Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-08-17
HOUSING PROBLEM


Be Avoided-Suggestion Advance
To Erect Model Tcnements in Me-
Industrial Villages.
New York, Aug. 17.-There IS, an
has been for some time, a snor.as
Of houses for workmen. The situa
ton has been serious,-"acute" is tn
word most commonly used to describ
It. 1t was necessary that adequate
housing be provided for industrial
workers. 1t auaeared to he an ''eMer
gency" case.
AIRY emergency these days brings
forth $, ores of freak solutions. The
Patent Office is swamped with device:
for winning the war SO with hous
ing. All sorts and kinds of schemes
for temporary shelter and permanent
! developments have been proposed. AS
} 8 rhe danger in temporary shack
lad occasion to address
ago. But the danger
Silly thrown up shacks
sara='s slight compared to the
an. of freak permanent
j., n@a - that we should avoid
@fs o~ut- re of innovations and
attn sa. cave it to the genius
y; I % adopt the --latest and
81 ia. ira enhance their value
Hr IN .;as IS.
same time, this is not
II ,e;. or reckless experiment
az Jn@us rial housing is fairly a
=, p-br'~p With us, but an o!d one
n Englan The British have solved
heir pro- lem. While conditions
here in America are somewhat diff
'erent, the ander'. ny principles arc
he same, so we have 4 firm basis on
which to work The preliminary ex-
yarimentation has been performed for
is. We lave the results to work
from.
Therefore let us avoid freaks.
There nas been suggestion ad-
ranced that model ten'men's he
."ec:ed in these new Industrial vii
ages. Fancy, with all the land that
S available in these small communl-
lies, enough room for every man to-
have house and a yard AMI gar
len. where a community can spread
1ut, we are asked to build tenements.
.oops fo~ 'umans, buildings going UP
With the air. with congestion, and
I'll its evils.
In London, where congestion has
.uled, the tenement has been doomed
The London slums are being done.
way with, and ,tenements are fore
.unners; Of slums! No, we don't want
INV tenements in these new indus
.~isl villages. nor do we want bar
.aclss, Well planned community
houses or group houses yes. They:
ave Individuality, which is only one.
# their manifold advantages.
The Government, assisted by some
# the abless architects, builders wei
ARE workers and industrial experts.
las worked for. months to formulate
, definite housing policy. A set OF
standards has been recommended.
Recommendations in these days, COM
no from official. sources, generally
nav be construed as orders. With
such an outstanding figure as Otto
1idlitz. the New York builder, in
.harce of a large part of housing
work to be done by the Government,
" with the aid of the Government
ye NAV rest assured that the devcl-
,pments carried out under his rc-
;ponsibility will be on high plane
If practical, efficient idealism.
All other developments OF private
nature should measure up to the same
nigh plane. Freak plans. freak meth,
DDS, will ncevr do. After all, the mar
TO be satisfied is the worker an. hi:
|
family. c. Stanley Taylor, in Tx
Hoggson Magazine, reports the re
suit of an analysis of housing cordi
,itions which he made for the Gov
ernmcnt in. the middle west. Durin.
his Investigations he questioned Til
general manager of mui!tions cor
Germ regarding the benefits whicI
hai accrued through providing lio-T"
for its workmen. The general mana
ger said:
"The best mechanics whc com
here for jobs are married men wh
Journey from distant towns and cite:
attracted by the wage scale. The
/. leave their families behlri while the
oo,,o r. .trv out the nl1"2. They al