The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-28
FOUR MILLIONS
SPENT YEA ~
In HIGH RENTS
George M. Eames of Hous-
ing Co. Says Bridgeport
Needs "Few More TO
Rent Signs"

bridgeport spends nearly $4,000,0O0
q year in exorbitant rentals said Geo.
M Eames, president of the Singer
Manufacturing Co., and member OF
the board of directors of the Bridge
port Housing company. in state
ment declaring that the company's
work for the last year has been such
q tremendous success and has done
SO much to bring rents back to rea-
son that another similar drive IS
about to start Mr.. Games statement
shows that he estimates, the extoruon
of house owners to take five per cent
OF Bridgeport's annual payroll which
is placed at s7.500.000, annually.
sNothing will bring rents to normal
like a few To Rent signs rs the
Conclusion reached by Mr.. Games in
discussing the Bridgeport housing
problem
AT the end of a years work the
COMPANY feels that the results of its
attempts to solve Bridgeports housing
probIem are sufficiently satisfactory to
warrant another big drive-a drive
which accordin,s to Manager William
Ham, will proha bly,involyeroR less than
ons arid of1k4xlf sniii4e# aeAArs.
The results Of our efforts are no
LONGER theoretical" said the manager,
in discussing the, PROSPECTS for the fu-
kure of the company. Our apart
ment house is now completely filled,
and you'd have beelr so immedkately
after 1t was opened if we had not re
stricted It to the employees of our
stockt olders We have many other
applications on fle Our Connecticut
devHlopmerit is rented as far as COM
pre{ed PIN. nffsSHcctt1fff he gfoitp sof' houses
which will not be completed until the
middle of September is already spoken
for. and we expect from the applica-
tions we have had to have the entire
development rented before, the work is
completed" Il
IT e garden city development of
small homes in Fairfield is coming on
well and We have had many inquiries
a,bouty it. The Wifk enda Land COM
any bpasdsrsfweli lstntisieda-~ith the
plan that we have undertaken a SINH
lar development for them at Lord
ship ON a.. smaller scale A number OF
housing authorities. Including Wal
lace Benedict of the international
Corporation and w. r. Greeley, OF the
firm of KiHha1n & Hopkins, consult
ing architects for the Massachusetts
Homestead Co.. have been here and
made study of our housing propo-
sitions and reported very favorably
upon them It is probable that MANY
.of our ideas will be adopted to suit
the needs of other communities But
more houses are still needed, and i'm
peratively needed, and with these en-
couraging results we feel justified in
gong ahead with an even greater
program for the coming year, sont
which win probably involve close tc
one and one half million dollars We
are going to- start campaign to helY
the workers to own his own home. Oui
finance committee under Mr. Walter
Lashar is working on it now. Ant
we are going to make special study
of cheap rents cheaper than anything
we have tackled yet
sThe Housing Company is goin,
right ahead" said George Eames
president of the Singer Manufactur
ing Co.. and member of the boar,
OF the Housing company. II estimat
Bridgeport's total pay roll for tn
year at something like 100000 o
that I figure that five per cent, o
$3.50, 900 is at present going in ex
tortionate. rentals, for which there /
no value received. This five per cen
ought to be put back into the norma
channels of circulation and not spen
foo Inflated values There is nothin
that will brings rents back to nor
ms1l like a few ITO Rent signs,
4 few more houses. : The Housing CO
expects to make another big driv
y right away"