The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
BERNARD J. NEWMAN,
Executive Secretary. Phlhdsiphia Housing @

Executive Secretary. Philadelphia Housing Com
mission.
OsxciusiIe service The Survey Pres Bure&u-)
Home ownership in the United States
Is decreasing: This is largely due to the
Irowth in the number Of tenant farmers.
Outside OF the farming class home own
srship is increasing. But this increase
nay be only in name since the percentage
II homes Inortgaged has grown steadily
greater since 1890. Owing largely TO the
spread Of building and loan associations,
the mortgage holder Is slowly supplant-
ing the landlord. There were. according
10 the census. I0.ee7, ,Sg5 rented homes in
the United States In lsi0- Problems con-
reraed with the renting of house are
thus Of considerable importance to ap-
proximately 5o0ee.OOo tenants, allowing
sve TO n home.
whut Docs Rent BuyF
To the vast majority of tenants the
important question seems TO he the
amount OF rent Few consider what the
rent purchases. contenting themselves
with the external appearance OF the
- house, its location, the number OF rooms
and how they are papered. Even some
Of these factors have little weight with
many tenants. IL only the rent Is low.
This feeling is so strong that the tenant
will often bear with all sorts o. incon-
veniences and disrep&ir, grun1iing at
times to the agent hg: rarely asserting
his right to have the house kept in god
condition. He win put up with leaky
roofs. damp walls, wet cellars. or any
one of a dozen other defects without pro-
test. He fears that If he does protest
he will be told toernove or else, insisting
on having improvements made, his rent
will be increased.
Few tenants regard rent frG.E the right
point of view. They estimate the amount
charged as high or low according TO
their incomes and not according to what
II purchases in conveniences that are
conducive to health and comfort A
man may pay only SO e month for four
rooms and yet his dwelling place may
actually cost him more than that of some
one else who spends Sl2 for the same
number of rooms. The first may get a
dwelling with poor drainage and an in
adequate water supply, while the sec
ond may secure one with good drainage
anc ample water supply and a bath
room as well. The second pays the
smaller rent although in dollars il seems
larger. In reality the extra amount is
a health and comfort insurance as well
as an economic saving. 1t buys the
things that help to ward off sickness.
TO keep the body strong and the mind
alert 1t helps to save the doctors and
medicine bills and to produce greater
working efficiency in both husband and
wife. Actual rent. therefore should be
figured not merely through comparing
dollar spent with dollar earned, but
also through making the dollar spent
afford protection against sickness and
pain and other and greater losses.
Do improvements Make Higher
Rents.
What is the effect of improvements
upon rents? II is true that in many cases
when a landlord has been required to
make improvements rents do go up but
it is not always true, and it is seldom
true unless there are a number Of other
factors at work helping to produce this
result II is the popular opinion, how
ever. that rents increase with improve
ments. People recall from personal eN-
perience cases which bear out this opin-
ion. These few cases, perhaps impress
ed upon their minds by a sense Of in
justice, lead them to conclude that i'm i