Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-10-10


cent place in which to live, he did not linger
long. Some factories hiring 5000 men
year in order to maintain force of 1000.
Then Uncle Sam stepped in and went into the
building business. An appropriation of $780,
100000 made for emergency wartime housing,
and while that was only starter it was sufficient
to provide shelter for about 10000 persons More
money has been asked and it doubtless Will be
forthcoming.
In the beginning Uncle Sam made mistake.
His first :dea to provide temporary barracks,
something the order of those at the army can
comments. But in the of the ship workers he
found that 60 per cent of them are married.
and their wives and children objected to living in
bunk houses. Moreover, temporary houses. while
costing within 10 per cent of as much as perma-
ones. total loss within few years.
So he decided to make these towns permanent
AS a result, he is covering whole square miles
of vacant countryside with pretty little houses
boarding places stores. theaters churches, paved
streets utilities. He has his service the
best planners and architects in America
And with all the haste that is being made. beauty
aad good taste not being sacrificed. The
houses will not all be alike in color material or
style. On the contrary, throughout each of these
spacious, SUNLESS tracts. will be evidence that the
thing was planned as n whole-that this street
curved purpose because curved street is
;Drettier than straight One-that yonder church
was put squarely across the end of the park be-
cause it would look well there. The eye will I'M
consciously start vain search for eyeSoreS. blank
side walls, billboards and disorder.
The chief benefit which accrues to the worker
from the building of these towns is the fact that
landlordism is to be thing unknown. The bene-
fits are go unfaingly to the workers. Rents
must be based cost and not on the maximum
which the tenants can be forced to pay. And
fnasInuch Uncle Sam has no desire to retain
the ownership after the he has evolved
scheme to sell them. not to individuals. but to the
communities as a whole. to be held in trust
community property.
Each such town will be, at the start, at least in
the complete possession of a local housing COM
pany composed of and partially financed by public
spirited business of the vicinity They put up
20 per cent of the money and they get the other
50 per cent first mortgage from the United
States labor department or from the shipping
board, each of which has S5O.OOOO0O given them
| ov congress this spring for just this purpose
In lending money to local housing companies In
congested communities the government lays down
the stipulation that dividends shall be forever Inn
tied per cent annually-even after the govern
| ment's mortgage Is paid Off Any excess income
| must be re-expended upon the property or else
eliminated by lowering the rents The part OF the
rent that would ordinarily go to landlords pronts
/ viii go to pay OH the governments mortgage AT
I the rate of . or per year. The mortgage Is
| for years and at the end of that time enough
presumably will be paid off to enable the govern
,,ent say: Go get private mortgage to pay on
| the balance
Then il the local housing company has not mean
| while sold or any of the houses the town will
substantially itself. subject to mortgage For
It's rents will be based purely costs of capital
and service. The private capital. limited to per
cent return is practically a second mortgage. One
of the first government loans made to the new VIII
| Iage at Newport News provided that 80 per cent
| of the private capital is to be anortized and re-
tired. Normally the private capital owns equity.
| including the part Of the cost which has been
unorftzed and the unearned increment. the size of
which is more less problematical. but it can't
do anything with this treasure except reistribute
| the annual proceeds therefrom among the people
in the form of rebate rents in communal
services. preferably the latter.