Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-02-15
WORKMEN'S HOMES.
A Study Of the Housing Of the
Toiling Masses.
SPECIAL REPORT FROM G. D. WRIGHT

Easy 4 ASfer Th8n raging Kent Tor the
same Number of Years-Homes for
workinSmen Built on Improved p An.
and = Money Making Basis--A Batch OF
Facts from Europe.
WASHINGTON, Feb. I5-The United
States commissioner of labor, Carroll ID.
Wright, has transmitted to congress his
eighth special report. The title of the re-
port is, THE Housing of the Working
People" and it has been prepared under
the direction of the commissioner by DR..
F. r. L. Gould, formerly n statistical ex
pert of the department.. DR.. Gould, when
recently abroad, spent considerable time
in S; udying the problem in the principal
ccnters of Great Britain, France, Bel
GUM, Germany and scandinavian coun-
tries. The report covers thirteen chap
tiers Chapter treats of public interven-
ton in the housing of working people,
giving the most notable laws which have
been passed and furnishing data showing
the encouragement accorded by munich
palities and various public institutions.
Home Buying Made Easy.
The Belgin law Of 1889 permits tho
general savings bank of that country to
loan money at reduced rates Of interest
through joint stock and cooperative loan
or building companies, founded on GER
tain conditions. and also provides for the
insurance of the purchasers life SO that
in case of death the home Immediately
becomes the property OF the family OF the
deceased. Under it the acquisition Of a
home is made so easy that whore the
period of repayment by installments is
| fixed at fifteen years or over, the actual
cost Of the purchaser is less than prevail
ing rentals during the same time. An
other important feature of the law in the
institution of what may be called semi
official committees of good works, who
act as Intermediates between the general
savings bank and local loan compani es as
well as between the latter and their eli
| ents. Their services are called in requisi-
ton in other ways, notably in assisting
local authorities in carrying out sanitary
| regulations.
Dealing with the Tenant Class.
Chapter furnishes information regard
| ing rent collecting and other agencies for
improving the living environment of
working people. Special stress is laid
upon the plan adopted by Miss Octavia
Hill as a means of dealing successfully
| with the poorer and less desirable tenant
| class. 1t shows how this element in the
| population has been managed successful
, ly both from the economic and mora.
standpoint. The distinctive characters
| tic of this plan is that the inhabitants
and their surroundings must be improved
simultaneously. The Edinburgh Social
| union, which carries on its work on a
| commercial basis, represents another
type fully described. Wealthy people, for
the most part, belong to the organization,
become purchasers of old dilapidated
| property, put it in good order and rent ID
| to the casual boarders and others who find
| it difficult to procure proper accommOda-
| ton, lady members undertaking the Ad
mistration of the property.
Successful Financial Results.
Most successful financial results have
attended both of these plans, Wis: That
adopted by Miss Hill and her associates
and that by the Edinburgh Social union.
Chapters 9, 10 and IL comprise more than
one-half of the volume, deal with model
housing under three phases-block build
ings, small homes and lodging houses. A
history of leading agencies and the fnan-
cial result attending their operation are
given.
1.-THE general lesson cleaned from a
study of the facts in these three chapters"
|
shows that the proper housing of the
great masses of working people can be
conducted on a satisfactory commercial
basis. With the development of rapid
transit, in the electric age just dawning,
possibilities will be greatly increased.
The potency of real rapid transit as a fac
tor in relieving cOngested districts and
| extending popular proprietorship of
homes is not yet fully understood
Facts of Great Significance.
Chapter IL deals with the economic and
ethical aspects of improving housing.
| Under the latter facts of great signifi-
canoe. CLEANED from official inquiries in
several European cities, showing the rela-
ton of bad housing to intemperancc, i'm
morality and crime, and the improve
ments resulting from amelioration in
living environments are quoted at length.
1T is clearly shown" the report con-
tinues, that the rents paid for inferior
accommodations are equal to and often
higher than those charged by model COM
panies established on a purely CONNER
cial basis and earning good commercial
returns. The rent payer is therefore in q
position to properly reward any effect
made to improve his living surroundings,
and capitalists and public spirited citi-
zens can profitably house the bona fide
laboring population and provide them
with good homes. Dealing with the
shiftlcss, drunken and the immoral ele-
ment, in urban population is entirely a
different question, and must be consid-
cred as a separate phase of the problem
Remunerative Investments.
Model lodging houses everywhere have.
turned out to be thoroughly remunerative
investments. The experience of Glasgow