The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-03
National Housing Conference
Will Dicuss That Subject
TO MAKE WAR ON SLUM
Several Hundred Business Men.
City Officials and Social Work
ers Meet December 4

Philadelphia, Nov. 3O.-How to
abolish the slum will be the theme of
a group OF several hundred business
men, city officials, social workers and
college professors who will meet in
Philadelphia December a, for the
sessions of the National Conference
on Housing in America. More than
sixty cities will send delegations,
among them Montreal, Toronto and
Hamilton, in Canada, will all be rep
resented.
This conference marks a great
step ahead in our battle with the
Sum-" sai John Ihlder, field secre-
tary Of the National Housing associa-
ton, which is holding the conference
IN association with the municipal
government Of Philadelphia. "Once
before we lave held a national meet
ing OF a similar sort but the interest
then was confined largely to philan-
thrOpists n charitable workers. We
are especially glad to see how the
work is broadening out now. The
Chicago Association of Commerce, for
instance. the leading commercial
body Of that city, will send an official
delegation. So will the Cleveland
chamber Of Commerce, one Of the
most active trade bodies In the oun
try. So will the Detroit board Of
commerce, the board Of trade of
oAAAO oAA~ " ohAhoS VI AAAA
lar organizations from other eastern
cities.
Then, too, many important manu-
featuring concerns have taken an in
terest in the campaign, and have &C
tually built houses for their employees,
to improve their living conditions.
Two Of the greatest life insurance
companies will be represented in the
conference. They reason that it is
not only good citizenship but good
business policy for them to wipe out
the unhealthy living conditions which
Bad housing breeds everywhere.
THE boards of health Of all the
course be represented. New York is
sending John j.. Murphy, the tene-
n,ent house commissioner, as we'll as
several other officials; Mayor Fitz-
gerald, of Boston, will attend the
conference in person; Montreal will
be represented by DR.. Joseph A.
Beaudry, a remarkably energetic
health department chief, and Cincin-
natl, which is now in the midst of an
energetic campaign Tor the improve
Ment of housing conditions will have
a delegation Of officials and citizens
in attendance.
Some of the northern delegates
Will be surprised to learn that IN
work for the remedying Of bad living
conditions the South is fully as wide
awake as the North. Savannah has
one Of the best health departments IN
the country, and 1t will be represent
&c at the conferences; Charleston Will
probably send a delegation OF half a
dozen, and Richmond will have its
health officer, DR.. E. c. Levy, the sec
rotary Of it's housing commission, Dr,
q. A. Weber, and a. supporting BODY
Of business men besides Prof. Henry
~. Farnam, of Yale~IniverSlty; Pro1.
Frank A. Fetter, Of Princeton, and
Prof. Selskar M. Gum, Of the Massa.
chusetts Institute of Technology, VIII
be among the university representa-
lives who will take part in h pro-
ceedings.
"A great man. more OF tfe smaller
cites will be represented thar at the
earlier conference, and right mere Is
where the broadening Of our cam
paign is Of great Importance, for the
SUM is not confined to the great Guy
AS a matter of fact, there is hardly q
Good-sized village in America where
you cannot find housing conditions
that are simply abomlnable. lsuallS
the people of a town have no ldea
what conditions off their main streets
really are.
Take almost any small American
city and I can guarantee to find you
houses that are not only UNFRAMED
hut where the water supply is in al
rect danger Of being contaminated
There are dark interior rooms, breed
ers of tuberculosis and other DIS
eases, within a few blocks or the
open fields where the town has room
10 expand for miles. These roomS VII
he crowded, too, and in the same
houses you will find people damned
together under conditions as indecent
immoral and unsanitary as n worst
tcnelnents of New York and chicago
1T is the citizens Of such smaller
communities that We are gr2duallS
awakening to the situation. Not 9
fcW Of them have aiken up the mat
ter and have set to work to pettel
conditions. That is why we nave SC
many business men interested; they