Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-19
HOUSING WAR WORK
WITHIN OUR GATES
Philadelphia Association Is Doing
Its Big Bit-Views
of Readers

To the Editor Of the Evening Public Ledger:
Sir--When America entered the war.
little less than year ago, the Philadelphia
Housing Association, like every other organ.
izaton in the country. was called upon TO
answer the question, Are you essential"
Our report for 1917 gives the answer
During the first weeks, even the first
months of the war. when the United States
wrongly assumed that II could do its share
in achieving the victory without using all its
resources. any organization that did not
directly serve the soldiers and sailors had
a hard time proving its right TO existence.
The Housing Association did so serve. for
it aided in designing the barracks at the
National Army cantonments. But that was
only a small part of our work in those early
weeks. Our main job was to help make and
keep Philadelphia and the surrounding indus
trial district a place In which our Industrial
army might live and remain strong and eff
cient. We believed. what Is now evident
that it would be Just as necessary to build
ships and manufacture munitions as to train
soldiers,
We got our first foretaste Of what wac has
brought Philadelphia when the negro migra-
ton reached its height last spring. The
Housing Association co-operated with other
agencies In forming a negro migration COM
mittee in order to prevent SO far as possible
the development of menacing conditions. For
a time there was intoerable house overcrowd-
ing. BY appeals to owners we succeeded in
having the negro districts considerably en-
larged and so relieved the situation.
BY fall 1t became evident that there was
serious housing shortage for whites For a
long time 1t seemed impossible to- convince
the community of this. In September repre-
Of of tha ~
companies came to us for aid in finding
houses. The next week a representative of
the housing committee of the Council of Ma
tional Defense came to us for information.
We proved to them that there were few va
cant, habitable houses. Shortly afterward the
American International came to us for in
formation. When II learned the facts It
began TO advertise for families who would
take In dodgers and sent out a corps of men
to make a house-to-house canvass Since
then we have worked with every shipbulding
company In the Philadelphia district except
one and have made two investigat tions for
the United States Shipping Board, one in
New Jersey and the other In Delaware
County.
As result of this work It became evident
that vigorous efforts along two lines were
necessary.
First To increase the supply Of wage
earners dwellings
Seconu' 10 Keep existing dwellings In
wholesome and sanitary condition.
For the first we organized committee on
supply Of dwellings, Of which Malcolm
Lloyd. Jr., is chairman This COMMITTEES
found that operative building had nearly
ceased, that there was little prospect of its
being resumed In 1918; that by the end of
1917 our supply Of dwellings would be 1874
below our normal requirements and by the
end of 1918 more than 5000 below, unless
some means Of encouraging the builders were
found. In addition. the Influx OF war work.
ers created a demand for sor,s- 12, 900 dwell
ings. The only hope of meeting this de-
mand lay in the Federal Government. The
committee. therefore. went to washington and
put the facts before the housing COMMITTEES
of the COUNCIL OF National Defense They
received the assurance that dwellings, for Is
900 shipbuilders would be erected In Phlladel-
pha. The number has dwindled to 1000
houses. We are still working. however. and
hope to have much larger number author
ICED this spring.
The second line OF work meant Increased
effort OF the kind we have been doing Tor
years. In this we feel we have achieved
some measure of success In spite OF the fact
that pressure OF population has brought into
use houses that for years have 6tood yaca nj
because OF their condition. We have In.
BDected from 1000 to 1900 pronprtiss every
montA We have handled It.l6 Wslstions
! of ~ sanitary 9n1 ho,lelRg Az 'Ws ,hosp
oceq>( ~ ahsn6een111 pe sr>l(k A.