CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSING PROJECTS FOR WORKERS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00810A005800160008-6
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
2
Document Creation Date: 
December 21, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 17, 2008
Sequence Number: 
8
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
February 23, 1955
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00810A005800160008-6.pdf117.76 KB
Body: 
Approved For Release 2008/06/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005800160008-6 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INFORMATION REPORT Tlsc a&betal aoatatao in nneftm aN P-1ft tha Rn- ttonai Daemon at Go Unttd /lobo within tha awan- 1a a[ tiw iiL. pa Iaw% TLW 1$ U.S.C. Mat 7q and 7N. me panamt dm or wisU"on at which in any manaar to an %mnuthaelad puma is womm"d bylaw. SECRET - U.S. OFFICIALS QTLY SUBJECT Construction of Housing Projects for Workers DATE OF INFO. PLACE ACQUIRED REPORT DATE DISTIL. NO. OF PAGES 2 REQUREMENT NO. RD THE SOURCE EVAWATIONS IN TINS ANNORT AN DEFINITIVE. THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE. (FOR KEY SEE IIEVNEE) 1. The Enterprise for Workers' Housing Developments (Zaklady Osiedli Robotniczych- ZOR), controlled by the Ministry of Construction, constructs complete housing projects for workers, i.e. apartment houses, shopping centers, schools, kinder- gartens, recreation halls, etc., except clinics and hospitals. It built 25X1 approximately 36,000 dwelling rooms in 1949, 81,000 in 1951, and 105,000 in 1953. The total figure up to the and of 1953 was around 383,000 dwelling rooms. The company's construction plan for 1954 was 100,000 to 110,000 dwel- ling roans, of which 20,000 were to be built in Warsaw. Construction work was in progress in 205 localities throughout the country. 2. Due to the acute housing shortage, the annual plans forced on the company far exceed its potential capacity. The engineers in charge, fully aware of this fact, have no choice but to use every possible method to fulfill the plans even if the result is poorly built and finished houses. Because of constant pres- sure by the authoiriti on the company to finish the houses at the earliest possible date, tenants have been allowed to occupy their apartments before the water and power installations are completed. One factor in the company's difficulties in fulfilling the excessive plans is the shortage of building materials, such as cement, pipes, etc. Another reason for the company's inefficiency is the lack of adequate supervision and technical control. The controllers' work is based on the norms and premiums system, and so their only interest lies in fulfilling their norms as quickly as possible and getting enough additional houses inspected in order to earn cash premiums. 3. The natural consequence of the speedy execution of the building is faulty and poorly built houses which need repairs almost as soon as the tenants move in. In 1952-53 approximately 25,000 man work-days were spent in Warsaw alone on the repair of houses built by the ZOR. In Nowa Huta the majority of workers engaged in the erection of new houses had be be diverted to repair work on the existing houses. Efforts have been made recently to improve the quality of the work and remedy the chaotic state of affairs in the finished and semi- finished housing projects. The "handing over of faultless houses" (bezusterkowy IX-T L2 (NOTE: Washi.Ol.w &W&UHo. iadia.Nd by ?x"1 raw 00 N wnE Approved For Release 2008/06/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005800160008-6 0 SECAST - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY NAVY All 23 February 1955 .n Approved For Release 2008/06/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005800160008-6 SECRET - U.S. OFFICIAT ONLY odbior objektu) is the new slogan of the company, but compromises are still being made and houses without outer plaster, without laundry facilities, and without garbage disposal arrangements are still being turned over to tenants. 4. A control commission of the company inspects the completed houses and classi- fies them in four categories: Very good, good, satisfactory, .and unsatisfactory. Those classified.i unsatisfactory are not turned over to tenants until the defects have been rectified. In the begiming of 1954 more than 50 per cent of the inspected new houses were declared unsatisfactory, but the ratio decreased in the course of 1954 to less than 30 per cent. The decrease was caused by the easing of the regulations and of the controllers' strictness, and not by the improvement of building standards. 5. According to the latest directives, houses must not be turned over to tenants without the outer plaster, and workers' housing projects must be handed over complete with shopping center and other auxiliary buildings. However this directive has so far been complied with only in very few places, such as Nowe Tychy, Silesia; Gdynia; and Bialystok. 6. Plans are being made to turn over minor repair work on new houses to small groups of building artisans who will operate independently in every voivodehip, and to create a subsidiary company ehich will carry out only major repair works on new houses built by ZOR. The regional artisans' groups, with a com- pletely decentralized operation, and the future subsidiary company should relieve ZOR of the present heavy burden of repair work and enable it to utilize its full potential in the construction of new housing settlements. SECRET - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY Approved For Release 2008/06/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA005800160008-6