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President's Employment Commission Details Moderni zinS Sales Opportunities
Washington, Dec. 31.-In addition to its help in pointing out the ernployment possibilities in such major undertaking as the $25,000,000 construction program of three leading universities, the President's Emergency Committee for Employment is calling national attention to the millions of dollars worth of imorovements that can be made on American homes to the advantage both of occupants and the communities in which they dwell. While there is a potential market for over $200,000,000 worth of materials and labor in building extensions for schools and universities, there is believed to be a market reaching into the billions in home modernizing. Because of the plentitude of skilled and unskilled labor norv available and the extremely lorv cost of building materials this is considered a most opportune time for bringing residences up to the standarcls of beauty. comfort and efficiencv demanded bv American standards of living.
To meet this opportunity, Col. Arthur Woods, director of the Committee, has recently had compiled and distributed alist of 172 important points about the average home at rvhich replacements or worthwhile improvements can be made. This work, if undertaken generally by the home orvners of the nation, 'ivould profoundly affect the employment situation. Postponing such improvements may necessitate their having to be done at a time when labor will be scarce and materials high. It will be remembered that it took only a year and a half of war time with its limited drvelling construction to bring about a ten-year boom in house building.
The list that Col. Woods' Committee has prepared is a handy memorandum for the lumber dealer to present to customers in his neighborhood. It bears the disinterested stamp of approval of the government, whose suggestions are for the benefit of the entire nation, and it serves as a detailed reminder to the home orvner of some things he may be overlooking, but will have to attend to either now or in a higher price period. It is divided into convenient sections as follows : General exterior, 16 items; general interior, 16 items; windows, doors, frames and sash, 19 items; porches and'steps, 11 items; floors, 6 items; stairs and stairways, 8 items; foundation and sidewalls, l0 items; roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts, 11 items; garage,6 items; the basement, 14 items; plumbing and heating, 25 items; plumbing, 11 items;lighting and power, S items; walls and ceilings, 5 items; the attic, 9 items; grounds, 5 items, and miscellaneous, 3 items.
Ifere are some items that will specially interest the lumberman:
Repairing frame rvalls, repairing or adding screens, blinds or storm windows, repairing roofing and flashing, repairing porches and steps, inclosing porches, garage repairs and improvements, repairs to fences and trellises, refitting doors and windows, refinishing walls, woodwork and floors, repairing stairs and railings, remodeling the attic, repairs to blinds and shutters, loose or shabby balconies and iailings requiring repairs, advisability of additional windows or doors, broken, loose or missing shingles, decayed porch column. bases requiring replacement, broken, loose or missing porch balusters, decayed, broken or loose floor boards, advisability of installing lattice work to hide under porch view, decayed or inefficient porch supports requiring replacement, decayed, loose or worn poich steps, lpacei between joists and sills needing fire-stopping, floor joists sagging or warped requiring slrpport or bridging, need for partitions in basement, attic or elsewhere, finisfiing unfinished rooms with plyrvood, etc., installation of ce-iling in basement or attic, shelves, closets, cupboards, bins, built-in cedar closets, remodeling mantel or fireplace fronts, new housing for plumbing and heating pipes in living quarters, replacement of rvorn doors, windows or sash, remodeling narrow doorways, relaying floors or laying thin floors ovei old. ones, replacing baseboards and molding, new treads or strings for creaking stairs, replacing old posts, rails and balusters, installing disappearing stails to attic, installation of louvres for attic ventilation, need for shelves or bookcases, advisability of providing clothes chute, telephone cabinet or built-in conveniehces.
