[urnishing Homes for Beturned Veterans Interosting Prohlom for lumher lloalors Rr Ja* Iionne

' Mr. Lumber Dealer, the newest, best and most interesting merchandising matter of the moment for retail lurnber dealers is couched in three words: HOMES for VETERANS.

Yes, Sir, hornes for returned veterans have just stepped into the national limelight, and I predict they will play a huge part in the housing program of the next two or three years. So, such being the case, the lumber dealer is the man to jump in, learn hor,v, grab hold, and lend the best assistance he can to this outstanding feature of the G.I. Bill of Rights-Homes for Returned Veterans. llere's the picture:

In order to take advantage of the helpful offer of assistance from his grateful government to help him get back into civilian life in souncl and happy shape, the returned veteran must be one u'ho has been honorably discharged from the service, and r,vho cannot find a place to live. Those are the two fundamentals of the matter. If an honorably discharged returned veteran rvill make deposition that he has been unable to find a suitable place to live and therefore rvants to build himself a home, the Government will do two things for him: first, it rvill give him a permit to build a home of a specified character and cost; second, it u'ill guarantee a loan for the br.rilding of that home up to trvo thousand dollars, and pay the interest on a loan of that size for the first year.

So I called on a couple of Building and Loan Association men I know, and asked them to give me a lvord picture of this nerv Homes {or Veterans mo\.enlent originating in the G.I. Bill of Rights, and from their statements and the literature they l.rave already prepared on the subject, THIS is rvhat the n'hole thing means:

A returned veteran rvith an honorable discharge rvho cannot find a place to live, can do the follorving things: He fills out WPB Form No. 2896 and submits it to his nearest FHA office. If they find that he has been honorably discharged from the service, they will accept his r,r,.ord for the fact that he has been unable to find a place to live, and they will issue him what they call an H-3 rating, rvhich is the same as AA-3, for priority in securing building materials to build a home, and the1, l,ill honor his application for a permit to build. He need not file his material bill, or even his location for the home rvith this paper, but must file a statement of the size and character and cost of his proposed home. He can then go to a loan agency and borrow the money to buy a lot and build a home. If he has funds to make part payment, rvell and good, and they will loan him the remainder, or they will gladly loan him the entire amount. Under the G.I. Bill of Righis the Gov_ ernment guarantees two thousand doilars of the roan. Then the veteran must find someone to sell him the rnaterials and someone to build the house-after he has found a lot. 6f 66u15s-and it is best where he finds a contractor or builder who will do both so he just does business rn'ith one man or concern. When the home is completed arrd ready for delivery, the loan agency pays all the money, the builder gets all cash, and all the veteran has to do is move in. Nice, eh ? Yet that is exactly the way these very responsible Building and Loan men told the story to me. Loan the entire amount, they say ? Hell, yes ! And glad to get such loans in any amount. A G.I. Loan costs only four per cent interest. An FHA loan costs 5 per cent. The Government puts no limit on how much a vereran may pur into a house. The loan company will probably be the deciding factor in that regard.

Looks simple, and so far as I can discover, it is. The big problem right now, of course, is finding the building materials available under the H-3 rating. Yet it can be done. It is being done in innumerable cases, rigl-rt nou,, and as Iumber becomes available alter Germany falls, this thing will grow fast. Looks like a .ivonderful chance for the lumber dealer to help himself, to help a lot of good vet,erans who are standing in line every day trying to find a place to live, and what is vitally important, it may head off some of the other types of Government housing that are already hanging over us. We have read suggestions out of official Washington for Government builcling material yards to supply veterans building needs. They are not needed. Give our dealers the materials, and they rvill clo a far better job of it.

Any veteran who was in the armed forces on or after September 76, 7940, who served at least 90 days, or who was injured or disabled in line of duty regardless of hor,v long he served, is eligible. So is any woman, same rvay. Tr,vo veterans married to one another get double benefits in the same loan. These loans .ivill be available to veterans for two years after leaving the service, or for trvo years after the war ends, whichever is later. The financing of veterans home loans must be handled in the local community. The home must be built for the occupation of the veteran. However, there is no restriction against his building a two, three, or four unit home, but he must occupy one of the units. Many vets will take advantage of this chance and build two or four unit domiciles, rent all but his ou'n, and perhaps carry his own load free. The vet can buy a new home or a home already built with this same financing plan. And finally, the veteran does not have to have a penny in order to build a home, if he can find the materials and a builder for his H-3 priority. And they are standing in line, waiting.

Looks like a chance, men.

San Diego Hoo-Hoo Concat

The San Diego Hoo-Hoo held a concatenation at the LaMesa Country ,Club, LaMesa, Friday evening, February 16, and eleven Kittens enjoyed a pleasant journey through the Old Onion Patch and the darkness of the Outer Gardens. About 60 sat down to dinner and Vicegerent Snark Cliff Roberts presided at the short business session. The concatenation was held after the dinner.

The following Kittens were initiated: Robert F. Baker, El Cerrito Lumber Company, San Diego; Jefferson C. Crandall, San Diego Planing Mill, San Diego; George A. Dickenson, Lemon Grove Lumber Co., Lemon Grove; Grant W. Hall, W. D. Hall Company, El Cajon; Frank C. I-ynch, Benson Lumber Company, San Diego; John L. Maxwell, La Mesa f;laning Mill, La Mesa; David L. Maxwell, La Mesa Planing Mill, La Mesa; G. D. Randolph, South Bay Lumber Company, Chula Vista; Paul E. Stake, Whiting Mead Company, San Diego; Noal Tweed, Walters & Tweed Brothers, La Mesa; Walter M. Trevor, SmithTrevor Lumber Company, San Diego.

The following Old Cats were reinstated: Frank Evenson, American Products, Inc., San Diego; M. E. Rood, National Lumber Company, National City; C. E. F'reeman, W. P. Fuller & Co., San Diego; E. H. Gardner, IJ. S. Navy, San Diego.

The Nine in charge of the initiation included: Vicegerent Snark. Clifi Roberts, Benson Lumber Company, San Diego; Senior Hoo-Hoo, M. L. Baker, Baker Hardwood Co., San Diego; Junior Hoo-Hoo, Chas. D. McFarlane, Dixie Lumber Co., San Diego; Bojum, George V. Johnson, National Lumber Co., National City; Scrivenoter, Nihl Hamilton, Lumbermen's Service Bureau, San Diego; Jabberwock, Carl B. Gavotto, American Products, Inc., San Diego; Custocatian, John F. Stewart, Frost Hardwood Co., San Diego; Arcanopet, J. C. Evenson, San Diego; Gurdon, Syd Smith, San Diego.

The cancatenation opened with presenting the colors, and the group swore Allegiance to the Flag. The Nine did a fine job and had a lot of new stunts on tap. Gilbert E. Mattison, No. 15,282, read the Code of Hob-Hoo Ethics. The ceremonies concluded with the singing of America.

Announces \(/inners of Small House Competition

A D-year old war veteran, Lieutenant Charles D. Wiley of Washington, D. C., has been, selected as the winner of the second annual small house competition of the magazine Arts & Architecture, sponsored by the United States Plywood Corporation.

The competition, whi'ch attracted hundreds of entries from all parts of the United States, as well as from the war areas and from several Allied nations, was designed to stimulate interest in "America's ideal postwar small home for the average family." The first prize carried an award of $1250.

'Second prize ol $500 went to a United States Navy officer, Lt. (j.g.) Russell M. Amdal, also of Washington.

Third prize of $250 was awarded to Eduardo Fernando Catalano of Buenos Aires, now engaged in advanced architectural studies at Ha.rvard University.

Five honorable mentions, each carrying an award of $10O, went to I. M. Pei of Princeton, New Jersey, China-born architect who was co-winner of second prize last year; George A. Storz of San Diego, California, who won mention last year; Robert T. Coolidge of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Lieutenant (j.S.) Harry Weese, who is on active duty with the United States Navy; and Janet and Milton Caughey of West Los Angeles, California.

Talks to Retail Lumber Groups

S. Lamar Forrest, Forrest Lumber Company, Lubbock, Texas, president of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, addressed several groups of California retail lumber dealers on Association activities the latter part of February.

He attended the following meetings: San Francisco( Dinner), February 2O; Salinas (Luncheon), February 21; Fresno, (Dinner), February 21; Stockton (Luncheon), February 23; Sacramento (Dinner),, February 23, and Los Angeles (Luncheon), February 27.

Plywood

OPA authorizes manufacturers of plastic-faced plywood containing one or more laminations of softwood veneer to apply to the lumber branch in the national OPA office in Washington for special prices for these plywoods. (Amendment 4 to Second Revised MPR 12. effective Feb. 12).