Alma record., 1916-05-18
TO RELIEVE THE
HOUSE SHORTAGE
Citizens Hold Meeting in
City Hall Wednesday
Night.
B. G. APplEBY GIVES POINTERS
Committee Appointed to Lay
Plans for Building and
Selling Association


men were brought TO a realization Of
the Importance of supplying a goodly
number of houses in the city for the
accommodation of the rapidly increas-
ing population. During the last two
years the population of the city has
practically doubled. During this time
there has probably been erected about
fifty new houses wnen to keep in
pace with the increase there should
have been about two hundred and
fifty.
The Republic Motor Truck company
are becoming seriously handicapped
in the need of housing conditions for
their employees.
At present in many house in the
cIty there are several families living
in one large house, and in some places
the congestion is a menace to the pub
lie health.
Some property owners are holding
their lots and buildings at fabulous
prices, that prevent the working man
from becoming a permanent fixture
in the city. AS the majority Of the
people coming to the city are men Of
the trades, and while they make the
best class of citizens, their salaries
are moderate, and they cannot afford
to pay the full purchase price, or the
large payments now being demanded
by the property owners.
Then there Is the laboring class,
whose salaries allow them the pur-
chase of slightly cheaper houses, and
as this class of labor is in demand in
all cities, when a laborer cannot get
a decent housing accommodations he
will move.
1t is useless TO talk of bringing
other industries TO the city till our
present population is taken care of.
At the Wednesday night meeting
of the business men, under the au-
spices of the Board of Trade, Chair
man Brown called upon Jotham Allen,
manager of the Michigan Sugar COM
pany's plant in this city, for few
words of the reason for the meeting
and the demand placed upon the city.
Mr.. Allen pointed out in his clever
way the need of more houses in the
city and the results in their case if
the business men responded or failed
10 respond.
The chairman next called upon
Chas. Rhodes, secretary of the Re-
public Motor Truck company, to give
a few facts regarding the growth and
prospects of the company. Mr..
Rhodes in a few words pointed out
to the assembly that the truck com
pany plant in this city was a perma-
nent institution. Reviewing the
growth of the company in the past
three years, starting with force of
fifty men, and doing 100000 worth
of business in the first year to force
of 600 men and so far during the first
five months of this year doing over
two and one-half millions of dollars
worth of business, made the point
clearer than any other method he
could have employed. Mr.. Rhodes also
stated that many of the parts that
are now being imported into the city
could be made here, and companies
were anxious to locate plants here for
the manufacture of the smaller truck
parts. He mentioned the large build
ings now being, erected, and great
demand throughout the country for a
half-ton truck, and the small truck
the Republic people are soon going to
put on the market TO supply this de-
mand. He made clear that if the
town wanted to keep this plant here,
something had TO be done TO house
its employees.
Mr.. b. G. Appleby, a prominent Sag
inaw business man, was next intro
duced. Mr.. Appleby is g member Of
the Saginaw Board Of Trade and has
for the past thirteen years been back
of the majority Of the building enter
prises in that city. His talk on his
viewpoint Of the crying need Of houses
in the city, ran parallel with the two
former speakers. He suggested the
organization Of Merchants Building
and Selling association. The work Of
the association TO be TO purchase lots
and put up houses and sell them on
easy payments. His plan seemed
simple. and reasonable and fessabie.
X is plain that stock in such q com
pany would bring reasonable returns,
and the fact Of it-be,ne a public wei
fare company. conducted by public
people, would eliminate the desire 70
'fhog" the situation as would be more
( likely in the case of private compan-
les and spectators. At the close of
Mr.. Appleby's talk, Attorney Greene
made the motion that the chairman
appoint a committee Of FIVE men to
retire and select committee Of
twelve prominent business men for
the purpose of investigating the
feasibility Of Mr.. Appleby's plan to
work in Alma and TO ray plans for the
organization Of a permanent corpora
tion TO buy, build and sell property
in the city.
The chairman appointed Mr.. Greene,
Henry Soule, Chas. Rhodes, Carl