The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-04-28
PUBLIC OPINION
NNee~N~NeNeeNAe
About Small Houses.


ern small houses no one seems to be
able to build this class of homes for
less than $4,000 and with the value OF
the lot at $500 the investment repre-
sents $500. So long as municipal.
county, school, railroad and other
bonds net about five to FIVE and one
half per cent per annum, people will
not build houses where the net reve-
nue. does not exceed this. With the
high cost of labor and all material,
houses which could have been built
ten years ago at nine and ten hum
bred dollars. are costing $4,000. The
wages of mechanics and laborers Of all
kinds such as bricklayers, plumbers,
painters, plasterers, carpenters, grad
ers. ETC., is about twice as much now
as then. And this holds good also
for the material.
Another thing to be considered,
cities demand toilets and sewer con-
nections, paved streets. cement side
walks, curling and guttering. and the
many increased modern improvements.
the owner of property has no snap
and must OF necessity get more rent.
It is as expensive to make all these
Improvements along side of cheap
Ave hundred dollar lot as $4,000 or
$4,000 property.
The day for cheap detached four
and FIVE room homes is past. Today
-, oil mod
ern conveniences. such as gas piping
for cooking and lighting, electric
lighting, bath and toilet room: where
as twenty years ago and even ten,
such modern conyeniences we're not
in the average cottage. Build house
and fail to place these therein and
you could not rent or sell. In fact
the municipality will force you to
have sewer connections with your
toilet. and all these Improvements
cost money.
No four or FIVE room house, reason
ably modern, can be erected and rent
ed for less than $4,000 to $500 per
month, depending on location. Il is
a beautiful picture to see the home
OF the working man his house sur.
rounded with a grass yard, etc. But
with the high cost OF labor such
homes are not being put up for the
saboring man. The future home OF
the laboring man must of necessity
he (like in New York City in cheap
brick tenement fats. 1t il too ex
pensiye for him 10 have detached
house and he cannot afford 10 pay tbs
rent or ever hope 10 buy such al houst
on his income. The high priced me
chanic is differently situated Draw
ing three to five dollars q day. otter
more than bookkeepers and good rail
road clerks. he has golden opportun
ity of owning a home Il he manage.
his affairs right.
Notwithstanding q report was mad
TO the Industrial Association by 1t
representative who attended the NEE,
ing of home builders or home owne,
last year at Philadelphia, and mad
recommendation as to the kind an
class OF houses to be built and wha
they should rent for. $4,000 an
1920 month";, no banker, loan an
building association. either IN or or
of Keokuk, has Undertaken 10 put u
such homes. and none will, for il
Impossible to comply with the r
auirements and make three cents il
terest on the investment Again
building ordinance was recently re
commended for passage BY the associ
ton TO the city commissioners. Pc
haps emhodying many good feature
but the whole thing is too ideal ar
Ttopian and no investor Will corr
the rescue of the renter and put /
home under such an ordinance.
a city like Keokuk inducements mu
lie held out 10 investors to encoura
the erection of small houses, a
when these ideal ideas as TO diEtan
from alleys, streets, etc, ere conta
ed in the ordinances ii lis hard 10 9
people TO take hold OF course a re
estate company laying out an ad
ton at present can and should p
scribe such regulations as to cost
house, distance from street, etc. ]
1t is a hard matter to regulate in
old part of the city.
The high cost of living whether
farm products, or for building hon
is the high cost Of labor. If you
reduce the cost Of labor half
likewise the price of material en-
ing therein such as brick, mill w
plumbing, glass, nantes etc, t
YOU can build for half OF what II
costs you and you can rent for
of the amount The price of rent
regulated by the cost OF the ht
and supply and demand Of no
You would naturally say high r
will cause the erection of many
homes. It should. But for some
son there is a hesitancy on the
of investors to put up houses
the reason is you cannot build
or FIVE room house and rent !
$500 a month If the price OF
49, y,IuR is foo high