The Daily Alaska Empire

PUBLIC HEALTH
WILL PROMOTE
BETTER HOUSING
A new agency moved into the
Alaska housing picture this week
with the arrival in the Territory's
capital of J. Buford Jenkins, consulting
engineer for the U. S. Public
Health Service.

Jenkins, who spent several years
in Alaska during the 30's, has been
named to direct the public health's
newly activated Alaska Health and
Sanitation division which has as
its broad objective the expediting
of home construction in the Territory
to provide healthful homes
for families.

Immediate specific objectives,
Jenkins said, is the establishment
in Alaska of industries which can
produce some of the basic materials
for home building.

Getting more specific, Jenkins
said that cement and insulation are
materials which can be manufactured
in Alaska and that U. S. Public
Health is undertaking research
and promotion for the establishment
of these industries here.

Aim is the reduction of the
building costs of homes by cutting
down on the high cost of shipping
bulky items great distances.

"We feel," Jenkins said, "that by
cutting down home costs more people
will be able to build homes
and this will accomplish our purpose
of getting healthful housing."

A high grade of insulation material,
sphagnum moss, is available in
Southeast Alaska and also in the
vicinity of Palmer, according to
Jenkins, who said Public Health
will attempt to interest private capital
in putting up plants for processing
and treating the insulation
material. Private industry will also
be the agent for development of cement
plants in Alaska, he said.

The Federal Housing Authority
and the Alaska Development Board
have agreed to cooperate in the
plan, Jenkins said.

A handbook on Alaskan construction
for distribution to all interested
parties is also on the work plan
for the new agency.

Jenkins will leave for Anchorage
next Tuesday, then go on to Fairbanks
and Nome before returning
to Juneau early in July.