Sees lmprovements in Building Standards

Washington, Jan. 1.-The growing recognition of the need for better design and construction in new residential housing and the protection and rehabilitation of existing residential neighborhoods promises efiective results in 1941, John H. Fahey, Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, declared today.

"The year 1940 witnessed a significant development in the attitude of housing leaders", said Mr. Fahey. "Dissatisfaction with poor design, use of flimsy materials and shoddy workmanship was stimulated during the depression, when people found their equities in their homes had been sharply reduced by depreciation. Lending institutions, whose investments were imperiled by the same evils, determined to demand higher standards in the future. In the last year they have done something about the situation.

"The result has been a steady trend toward providing more safeguards for home ownership. Architects and other technical experts are being drawn into the small home field for the first time. Progressive lending institutions are encouraging excellence of design and construction with more liberal loans and terms, and keeping away from doubtful construction. This trend has not gone nearly far enough-but there is every evidence that it will gain momentum in 1941.

"The Federal Home Loan Bank System and its 12 Regional Banks are cooperating with the American Institute of Architects and the Producers' Council, the national association of materials manufacturers, in this program. The 3,900 member institutions of the Bank System are being urged t<r demand the highest possible standards for the homes they finance and to evolve means of 'registering' on a merit list those which meet all the requirements for attractive design and dependable construction.

"If newly built homes meet higher standards and there is a concerted movement for the conservation and rehabilitation of existing residential neighborhoods, an increased security in American home ownership will be assured. In regard to the latter program, 1940 was a significant year.

"The Bank Board recently published a volume entitled 'Waverly-A Study in Neighborhood Conservation'. It told of a test program conducted in a section of the city of Baltimore to conserve property values and rehabilitate declining areas. The Waverly project was concerned principally with singlefamily homes; another project in the Woodlawn district in Chicago is testing the practicability of protecting and improving a district of multi-family structures.

"Both efforts have won the support of propertv owners and civic associations. These groups have endorsed the theory that public vigilance can halt structural decay and carry out plans to overcome other factors in obsolescence. When it is realized that essentially sound residential districts in every city are threatened by blight which can be corrected and eliminated, one is impressed by the importance of the conservation movement.

"We have grossly neglected this problem in the past. The loss of property values has mounted unnecessarily to millions of dollars every year. Of course, residential neighborhoods that are in demand for sound cornmercial reasons will have to give way. But it is foolish to sit idly by and witness unnecessary and unwarranted decay from blight within or the encroachment of slums from without.

"Other Government agencies than the Bank Board and its subsidiary, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation, have joined in the fight against neighborhood blight. But the most important development lies in the awaki:ning of home owners and mortgage institutions to the possibilities of the movement. With their cooperation, valuable accomplishments are certain."

Los Angeles Visitor Over Holidays

S. C. Hooper was a Los Angeles visitor over tl.re holidays and called on many of his lumbermen friends. He is Southwestern sales agent for Dant & Russell, Inc. of Portland, Oregon, in charge of West Coast lumber and Fir-Tex sales. His headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas.

SELLING FOR AMERICAN HARDWOOD CO.

Hal Eberle is now calling on the industrial and lumber yard trade for American Hardwood Co., Los Angeles. He has been in the yard for the past year and for 10 years prior to that was an assistant branch manager for the Bank of America.

Harbor authorities, civic leaders, businessmen and residents throughout Ventura County gathered at the nerv Oxnard District Harbor, Port Hueneme, on January 4 to pay an official visit to the first carg'o vessel to use the facilities of the port. Shortly before midnight of January 3, the Margaret Schafer, rvith a cargo of 500,000 feet of lumber for the Peoples Lumber Company, sailed into the harbor and tied up at the dock.

The arrival of the l{argaret Schafer u'as made possible through the cooDeration of P. W. Chantland of Los An.

Forest Rangers Brush up on Skiing Technique

Skiing instruction for 30 California rangers and other administrative ofificials of the United States Forest Service was given from January 6 to 9, at Galena Creek, Nevada, below l\It. Rose northeast of Lake Tahoe.

"The training course," said Regional Forester S. B. Show, "provides elementary and advanced instruction for national forest officers rvhose rvinter tirne duties call for almost continuous use of skis. Forest rangers who are stationed in the high country during winter will find their training good insurance as rvell as in the best public interest.

"Forest rang'ers are called upon frequently t'o search for people lost in the snorv and to administer first aid to victims of snorv sport accidents or remove sick members of snowbound families. The best possible skiing ability is needed in these cases where the going is usually hazardous."

Everyday administration of public forest areas also calls for experienced skiing. Jobs that take rangers on long ski treks include reconnaissance and patrol of popular rvinter sports areas, qno\,v surveys in cooperation with the State Division of Water Resources, rvildlife surveys. telephone line repairs and current inspection of isolated administration buildings.

Jarnes Scrugham, coach of the University of Nevada ski team, is instructing the "skiing rangers." Some of the sessions will be devoted to studies of snow surveying methods and first aid.

The training course, now in its third year, is under the direction of Supervisor D. M. Traugh of the Mono National Forest.