New-York tribune., 1917-12-10
Housing War Workers

The housing Of industrial workers is one
Of the phases of modern life which in
peace times have been left to take care of
themselves. This hes meant, in general,
wholly inadequate accommodations, fur
nishing more or less ulsanitary shelter
at a high cost TO the tenants. Speculative
builders have reaped profits at the expense
of the workers and, in the long run, of
the communities in which they lived.
Model tenements, model industrial cities,
have been conspicuous by their rarity.
War conditions have vastly accentuated
this problem and have justified the sug
gestion made by the National Housing As
sociation 10 President Wilson that a
housing administrator be appointed to
handle it, with an appropriation Of gov
ornment funds to take care of workers in
war industries. The scope of work Of the
housing administration contemplated by
this proposal is broad II includes the
lOaning Of government money to employ
crs or other agencies for the housing Of
war workers. the building Of houses for
rent or sale the condemnation Of land and
other steps necessary 10 the establishment
Of communities FOR these workers. Yet it
IS obvious from the experience OF many
communities where conditions have been
changed almost overnight by the war that
something Of the sort--at least, something
immediate and tolerably drastic-is neces-
sary.
Take Bridgeport. for instance. 1t be-
came a great industrial city with the enor-
nous increase Of the munitions factories.
It's accommodations were swamped. Local
citizens have done the best they could;
rows of houses have been run up, some of
them of good type. Now the capital the
citizens have been able to attract has
proved inadequate. but more houses are
needed-not another man, it is said, can
be accommodated in the city. a new mu-
nitions plant for which the government
has made large appropriation will be un-
able to operate, save by taking men from
plants now running below capacity, unless
capital from somewhere-preferably from
the government-can be put TO work for
house building.
The Bethlehem Steel Company's plant
near Sparrow's Point, Md, is another in
stance of this need. There was project
for a model industrial community there
to house 5000 workers, but it has been
dropped, apparently because the company
needed its capital elsewhere. The neigh
boring city of Newark furnishes third
example. This community, huge indus
trial centre in or near which are machine
shops, munitions factories and the like
engaged on various kinds Of war work,
/ has many suburbs on which TO draw for
housing. Yet the pinch is being felt Sc
yerely. At the Port Newark Terminal
great shipbuilding plants are to be erected,
which viii demand thousands of workers.
The local real estate people are struggling
with the problem, anxious to do the best
they can for the workers and the govern
mcnt, but actually almost overwhelmed by
the situation.
Obviously the lack of housing facilities
in any given centre must mean the slow
ing up Of industry there, and this Is
matter of grave concern at this time, when
industry must be kept at full capacity TO
supply the governments war needs. More
over, if the housing of workers be made
quatc. as it is only too likely TO be if left
TO speculative builders. il will be reflected
in the condition Of the workers, whose
productivity will fall Of with i'll health.
There is every reason for concern over
this situation. There is good reason for