, and to maintain such industry at a high level of productivity; to prohibit an undue dissipation of the savings of the people in the Nation in the purchase of homes at speculative prices; to permit returning veterans to acquire housing at fair prices; and to prevent a post-emergency collapse of values in the housing field and to promote a swift and orderly transition to a peacetime economy. 1 |