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The Committee on National Defense has reported its findings concerning certain phases of defense housing. It has made studies of other phases and will continue to investigate the use of the billions of dollars appropriated for housing. It would not be a constructive contribution to recite the statistics of Government housing in the war effort to you. As real estate dealers you are aware that there has been fraud and waste and inefficiency in the housing program. You know that some of the demon- strations by the federal agencies and the private contractors have revealed how housing should not be evolved and built. You can ride in almost any direction, even with well worn tires and limited gasoline, and gaze upon such war production. I can assure you that our Committee has voiced no opposition to the removal of certain war housing as quickly as the defense permits. I can further assure you that I have more than mere suspicion that the Government agencies would like to bury some of that creation forever. Beyond that, I can tell you that the Committee is advised that a Government housing blueprint went out to a contractor with certain foundation figures in feet instead. of inches. The contractor attempted to demur but he was summarily ordered to follow the plan. The result was a war house on 14 foot instead of 14 inch posts. The Committee is informed that a ladder was provided, so that a human being could get into the thing. I can tell you that no such plan was developed into a standard practice. And finally, we all know that mistakes are bound to be made by everybody, and we didn't KAUMAN as NARA JARED

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