The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-07
Great Pool of Capital
 Planned to Build Homes
 For New Workers Here
Continued From Page One

 1 Though Secretary George Cove of the Chamber of Commerce is today reluctant to divulge any particulars | of the scheme, members of the ori- ginal committee who met for the first time in the Algonquin club and sub | scribed personally an amount approxi- mated at $1O,OOO, are not so reticent. l It is admitted that through the sud- den influx of industrial activity to ] Bridgeport, factories found themselves handica pped for labor. 1 Recognizing that the eight hour day | had come to Bridgeport as a fixed in- i stitutiOn, yet that the attractive work ing conditions would not make Bridge port the home of Americas $ most skill | ed labor unless attractive housing con- ditions well were offered to the workers, they began casting about for meth ods to meet the conditions. They found that for personal, poli- tica1 and economic reasons, many Of the organizations existing here were not suitable to take up the work. Hos tflfty to labor rivalry among indus trial interests, selfish aims of private organizations contributed to thWart plans to launch the campaign through any of the existing civic bodies. There upon these men began to plan for methods which would not be hamper ed by prejudices:
 Andrew M. Cooper, of the
 Howland Dry Goods Company.
 Moses. w.. ManWdr1nS, c1Cy
 treasuref and head of the Amer
 ican Bank and Trust Company,
 George E. Crawford, head of
 the laundry bearing his name
 George M. Flames, president of
 the Park board and head of the
 Singer Sewing Machine interests
 in this city.
 Walter B. Lashar of the City
 Planning Commission and head
 of the Weed Tire Chain Grip
 Company.
 John T. King, dictator.
 Rev. George O. Tamblyn of the
 O1ivet Congrega tional church.
 Fred Enos, former head of the
 Board of Trade.
 Charles G. Sanford, president of
 the First Bridgeport National
 Bank.
 Angus Mackenzie, head of the
 Bridgeport Public Market.
 The local administration experts in publicity, Hartley Davis, formerly ed- itor of the Associated Sunday Maga- zines and connected with the Pulitzer interests in New York, and c. w Ice, engaged in various national publicity campaigns, were retained. AS a result a personal and advertising campaign was begun here that has aroused much attention in financial circles
 Several committee meetings already have been held, at one of which it was agreed that the Chamber of Com merce should appoint a housing com mittee and hereafter should be- the center of activity.
 At these meetings it was pointed out that the Remington Arms Company for their own interests have been com pel1ed to spend $3,96O,O0o for hous- ing alone.
 It was shown that if this company were operating individually to such an extent, other industries would suf- fer, that good-housing conditions were essential to the holding of la Dor even though wages might be boosted and that with housing came amusements for the old and play grounds for the young. -r--~ssss
 All were unanimous that labor must be satisfied, that employees must be we'll housed, and that they must be amused to prevent loss of business to merchants whose interests were in volved Jointly with the industrial heads.
 As result of the projects that are now merely under discussion the plan of building of houses through in dividual manufacturers has been halt ed in plans and there is likelihood that some means of capitalizing the gigantic housing scheme will be evo1V- ed.
 Whatever the result, comm unity spirit will have been heightened and a. protection of the industrial, mer- cantile and labor interests of Bridge port will have been advanced to a material degree.