The Washington herald., 1914-03-15
Plan for Furnishing Poor with Sanitary Homes Is Urged
Strongly Works Well in Some European and
South American Countries

ting foB all laborers. The different Ger
man states one by one feli into line with
laws which provided government loans
for municipalities and for noncommer-
cial building associations. The people
housed through one of the other OF these
agencies mount into the millions
Another pioneer was the enterprising
little country Of Belgium. which In 1859
passed law permitting the funds of the
state savings bank to be loaned 70 nom
commercial building associations and to
individual workingmen for the construc-
| ton OF homes. Belgium has never had
municipal housing. But II has been very
successful along its own line. An official
report in 1872 states that 17s societies had
borrowed about s22.0oo0oo and built about
5000 houses.
OF course. the neighboring countries
watched with interest the results of these
experiments. What these results were
may be inferred from the actions of the
watchers. Between 1901 and 1917 France.
Italy, Austria, Hungary, Holland, Nor
way. Luxembourg, Denmark. and Spain
enacted similar housing laws providing
for the loan Of government money for
workingmen's homes Switzerland and
Roumania, too poor to loan-money, re-
nit taxes to building associations The
two most progressive Of South American
the example of Europe. The home, par
excellence OF advanced democracy. New
Zealand. has its housing loan law. Our
neighbor, Ontario. Is the latest to acquire
one. Isn't 1t about time the United States
were waking up.
Awakening Has Begun.
There are signs that the awakening
has begun. The Borland-Pomerene bill
now before Congress is/ the first CULVER
Of Uncle Sans eye lid. It provides a
housing loan law for the District of CO.
lumbia-a m8ely temporary ten-year
measure intended as a supplement to the
alley elimination bill. It does not ven
ture upon anything SO radical as mu-
nicipal housing. Like Belgium, II offers
its loans to noncommercial building as
sociations, those whose gains are lin
tied by charter to per cent dividends.
These may be cooperative associations
formed by workingmen themselves for
mutual benefit or they may be altruistic
associations for the improvement of
housing conditions. But speculative or
even commercial in their character. they
cannot be-
The time and place are well chosen.
The time. because of the great need about
to be described. The place, because it
is fitting that the National Capital should
be a pioneer in all good things, a light
set upon a bill to illuminate the dark
places. 1t is certain that IL housing loans
are established in Washington, all the
States OF the Union soon will have hous-
ing loan laws of their own.
This is the local situation 1t is al
ways well to look before We leap. Fail
ure to do so in the case Of the Kenyon
red light bill resulted in a popular out
burst of hysteria which is still fresh in
our memory. The question of what was
to be done with the women of the segre-
gated district apparently occurred to no
one until the bill actually had passed
both Houses. and the President had to be
besought to withhold his signature to give
time for mass meetings and public ap-
peals and emergency measures of relief.
That method of handling matters of pub
lie welfare is neither intelligent nor eco
nomical, and after so striking a lesson.
there can be no excuse for repeating the
experience on a much larger scale. Floods
and earthquakes cannot be foreseen. but
the logical consequences of a legislative
reform We are advocated. ought to be
not only foreseen, but provided for.
Forty years of agitation to do away