The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-10-11

cent place in which 10 live he diS not linger
long. Some factories were hiring 5000 men
year in order to maintain force of 900.
Then Uncle Sam stepped in 0nd went into the
town-buildng business. An appropriation of $780,
( 100000 was made for emergency wartime housing,
and while that was only starter it was sufficient
to provide shelter for abOnt 10000 persons. More
money has been asked and it doubtless will be
forthcoming.
In the beginning Uncle Sam made mistake
His first idea was to provide temporary barracks
something on the order of those at the army can
tOnments. But in the case of the ship workers he
found out thpt 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 much as perma-
nent ones, are total loss within few years.
So he decided to make these towns permanent.
As n result, ne is now covering whole square miles
OF vacant countryside with pretty little houses,
boarding places, stores, theGters, churches, paved
streets and all utilities. He has at his service the
best town planners and architects in America.
And with ak the haste that is being made beauty
snd good taste not being sacrificed. The
houses viii not all be alike in color, material or
style. On The contrary throughout each of these
spacious, piumesS tracts, will be evidence that the
thing Was planned whole-that this street
was curysei on purpose because curved street is
prettisr than a straight one-that yonder church
"uS Pit SQudIelN dCTOSS jnc eLu OF the park De-
cause Il would look well there. The eye will un-
consciously start vain search for eyesores, blank
eide walls, biboards and disorder.
The chief benefit which accrues to the worker
from the building of these towns is the fact that
landlord!sm is to be thing unknown. The bene-
fits are 10 90 unfailingy TO the workers. Rents
must be based on cost and not the maximum
which the tenants can be forced to pay. And
inasmuch as Uncle Sam has no desire to retain
the ownership after the war, he has evolved
scheme to sell them. not to individuals, but to the
communities as a whole, TO be held i'll trust
community property.
Each such town will be, at the start, at least in
the complete possession of n local housing
pany composed Of and partially financed by public
spirited business men 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 S50OO0,O00 given them
by 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 linn
tied to per cent annually-even after the govern
ment's mortgage is paid off Any excess income
must be re-expended upon the property else
eliminated by lowering the rents. The part of the
rent that would ordinarily go to landlords profits
will go to pay off the governments mortgage at
the rate of or per cent year. The mortgage is
Tor ten years, and at the end of that time enough
presumably will be paid off to enable the govern
lnen to say: go get private mortgage to pay off
the balance"
Then If the local housing company has not mean
while sold off any of the houses the town will
substantially own itself, subject to mortgage. For
Its rents will be based purely on costs of capital
and service. The private capital limited to per
cent return, is practically second mortgage One
of the first government loans made to the new vii
lage at Newport News provided that 80 per cent
~ the private capital is to be amOrtized and re-
tired. Normally the private capital owns equity,
the part of the cost which has been
amorzed and the Uhearned increment the size of
which is more less prOblematical, but it can't
do anything with this treasure except redistribute
the annual proceeds therefrom among the people
In the form of a rebate on rents or in communal
services, preferably the latter.