Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-20
BETTER HOUSING
GIVEN GREAT IMPETUS
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city. the result OF ave days invesu-
cation.
After quoting the national govern
ment authorities to the effect that
housing makes for better production
and therefore to the winning of the
war, he went thoroughly into the
subject from the humanitarian and
business standpoint proving that
crime and disease are closely asso-
ciated with poor housing and that
bad home surroundings make for the
increase of the spirit of Bolshevik-
ism among those who live in unfit
surroundings. 1t had been proved,
he said, that labor turnover can be
greatly reduced by proper attention
to housing.
Has Many Sides
The housing problem he said, has
many sides, and he did not intend to
discuss local slum conditions having
come to speak of the actual short
age Of houses and the means of
meeting the condition. In this re-
spect,, however, he recommended
that proper housing ordinance be
passed and praised DR.. Raunick as
an efficient officer who should be
given full powers to correct build
ing evils where he flnds they exist.
"He won't abuse powers of enforce
ment," Mr.. WELLER assured doubt
ing landlords.
Recently, he said, discussing the
shortage, the Chamber of Commerce
had caused n census of vacant
houses to be made and 40 were
found In tho whole city. This was
Ia of one. per cent, he said, which
is far lower than the normal In New
York, which is ten per cent. Investi-
cation showed, he said. that the nor
NAL number of vacant houses here
is about five per cent. of the total.
This indicated a serious shortage to
his mind. because while there were
some house5 for sale or rent, the
man who wanted a $50 house could
not afford to pay $50 rent, and vice
versa, the man who wants n $50
house cannot be content with one
for SIS. Therefore the fact that there
are few houses for rent does not
indicate that there Is no shortage.
On the other hand, he said, one of
the largest real estate dealers in the
city had told him he could rent 200
houses TODAY If he had them.
$40 u Month For a Room
esterday during q trip about
the city, said Mr.. WELLER, for ex-
ample, we found family occupI-
ing one room and paying $40 a
month for 1t and when we asked why
they renamed the reply was that
they could get nothing better. Ten
aollars month for single poorly
located room is a high price; about
on par with what we pay for we'll
located apartments per room on
upper Riverside Drive, New York
CITY, when We rent by the room"
:. And whose duty" he asked, sis
II TO meet this shortage not that
OF the leading citizens of Harris
ourg? You will hear 1t said that
housing is 4 matter of supply ara
demand and should be let alone; that
1t Will take care of itself. But II
Will not. This attitude reminds ne
of that of the man who told US q
million men would spring to arms
over night
IF Harrisburg needs houses the
way 10 get them is to build them -
MT. WELLER said, but who shall build
them and how they shall be built
are questions that must be answer
ed"
First he said it was not to be
thought that speculative builders will
DO the work. first because they can't
get the financial backing and second
because they can't get the material
or the governmental permission. A
joint stock company locally financed
must do the work he said. He add
ed that he had no doubt that gov
ernment permission would be grant
ed for the reason of the big part
Harrisburg Is playing in the makine
OF war industries. He urged that tho
necessary ground be bought cheap.
ly, that it be we'll located and .ht
owner be induced to take part nav
In stock of the company. He said in
his estimation prices of labor O,
building materials will not be lowe,
for five years after the war, if then
and recalled the fact that after thu
civil and the Fronco-Prussian war:
about thirty years were required tc
get prices of commodities back tC
pre-war levels.
IF we are ever to build houses
I to be of value to Harrisburg, the
time to do it is now" the speaker
said.
He said that a housing develop
ment here ought to pay from five to
six per cent. but even if it yielded nc
financial return businessmen AMI
! manufacturers especially would profit
thereby sufficiently in the way OF
better labor conditions to warrant
the investment.
He advised that while provision
might be made for the erection OF
many hundreds of houses not more
or less than fifty be built at first
Mr.. WELLER added a word about
| rent-profiteering saying that he be-
! lieves it only just in view of gener.
ally increased taxes and cost of up
| keep that rents should be higher in
| proportion to other costs, but that
| there is no excuse for unjust addi-
tions to rentals on properties al
! ready yielding a fair return to the