The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-24
Massachusetts Ciuic League
The Housing Problem il TouOns

centage OF the immortality which the
churches are trying to cure; they are
responsible for . large part of the
sickness the hospitals, dispensaries
and nurses are trying to cure; and d.
rectly or through immortality and sick
ness they are responsible for much OF
the poverty the charities are trying to
cure. The housing problem on it's con-
structive side is one Of the biggest
parts of home making, and we have al
ready assigned the home its place in
the social program. For this reason /
argue for careful attention to the
housing problem as one which will,
even In our smallest towns, do much
to prevent the appearance of many
other problems, and one which, when
neglected, will either directly cause
or at any rate always aggravate the
seriousness OF all the other problems.
The economic aspects OF the hous-
ing PROBLEM are serious. Towns get.
as rule. that for which they bid.
That is, If force of circumstances
brings large number of people to
town, the quality OF these people will
depend in large measure on the kind
OF homes which are offered to them.
II the people have to content them
selves with abandoned dwellings, out
buildings. and similar inferior homes,
they will be an inferior type OF peo-
Pile; because self-respecting people
will not live in such homes. What is
the result, therefore. when a town
sets up call for an Increase Of popu-
lation on this basis The Industrial
floaters begin to come in. In what we
may call the danger zone around Bos-
ton and other cities there is posi-
bility of large increase in any short
period of time because OF immigra-
ton and the movement Of population
which follows. This is often without
SO much as factory or mercantile es-
Establishment to call the people and to
of Themselves increase the taxable
values OF the town. The newcomers
do not increase the taxable values be-
cause they live in inferior homes,
and their SO living tends to pull down
other taxable values around them. 1t
means, therefore. that their arriva.
brings little or nothing into the town
treasury.
On the other hand, the town has to
meet the problems Of education, po-
lice, courts. iails, hospitals, poor re-
lief and SO on through the entire
range of both constructive and RENE
dial institutions. The people who
are willing to come into bad homes
are the people who keep the remedial
institutions busy and who do practi-
cally nothing to help maintain any in
stftution.
| But when the people coming into a
town are offered attractive homes on
we'll planned streets self-respecting
people will come, they will increase
the taxable values Of the town, they
will pay their way through the
schools, the streets and elsewhere.
and they will decrease the per capita
demand for all the remedial institu-
] tionsN
! 1t is werl, too, not to overlook the
economic values of the aestheic and
social aspects of the problem. The
money values Of civic art and of a
civic conscience were never SO fully
/ recognized as at the present time. but
! it is as yet too abstract recognition.
1t is not enough to develop good
homes. They must be maintained in
good condition. There is therefore 4
: call for an active local health author
ity. To meet its conditions and
needs every town must have good
law, the efficient enforcement Of
which will give the town what it
needs in the way Of houses, and it
must have an active board OF health