The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-12

The damp climate Of Great Britain,
which permits luxuriant plant life
even in deep shade, and the influence
exerted by hundreds OF years Of COM
slant contact with the gardens Of the
great landed estates, have led to the
evolution OF the garden city in Eng
land.
The garden city, as we know it to-
day was instituted about thirty years
ago. as housing adjunct for a great
Industrial enterprise. In 1887 the firm
Of Lever Bros, soap manufacturers,
bought some land between Birkenhead
and Liverpool on which to build homes
for their employees. The first houses
constructed were too costly to be prof
liable and of late years the expense
Of maintaining roads and parks has
risen SO that on an investment of
81, SOC, 900 there is no profit after the
payment Of fixed charges. but Mr..
Lever believes in carrying on the en-
terprise because employees living in a
community which promotes good
health are more intelligent and effl-
Client.
Fifty years ago young man walked
the streets Of Birmingham, England,
on Saturday afternoons looking at the
squalid workingmen's houses and the
dirty unkempt yards. rs 1t any Won
der" he said to himself, "that with
such demoralizing living conditions,
the workmen instead OF coming home,
spend their wages drinking at the sa-
looms" The man was George Cad
bury, now one of the proprietors of a
great manufacturing company, and the
town OF Bournville, four miles from
Birmingham, is the result of his eff
forts to secure good living conditions
for any one who might desire an at
tractive home in a district so designed
that there is plenty Of room and fresh
air for all the inhabitants. Only 40
per cent OF the houses at Bournville
are rented by the employees of MessrS.
Cadbury CO. Mr.. Cadbury having wise
| ly decided that there should be no OBJ
/ legation on the part OF his employees
to live in Bournvilie and also that the
colony might be open to anyone.
1 The houses In Bournville are attrae-
tive brick structures with gardens In
front and behind The village trust Of
/ fers prizes for the best kept garden
and for the finest fruit and vegetables
With this incentive, the gardens are
i always neatly cultivated. and it has
been estimated that the produce
raised reduces the rent of every fam
lily In Bournville nearly half dollar
a week There are tennis and foot
bali fields, swimming pool, and a
gymnasium The death rate in Bourn-
vile is Ave per thousand. while In
Birmingham only four miles away, II
ifs fifteen.
The Bournville boys of twelve are
three inches bigger around the chest
than their city neighbors in Birming-
ham, The enterprise was made over
In 1900 by George Cadbury to per-
petual trust. which will carry out hi:
ideas. The undertaking is on a strict.
lily business basis, the net profits o.
about per cent being devoted to tn,
building Of more houses.
Al dreamer looked into the future
and curious as 1t may seem his dream
came true for Ebenezer Howard
whose Garden Cities Of Tomorrow
opened the eyes OF the public to thu
possibilities OF town development, hal
lived to see realized most of the es,
sential ideas Of his enterprise in TIT
model cities OF Letchworth, abou
thirty-five miles nor tn of London.
In 1902 a. tract OF $500 acres a
5000 per acre was bought by the FRS
Garden city. limited. 1900 acres be
ing designed to house g population o
about 10000 people. The remaining
500 acres are devoted to an agricul
tural belt which encircles the town
and which shall remain inviolate. 4
limit of twelve houses to the acre lia
been established and a conscious eff
fort has been made to provide housing
facilities. for all sorts and condition
of men. the rents ranging from IS AM
SIS a month up to $40 or $50.
A part Of the property lying clos
to the railroad but screened by a hill
and d belt Of trees has been set asid
for factory enterprises. Already NOR
|, THAN twenty different enterprises hav
left London, and found 1t to their fl
/, nancial benefit to operate their work
, on cheap land where the homes Of tn
operatives may be within walking dis
/. lance of their work.
The directors have wisely held TIL
! most attractive portion of the Ian
/ for a future civic center. The popu
, lation OF Letchworth Is now 1000, an
I the idea is to use small temporar
municipal buildings until the city APP
proaches it's final population of 80,
600.
. THE most attractive London suburb