Special Message to the Congress Transmitting Reorganization Plan 23 of 1950.

To the Congress of the United States:

I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 23 of 1950, prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949. The plan further promotes the grouping of Government programs according to their major purposes by transferring from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the Housing and Home Finance Agency the lending functions of the Government with respect to the production and distribution of prefabricated houses and components. This reorganization would be consistent with the objective set by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government which recommended that "all housing activities be placed in one agency under a single administrator".

Under its general powers pursuant to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, and pursuant to the Veterans' Emergency Housing Act of 1946, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation has made a number of loans to finance the production, distribution, and marketing of prefabricated houses and components. In addition, under section 102 of the Housing Act of 1948, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation is specifically authorized to make loans, not exceeding $50,000,000 outstanding at any one time, to finance the production of such housing. The greater portion of the loans so authorized have been made and are now outstanding.

The development of an efficient prefabricated housing industry is an essential part of the total housing program. It, therefore, requires integration with the major housing activities of the Federal Government.

Moreover, the functions to be transferred from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation are complementary to other activities of the Housing and Home Finance Agency in the field of manufactured housing. The Agency has under way considerable research on this type of housing construction. Under the National Housing Act, the Federal Housing Administration, a constituent agency, insures loans for the manufacture of such housing as well as mortgages on such houses when erected and sold. Thus, the successful operation of the program of loans for the manufacture of prefabricated houses depends, to a large extent, on the ready availability of mortgage insurance by the Federal Housing Administration as the primary means of assuring permanent financing for their sale.

The Federal Housing Administration also insures mortgages on rental housing developments to serve military installations under Title VIII of the National Housing Act, as amended, the so-called "Military Housing Act". The Congress recently has recognized the place of prefabricated houses in this program by amending the law to make it clear that the Department of Defense should use prefabricated housing which conforms to standards established by the Federal Housing Administration wherever it is feasible to do so. The development of a strong, expansible prefabricated housing industry also is essential for rapidly meeting any emergency housing needs of the country. The Housing and Home Finance Agency, in cooperation with the National Security Resources Board, should be in a position to encourage peacetime uses of prefabricated housing readily adaptable to potential emergency requirements of the future.

The transfer by this reorganization plan of the functions, loans, and unused authorizations of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation with respect to prefabricated housing will place most of the Government functions concerning such housing in the Housing and Home Finance Agency. This will make possible greater consistency between governmental assistance available for the production or manufacture of prefabricated houses with governmental assistance available for the distribution, erection, and marketing of such housing. It will also assure coordination and integration of the prefabricated housing functions with other programs within the Housing and Home Finance Agency and thus materially assist in carrying out the national housing policy.

This reorganization may not result in substantial immediate savings, although benefits should be achieved through improved operations which will result in economies over a period of time. An itemization of these economies in advance of actual experience is not practicable.

After investigation I have found, and I hereby declare, that each reorganization contained in Reorganization Plan No. 23 of 1950 is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949.

HARRY S. TRUMAN