TABLE X-K.-Economic characteristics of existing housing: Nonfarm families, with income from wages and salaries only, classified according to family wage and salary income and contract or estimated monthly rent 1 None 3. $1 to $499. $500 to $999. $2,000 to $2.999. $500 to $999 $3,000 to $4,999. 1 The census data with respect to family income and rent, upon which this table is 2 Of the total of 15,793,020 nonfarm families with income from wages and salaries only, Because of the definitions and procedures used by the United States census, 1940, this group corresponds more nearly to a "Not reporting" category than to a "None" group. It is composed of many different elements. Some of the families in this group are new Source: United States Census, 1940, Population and Housing, Families, Tenure and Mr. BLANDFORD. And it is this economic approach to the housing problem that we attempt to move up on in the next chart. (See chart X-L in Appendix.) TABLE X-L.-Economic characteristics of existing housing: Nonfarm families classified according to family income in 19391 and contract or estimated monthly rent of dwelling units occupied in 1940 1 Due to the fact that the official estimate of the distribution of families sccording to family income in 1939 will not be available for some time, the preliminary or rough estimate shown in this table has been prepared. This estimate is unofficial and is extremely tentative. Accordingly, it should be used only for purposes of general illustration and then only until such time as the official estimate becomes available. Less than 25. Source: Estimate prepared by National Housing Agency on basis of data from Bureau of the Census, We take, in that, for 1939, the income classification of more than 27,000,000 nonfarm families, and this chart shows, by the grouping of the red bars, what the families paid per month for their rent, whether it be rented housing or owner-occupied housing. I am not going to burden you with a restatement of the figures which this chart displays, but by glancing at it you can see the direct correlation between the income and amounts spent for housing or between income and what we might call effective housing demand. Particularly to be noted are the large numbers of families bunched in the income groups below $1,500 a year, and especially below $1,000 a year coupled with the fact that the vast preponderance of these families pay less than $20 a month for their housing. Now, the small amount which so many families can pay for their housing would be of no particular significance if they got decent housing at that price, or if they constituted a demand for new residential construction at that price. But chart X-M-1 shows an extraordinary corrrelation between income and the quality of housing received. The black bars indicate the number of families in each rental group, as I understand that. (See chart X-M-1 in appendix.) TABLE X-M.-Economic characteristics and quality of existing housing: Nonfarm dwelling units classified according to contract or estimated monthly rent and according to state of repair and sanitary facilities, 1940 With private bath and private flush toilet. Needing major repairs 2. With private bath and private flush toilet. PERCENT DISTRIBUTION 1 Of the total of 29,683,189 nonfarm dwelling units, 27,285,176 reported on both contract 2 The United States Census of Housing, 1940, classifies a dwelling unit as needing require major repairs or replacements-that is, repairs or replacements of such character that their continued neglect will seriously impair the soundness of the structure and create a hazard to its safety as a place of residence. 3 Less than 0.1 percent. Source: United States Census of Housing, vol. III, pt. 1. National Housing Agency, Office of the Administrator, Housing Market Service, Nov. 27, 1944. 19.0 9.4 5.0 3.4 2.9 2.4 1.5 6.6 6.9 4.3 3.1 2.6 2.3 1.6 3.0 .7 .1 ..1 .1 .1 1 TABLE X-M-1.-Economic characteristics and quality of existing housing: Nonfarm families, classified according to contract or estimated monthly rent, compared with nonfarm dwelling units, classified according to contract or estimated monthly rent and state of repair and sanitary facilities 1 The figures shown in this table are estimated total numbers of occupied nonfarm the units reporting on contract or estimated rent.er 2 Due to the method that must be used to distribute dwelling units not reported in the The United States Census of Housing, 1940, classifies a dwelling unit as needing major Source: United States Census, 1940, Population and Housing, Families, Income, and Mr. BLANDFORD. 4,000,000 families pay under $10 a month; and the right-hand bar showing the condition of the housing supply, the deep solid red being in need of major repairs, and progressively other conditions, only the gray being not in need of major repairs or plumbing and the like. But this chart is so central to our inquiry that I would like to summarize what it shows: (1) Of the almost 41⁄2 million families, coming to about 16 percent of the total, who paid less than $10 a month rent or its equivalent, more than 94 percent of the housing which they occupied was deficient to some degree. (2) Of the more than 61⁄2 million families, coming to more than 24 percent of the total, who paid between $10 and $20 a month in rent or its equivalent, more than 60 percent of the housing which they occupied was bad in some degree. (3) Of the more than 6,000,000 families, coming to more than 22 percent of the total, who paid between $20 and $29 in monthly rent or its equivalent, about a quarter of them occupied bad housing in varying degrees and about three-quarters of them occupied housing that was good in varying degrees. (4) And finally, of the more than 10,000,000 families who paid more than $30 a month in rent or its equivalent, well over 90 percent of them had satisfactory housing. Senator BUTLER. Mr. Blandford, thus far you have spoken considerably of the relation of income to rental conditions. Mr. BLANDFORD. Yes, sir. Senator BUTLER. I notice that your statement is quite long, and possibly you are going to touch on this subject I am going to ask you about now. Do you get to the point where you relate income to the wealth-production program? You are talking here altogether about the urban, city population. Mr. BLANDFORD. The nonfarm housing conditions. Senator BUTLER. Yes; nonfarm housing. Mr. BLANDFORD. And the relationship here of income to rent, and income and rent, to the condition of the housing supply. Senator BUTLER. It is all very good; but the nonfarm populationthis may be an exaggerated statement to some extent, but it is basically true-lives on the farm population. Now, that is not-you have got to include the- Mr. BLANDFORD. They certainly purchase farm products. Mr. BLANDFORD. Yes. Senator BUTLER. And the fisheries and farm production, forest production of wealth, and all those things. Mr. BLANDFORD. Well, of course, if we should include a picture here of farm housing, it would be a much more dismal picture than we have here, because the condition is much worse. Senator BUTLER. That is why I am wondering if you are going to touch on it some place there. Mr. BLANDFORD. I am not presenting the statistics on the farmhousing picture, thinking these are gloomy enough; but, more important, that the Secretary of Agriculture is going to testify on that. A little later, though, we do take in the national income picture and trace |