The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-05-16
1Covernment Plans to House Its
Big New Army Of
ShipbuiIders.
TO Be DONE IN RECORD Time
Community Houses, Equipped Like
Club, for Single Men-Homes With
All Modern conveniences for
Married Men-Standardiza.
ton for High Speed.
BY M II. COLLINS.

BY JAMES H. COLLINS.
In q hastily remodeled suite Of
Washington Offices today sits a man
who has a war task that appeals to
the Imagination.
Between now and July 1 he is to
build $4,000 900 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 $125 per man suffice for
the job and carry out his construc-
ton in record time.
It is interesting to figure with him
a Httle-if you just remember that
present figures must be rough esti-
mates to a certain extent.
First of all, he can eliminate q 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 a 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 a club house.
Each community dwelling will accom-
mOdate 125 men. Each man will have
4 room to himself and it will be an
outside. room. Each clubhouse, more
over, will be divided into five groups
or separate clubs Of from Is to 80
HELL GdCu VI LACSC SCpdIdlC C1uUS
will have shower baths and a large
community lounge, making it pos
dble for q worker to find q congenial
crowd of his own and for that little
community subdivision to organize it's
own home life, a~musements, sports,
social affairs, and studies. Each
club house will have a community din
ing room with modern kitchen and
serving facilities, giving board on the
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
shipbuiIding centers. Therefore. per-
manent 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
were standardized by the shipping
board experts, they achieved two re-
In house building hat seemed to
be new. First, speed Of construction.
All the doors, windows, pipes, and
other things that go into a house were
put on a basis of uniform sizes. Much
the work in building a single house,
IS anyone who has paid the bills will
NOW, consists in saving, cutting, and
lifting the material.
Everything Cut to Fit.
With Standardization Of every pos
dble item, most of this cutting and
lifting will be done in factories and
he material shipped ready to be put
ogether by carpenters and plumbers.
the cost Of housing an indi-
ddual was reduced to q most reason
bile figure. It is still too early to
i've totals in dollars and cents, but
resent estimates indicate that the in
,estment in these community homes
or single workers will not exceed $3.50 |
er man this including living quarters. |
Aths, community lounges for each
Tub Of 25 men, kitchen and mess-hall
ABILITIES, heating and lighting-every- '
hing. If all the housing a%ppropria- q
|on for shipworkers were spent on d
aese community dwellings homes 0
,ould be provided for about 125.O00 f
or nearly One-third the whole f
Emergency shipbuilding army. a
But many Of the new s~hipworkers t
Ill be married men with families, and p
= them separate dwellings are being u
uilt. Something like so types of five, 0
<, and seven room cottages have been "
udied and reduced to standards In Il
same way. Everything is calcu. I
ted for quick, economical, durable p
instruction. Each separate dwelling 7
III have It's bathroom, heating, light u
z, and kitchen equipment. More s.
,or great pains have been taken to L