Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-21
WILL RUSH PLANS
FOR $500 HOMES
Three Thousand Houses
for Shipbuilders to Be
Erected in 80 Days
ELMWooD SITE WINS

officials OF the American international
Shipbulldlng Corporation and the city
bureau OF surveys are awaiting the ar
rival this afternoon of J. Rogers Flan-
merry, of the Emergency Fleet Corpora
tlon, in order that preliminary steps
may be taken toward the erection in the
F'ortieth Ward, Of 1900 brick buildings
for the housing of an army ot workmen
employed in the Hog Island yards
Immediately upon the arrival Of Mr..
Flannery all officials Of the city, the
International ShpbuldIng Corporation,
and tho Emergency Fleet Corporation
will join In n conference, at which time
the first definite outline VIII be presented
as TO the location OF the proposed i'm
dustrial village" in the Fortieth Ward.
II is expected that this conference will
not be held until late in the afternoon
Announcement yesterday that IN,
Shipping Board had decided upou tn.
Philadelphia location In preference o.
site on the Jersey side of the river wac
followed by immediate action on tho
part of city officials for the purpose a.
getting the work under way and con
ferences were arranged with Govern
ment officials with a view to going over
the plans for the colony
5000 HOMES IN NINETY DAYS
5000 houses within the nest ninety days
tile remainder Of the buildings 10 be-
constructed ns soon as II Is possible ..
secure the men and the materials WltI
which to build them.
An expenditure Of $4,000, 600 Will lc
necessary to carry through the plans for
the buildings in the uincty-day period
and the problem Of getting the necessary
labor and material is the most serious
a.alVa tv, .4pla
Both labor and material are exceedingly
scarce at this time 1t is estimated that
10000 men will be required for the work,
as well as n quantity Of brick that will
overtaX the capacity OF the yards In
Philadelphia and neccssitste the bringing
IN OF material from other parts OF the
country.
owen Brainard, Of the housing COM
mittee Of the Emergency Fleet Corpora
tion. will be party 20 the conferences
today, and he, together with j. Rogers
Flannery and u. II. Bender. will he in
charge Of the work. Chester r. Albright
chief of the Bureau of Surveys. is au-
thority for the statement that the plans
of his bureau are in such shape that
they will be Immediately available for
the use of the Government officials in
putting through their own plans.
7OO-ACRE TRACT
The buildings will be erected ON a
7OO-acre tract at the intersection Of
Island road and Elmwood avenue. only
about half Of this tract will be needed
for the first 5000 houses TO be built, and
IL will be decided at the conference to-
day Just what part Of the land Will be
used for that purpose. The houses are
10 be two-story brick structures, de-
signed for permanent use, with plumb
ing and all modern Conveniences, and
each house will have, in all probability,
six rooms. The houses will be Of vary
ing design
A big task lies ahead of the city in
the extending of water mains so as to
sunply the new community and in look
ing after the sewer system FOR the build
ings Apipe more than a mile long will
be laid from the nearest connection with
the city mains. Grading filling in or
low lands and providing protection
against mosquitoes are among the other
big tasks that city officials must meet
hut it is said that all these plans have
been worked out in advance by the en-
gineers.
The transportation problem has been
perhaps the worst stumbling block in the
way Of the satisfactory location of the
houses Just how this problem is 10 be
met has not yet been made known, but
IL Is generally understood that salts
factory concessions have been agreed
10 by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit
Company and that an additional line
will be constructed from the colony TO
the Hog Island yard entrance along the
Island road boulevard extension which
has been promised by the city as part OF
the ground Improvement ofsthat section.
Moderate rentals are assured the oc-
cupants of the new houses, and it is un-
derstood that the figures will be based
on an estimated cost of $4,000 for each
house.