Evening star., 1905-09-25
Work of Business Firms.

This is just mere outline of what has
been and is being done by the municipali-
ties in England Mention should be made
of what two great business esta blishments
are doing in the way Of housing their work
ing peeple. The work of w. II. Lever at.
Porf Sunlight, and the work of George Cad
bury at the village of Eournville. is espe-
ciaiiy worthy of notice The area upon
which Port Sunlight stands consists of 140
acres, and 81 out of every 10J houses are
built on the cottage plan. They have q gar
den as a foreground to the cottage and
screen from tie road The care of these
gardens is not left to the people who oc-
cupy the dwelln ngs, but they are looked af-
ter and kept in order by the management.
This secures to the gardens and the whole
village one uniform character. Experience
has taught that this is the best plan, for
one unsightly or neglected garden would
mar the whole effect. To every block of
cottages there are what is known as allot-
ment gardens. These gardens are intended
for the tenants to raise vegetables or to
fence In poultry. They are situated as near
as possible to each cottage and afford to
each tenant the means of healthy recrea-
tion.. The capital expended in buying the
140 acres of land already referred to, and in
building the cottages, houses, schools,
shops, institutions, clubs, etc, including the
making of roads and the laying out OF
parks, has been more than S17J0,000. Upon
this sum the firm of Lever Brothers Uinit-
etD receive no interest or financial return
whatsoever. Inc rents are nXeQ at Such
an amount as only to pay for maintenance,
taxes and repairs The rent for each ordi
nary cottage is s1.25 per week.
A Valuable Gift.
''In this connection the village of Bourn-
vile is equally worthy of praise. Its
founder Mr. George Cadbury. in deed by
which the property was handed over to
board of trustees, clearly set forth his
object and wishes. Therein s stated that
the founder is desirous of alleviatlng the
evils which arise from the insanitary and
insufficient accommodations supplied to
large numbers of the working classes, and
of securing to workers In factories some
of the advantages Of outdoor village life,
with opportunities for the natural and
healthful occupation of cultivating the soil.
The object is declared to be the ameIiora-
ton of the condition of the working class
and laboring population in and around Bir-
mngham and elsewhere In Great Britain
by the provision of improved dwellings,.
with gardens and open spaces to be enjoyed
herewith.
This gift to the people including all
donations. is valued at about $1,o00,000. 1t
consists of AS acres of land and the village
of BournvilIe The revenue. whether from
house and farm rents, ground rents or any
other sources, is paid to the trustees, and
employed by them, after making provision
for the repair and maintenance of the
property, in building more houses and
further developing the estate The gift
is therefore absolute none OF the revenue
returning to the donor. At the present
time the village consists of SIS houses, with
a population of over 1000 Bournyille is
not reserved entirely for the use of the
employees of Cadbury Brothers. 1t is in
tended on the whole as a contribution to-
ward solving the housing problem, and one
half of the tenants of the village find en-
ployment in Birmingham. The roads of the
village are forty-two feet wide and are all
planted with trees. The average garden
space allowed to each house Is eco square
yards.
A High Standard.
"In summing up the results of the housing
question. Thompson. in his Housing Hand
book, comes to the conclusion that Eng
land has not very much to learn from
either the United States or any continental
country in the matter of housing the work
ing classes There are. he says, some cx-
eeptions, but as rule the standard of do
mestic sanitation and Of housing accommo-s
dations generally is lower in foreign courl-
tries than in England. Without affirming
or denying this assertion i wish to state
that in 1902 it was my privilege to visit
many of the dwellings occupied by our
working people In the United States Dur
ing this extended trip l visited nearly all
the large industrial centers in the eastern
central and southern states. Taking the
country whole am satisfied that there
Is a great field for philanthropy of this
kind. There is nothing in the world which
makes a man so happy, in the long run,
as to have q neat home. and w. HI. Lever
George Cadbury, Alfred Krupp (deceased)
and John H. Patterson are discovering
way. to secure human happiness by their
efforts housing ffcfr