Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-04-10
BY JAMES n. COLLINS.

BY JAMES n. COLLINS.
In hastily remodeled suite OF
Washington Offices today sits a man
who has a war task that appeals TO
the Imagination.
Between now and July / he is to
build S50,000,o00 worth of homes for
workers in Uncle Sans new shipbuild-
Ing army, which is being modified
from the picked mechanics of every
state in the union.
This army will number something
like 10000 men. Fifty million dol
lars invested in houses for a work
force of that size gives $125 per man.
That seems rather a limited sum of
money with which to provide anybody
with warm sanitary living quarters.
having baths, hot and cold water,
steam heat, electric light, modern
kitchen facilities, and all the COM
forts of home. Yet this man is going
to make his S125 per man suffice for
the job and carry out his construc-
lion in record time.
1t is interesting to figure with him
q little-if you just remember that
present figures must be rough esti-
mates to certain extent.
First of all, he can eliminate large
proportion of this shipbuilding army,
because many of the new shipyards are
handy to cities with ample housing
and all conveniences. and Uncle Sam
will solve the housing problem in those
places by improving the transportation
service between mans work and his
home. But other shipyards have been
created in undeveloped spots along
our wide stretches of seacoast, and in
these places it becomes necessary to
provide workers with modern living
quarters.
Community Dwellings.
Thousands of these shipbuilders will
be single men. and for them a special
type of community dwelling has been
designed on the order of club house.
Each community dwelling will accom-
modate lbs men. Each man will have
q room to himself and it will be an
outside room. Each clubhouse, more
over. will be divided into five groups
pr separate clubs of from 25 to 80
men. Each of these separate clubs
will have shower baths and large
community lounge. making ii pos
sible for worker TO find congenial
crowd of his own and for that little
community subdivision to organize its
own home life. amusements, sports,
social affairs, and studies. Each
.lub house win have a community din
ing room with modern kitchen and
serving facilities, giving board on the
mess plan at reasonable rates and with
minimum labor. These community club
houses are TO be of frame construc-
ton. but standard type. Many of
them will be erected in localities which
are not likely to become permanent
shipbuilding centers. Therefore, per-
nanent construction has not been the
chief necessity. Nevertheless, they
will be substantial enough to last 25
years if need be, and where erected
in localities with severe winter wealth
er will lack nothing in warmth.
When the plans for such houses
WCtC ny Tie lBfl1E
board experts, they achieved two re-
suits in house building that seemed to
De new. First, speed of construction.
All the doors, windows, pipes. and
,ther things that go into house were
put on a basis Of uniform sizes. Much
Of the work in building a single house,
rs anyone who has paid the bills win
know, consists in saving, cutting. and
fitting the material.
Everything Cut to Fit.
With Standardization OF every pos
sible item, most of this cutting and
Atting win be done in factories and
the material shipped ready to be put
together by carpenters and plumbers
Second, the cost Of housing an indi-
yidual was reduced to most reason
able figure. 1t is still too early TO
give totals in dollars and cents, but
present estimates Indicate that the in
vestment in these community homes
for single workers will not exceed $3.50
per man this including living quarters
baths, community lounges for each
club Of % men. kitchen and Messiah
facilities. heating and lighting-every
thing. If all the housing appropria
ton for shipworkers were spent or
these community dwellings homes
would be provided for about 125.00t
men. or nearly one-third the whole
emergency shipbuilding army.
But many of the new shipworker'
win be married men with families, ant
for them separate dwellings are beini
built. Something like 90 types of five
six. and seven room cottages have beer
studied and reduced to standards II
the same way. Everything is calcu
lated for quick. economical. durable
conservation. Each separate dwelling