Evening journal., 1916-12-16
sATuRpAY. DECEMBER 10. 1e16.
nrMEDIlL HOUSING SUGGESTIONS.

REMEDIAL HOUSING SUGGESTIONS.
NATHAN MILLER head of the Miller Brothers Com
IN pany gave am interview TO THE EVENING JOUR
MAI. several days ago in which he discussed the
city Of dwelling houses in Wilmington, told of the
seriousness Of It's effect upon business and urged the
necessity for the immediate taking up of the housing
question Of paramount local interest That in
terriew attracted widespread attention and result
cd ia negotiations which may lead 10 practical
suits in the matter OF supplying houses for the occu
pancy OF families whose incomes call for reasonable
rentals but who are commercially eager for gentee
home surroundings.
IN that connection We deem it expedlent at this time
TO call attention opinions expressed by Dr. John
Nolan OF Cambridge Mass. in address which he
made recently before the American Civic Association
at its convention in WASHINGTON DR.. Nolan holds to
the theory that result OF the widely prevailing labor
troubles will be better houses and lower rents for
workmen. This Is TO come not as charity but from
the necessity which moves the employer to keep his
and women workers contentedly at his business.
employers" said Dr. Nolan. "are having much dni-
Guilty In getting and holding lahorers and they al
ready 50 impressed with the fact that they face
condtons-conditions which entail great inconven-
fence and enormous cost-that they ready TO
slider practical proposal which will lessen their
trouhles.7
One practical proposal he pointed out is to reduce
the workmans rent The employer has had TO face the
proposition that his empoyo pays too large pro-
portion OF his wages for rent The ordinary capitalist
does not allow per cent for rent; ten per
cent OF either capital income The laboring man
pays 25 80 per oent-a quarter or even third Of
his total earnngs-for this item OF rent.
"why not get the rent down TO ten per cent basis
for the worsman?" the employer is beginning TO ask
Housing says DR.. Nolan. sis big business and
should be handled as such More than two billion dol
lars is spent for dwellings IN the United States each
year; and large percentage OF these dwellings are
poorly conceived and wretohedly constructed for their
purposes.
"T1e minimum desirable house Of four to hve rooms
cannot be provided in the United States for than
$500 to $4,000 with improvements. house costing
that cannot be offered the basis OF an economic
rent Of say per cent per cent net for less than
sl5 month Unless Garner with normal
family OF wife three dependent children, has an
income Of Si5 week or $500 a year, he cannot pay
s15 a month rent More than half OF an workingmer
receive less than SIS week.
EITHER the cost OF the house and LOT must be sub
stantaly reduced the standard OF hoalthfu livnl
must be lowered the wages OF the poorest pate
rorlmen must be raised"
How the business OF housing can be put basi
II reasonable instead Of being the subject o
expensive speculation and exploitation, shown b.
practical demonstration carried out in the town O
Kenosha Wisconsin by the leading manufacturers o
that town. This story told in paper by Alfred
Muller. The paper was read for him. the author hav
ing been killed in automobile accident just as b
vas about TO start for Washington
Kenosha t seems. was confronted with HOUSING
problem Of tremendous dniculties. through phenome
nal growth in industrial population chiefly due to tn
wave Of war prosperity. Realizing that some remed
must he found the Manufacturers Association OF tina
city retained famous landscape architect 20 make
housing survey Of the city and 10 report plan Mex
they formed stock company to build homes for Keno
sha's iaborers-
"Negotatons were opened says the Muller paper
-with a big Western contracting firm aud a eompan
building ready-cut houecs II the plan Of thes
companies to run a spur track right onto the land
be built upon. Large end plnnng mills TO D
set up on the ground aud the whole enterprise wa
planned big operation.
AT the last mement however. local enterprise
came the field and submitted plans and cost est
mates that soomes ofe favorable than those OF n
outside companies. which accordingly rejected
'"Ihe agreement between the stock company Of mani
facturers and the local building company called Il
the erection Of four hundred to cost betwe,
$500 and s25O0. The houses. when finished co
from sl7oO to $1,000.
"The houses built for cost plus 10 per cen
The local banks agreed 20 finance the proposition
TO e5 per cent. OF the total value and to take moi
cages for years the Kenosha manufacturers IA
ing care OF the rest"
In view OF the admitted necessity for dweIi
houses in Wilmington these manufacturers and mi
chants who have acute though not an idontic
interest in the situation may find in Dr. Noans
dress and Dir. Aullers paper. something which n
be OF service in shaping the remedial action whi
sooner or later must be taken in our municipality