The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-05-21
Proper Homes for the Workingman
the Greatest Demand OF the Fact
Dry Interests OF the City.
BIG FACTORIES START ADDITIONS.
Evening News Starts Movems emit for New
Homes by Agreeing to Build at Least
One House For the workmen..


The greatest demand of the city of
kenosha today is houses for the &C.
cupancy of the men who are being en-
ployed IN the factories of the city. For
weeks the manufacturers have been
holding meetings to consider plans to
secure homes for workmen, but these
plans have evidently gone awry aud
the demand for. houses is greater to-
day than ever before.
In order to relieve the demand the
EVENING NEWS stands ready to start a
move to erect houses for la borers in
the city, aud the managers of this
paper will be one of twenty 1--WE to
buildaa home for the laborers of this
city. Kenosha has many beautiful
residences, but she is terribly deficient
IN homes for the workmen.
The working man demands a home
that can be rented to him for from
eight to twelve dollars month, or one
that can be purchased by him for a
thousand dollars. Thrifty workmen
Ia the factories are ready TO own their
take the work of building. If there
were twenty-five of these houses in the
city today all of them could be filled
with tenants within fortnight. An
expenditure of thousand or fifteen
hundred dollars is all that is needed to
build one of these homes, and it would
give the builder steady income on
his money, and at the same time it
would aid the Kenosha industries to
secure better 1aborers- to fill the
benches.
At present many lots are being of.
fered for sale in the city at very rea.
sonable rate, and architects who have
figured on plans submitted state that
it would be possible to build suitable
houses with an expenditure of about
$3.50 to $500. These houses would bring
to the owner an annual rental of 500
to $40 year, and in this manner
yield him from eight to ten per cent on
the investment.
It is announced today that the Coo
per Underwear Company will at,once
start new building for the use of that
plant. The building will be 100 feet
on Newell street and four stories in
height. With its completion the
forces of the factory will be greatly in
creased and houses will be needed for
the new laborers brought for the new
building. Added to this, the Thomas
B. Jeffrey company has had plans
drawn for large addition to the old
Sterling plant, and it is probable that
the work will be started in fortnight
so that the new addition can be COM
pleted this year.
Five hundred new 1aborers will be
demanded in Kenosha within the next
ten months, and it is the duty of the
people to take care of them. Thous-
ands of dollars of idle capital is in the
banks of the city, and it could find a
profitable investment in building
homes to sell on the insta1lment plan
to the iaborers of our city. The in
vestment of capital in this manner will
improve the character of labor in Ke-
noshs, and give the city steady fund
from which to draw its laborers in the
future. The outlook for industrial
Kenosha was never better, and it is
duty of the capitalists to undertake
this work.
@The EVENING News in fathering
this move to secure the immediate
erection of houses, will be glad to give
publicity to any opinions which will
further the scheme. Who will join in
the move to make Kenosha a city of
well-housed laboring men?