Evening star., 1917-10-04
i. s. MAY TAKE ON
HOUSING PROBLEM
Scarcity of Houses in Indus
trial Centers Is Gripping
War Work.
PARALLELS FOOD QUESTION

Hearings began this morning and will
continue throughout the week, before
the advisory commission of the Council
of National Defense. upon the acute and
pressing problem of devising way of
housing the thousands of workers in
war industries, who are pouring into
manufacturing centers, where they find
no accommodations for themselves or
their families
So serious has this situation become
in cities like Bridgeport. Conn; Akron
Ohio; Norfolk. Va. and Bayonne, n. j.,
that members of Congress. the Council
of National Defense, and the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor deem that
some immediate action mus, be taken
if munition making and other pre-
paredness manufacture is not to be
impeded.
Housing Commission Proposed.
One proposal. which already has been
laid informally before President Will
son. contemplates the establishment of
a government housing commission. sim
liar III us powers ana scope to the food
administration, by which the govern
ment would undertake the erection Of
homes for laborers. The minimum
amount, it, is estimated, to be appro-
priated for such project, would be
100000, 900.
needed l believe Congress would gladly
vote it, for this is the day of large ex-
penditure," said Representative Edward
keating of Colorado. one of the men
ences which led TO the presentation of
the problem to the Council of National
Defense.
The housing situation in Industrial
centers, to my mind, is one that de-
mands immediate attention if the con-
ditions portrayed exist, for the ones
ton bears closely upon national pre-
paredness, and nothing must be allowed
to interfere with that. In war time il
is much our duty to provide for
workers who are performing necessahv
labor as 1t is to care for the soldiers
in the field or to establish A food ad-
ministration for the reglation of der.
ary needs"
Efficiency Is Impaired.
In the office of Secretary Frank Nor
rlson OF Ihe american Federation of I "A :
Dor are reports from a score or more
industrial centers, complaining ~,
housing conditions are such that neces
sary expansion of plants is impossihIe
and the efficiency of work already nm,
der way is impeded by low living stand
ards imposed because of the inadenuata
housing facilities. Reports from Bridge
port tell of 'three-shift beds" which
are occupied continuously, for eight
hours at time, by workers in muni
tions plants.
One of these reports. just received
shows that in Akron. Ohio il is NOT nm
common for two families to occuny one
house of five or six rooms, renting for
S35 or more month. Heads of the
chamber of commerce there real estate
men and public officials. place the num-
ber of houses needed for immediate oc-
cupancy as high as 5000 One comnany
of its own accord, has begun the con-
struction of 800 homes to meet the
needs of it's workers. another is buirdS
ing 1900 homes and a third has lust
doubled its capacity, and sends out an s
o. S. call for provision for housing the
employees needed. 1t Is stated that con-
tractors find it hard to obtain money
at per cent, and exceedingly difficult
to get building material. The popula
tion of Akron has jumped from 100. 600 to
900 in little more than year. and
even now hundreds OF workers must
seek homes in adjacent cities.