The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-16
MUNICH LEAGUE HAS VERY BUSY DAY
Mrs. Mann Received at Man. sion in Honor of Dele
 gates-ihlder Speaks

1 Richmond, Va. November 15.-After a
 day of hard work delegates to the Na- | tional Municipal League convention at tended tonight their annual subscription 1 dinner. The dinner was preceded by a
 reception in honor of the delegates. Mrs
 Mann, wife of the governor. afterward
 received at the mansion. A resolution re-
 quiring that hereafter all papers on con- | vention programmes be compiled into hook for distribution to the members was adopted at today's convention. At dinner there was a round table symposium under the chairmanship of Jchn Stewart Bryan of Richmond at | which was discussed a paper on ''Hous- 1 ing, Health and Morals,' read by John
 Ihlder of Grand Rapids, field secretary of the National Housing association.
 "A life is coming to be regarded ss a commercial asset. It must be made to yield as much as possible on the in- vestment and sad though it may make some of Us to admit it, therein lies our hope of making our cities what the boosting clubs are so fond of calling them: cities of homes' '
 This was the statement made at the conclusion of an address on Private Housing and Public Health" by John lhlder. field secretary of the National Housing association, before the National
 Municipal league here today. MT. Ihlder declared that American city officials are not realizing as rapidly as the men in control of big manufacturing concerns are that better housing conditions mean higher efficiency and better health amongst workmen and citizens.
 some of our industrial leaders have begun to understand ths," said MT. Ihlder. "rhere are in the United States over 20 industrial villages or suburbs created by men or corporations who em-
 ploy great numbers Of workers. The men responsible for them believed that wholesome living conditions meant more
 efficient workmen Unable to provide wholesome living in the cities they moved outside"
 The value of a human life, he said.
 is being considered from an economic
 rather than sentimental standpoint. ! with the result that slums and unhealthy parts of the cities are being done away with.
 "It is not due to pitifu tales of suffer- ing and wrong that our cities are begin- ming to consider the possibility of wipng out the sum,' said the speaker It is due to- the growing realization that the sums are an economic loss, that it's presence indicates ignorance on the part of the citizens and inefficiency on the part of the government"
 From an inquiry made amongst health and police officials of leading cities of the country, MT. Ihlder drew the con- clusion that in nearly all cities the full
 import of insanitary housing of the peo- pie is not known. In many places in- vestgations are now being made to de- termine just what effect all the evils of crowding and slum living have on the people.
 -Four miles from the workngman's ds- trict of Birmingham, Ala. is the model industrial town of Bonneville" said Mr. Ihlder, "Out of every 1900 children born in the first, 331 die; out of every 1000 born in Bonneville only 6S die. Have we not passed the time when few leaders shall monopolize the benefits of the knowledge that wholesome housing is . business asset"