The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-14

O1 lIldG OfSdillZd dIlOu ldSI ll1SIlG ton in New Haven.
 In the course of his remarks, Secre- tary Julian gave some very interesting details gathered at the recent nation al housing conference showing that in some cities of the country rent profit l eers put up rents from 100 per cent to | 400 per cent above normal and that In one case shipy&rd workers were re- 1 quired to pay $25 per week per room. i In New Haven, except in few isolated cases which have been dealt with, tn- creases in rents were not onerous. He also said that in Boston the recent in fuenza epidemic brought hundreds of volunteers as nurses and orderlies in to thousands of homes in the North End' and showed them conditions that were appalling in fact slum con- ditions which many Boston people had never even heard of much less realized as existing in that city. AS result thereof Mayor Peters of that city has definitely inaugurated' a hous- | ing reform movement in Boston.
 MT. Julin said in part:
 Nations that were considered far apart are now neighbors in the com mon interest due to common danger and men who never before were ac- | quainted have become friendly. And men the world over view now as good l business matters that they used to be too practical minded to bother about. l Tolerance is now gone for the mere money maker. The man who is inter ested in his factory on one side and ] his own pleasures on the other with no milk of human kindness is not going to be held in high esteem. That kind of business man is a very scarce | animal now. This is the natural re- suit of the awakening which the people of the world have experienced during the last four years and the many big calls for world aid. And be- cause we had a part in it the war has changed the point of view of people on many subjects and made them inter ested in matters to which they never before paid any attention, one of which matters Is housing conditions.
 -Four Liberty Loans have been f1oated with increasing membership among the subscribers, teaching the mass of the people for the first time to save systematically and to invest | their savings in securities. The ground is therefore broken and fur damental education has been given to the average man and woman in a way that will permit of developing thrift habits so that they may be induced more readily to buy equity in homes
 That being so and with the added benefit of probable lessening of in temperate habits and the expected lessening of poverty, the time is rap idly coming when headway can be
 made because there will be an under lying popular interest in home inn prcvement due very largely to the governments active interest in buill- ing homes and due to the hardships caused by congestion all over the eastern United States.
 ''The trouble with reform has been (and may yet be) with the re- former" whose methods have been patronizing and. coercive and pro- ceeded on a basis which self-respect- ing workingmen would not entertain.
 "The fundamental difficulty with
 housing reform having been that it
 came from the top instead of from the bottom of the popular mass, 1t is opportune now for the manufacturer and the employe generally to take an interest more directly in housing, not as philanthropy nor primarily as
 benefit to the poor workingman,' but as business proposition for himself, first, in order to secure a more satis- fled. comfortable and home-staying working force, second, to counteract , the rowing disposition of the man . without a home which results in so l big a labor turnover and third, as a measurably safe investment in prop erty in his community.
 , Demand Decent HOmess
 } "The trades union movement has heretofore insisted that labor must { be foot-loose and mobile, but there are signs that that philosophy is los . ing ground under the lesson of gov . ernment housing during this war, be- l cause it has been the foot-loose man . without a family and unskilled in any :, trade who has been willing to live lr 8 barracks and dormitories and keeT
 his belongings in a duffle bag. But . the skilled workman who earns high
 wages has generally a family ane a wants that family to be with him an6 e he will neither submit to living 1T y rank conditions himself nor will ht e bring his, family into such conditions d He demands a decent home.
 e There might be given under what
 ever legal restraint or charter amend
 ment will be necessary encourage
 ment in the way of reasonable taxa
 ton for a considerable period of tint a to the benefit of corporations tha l. undertake building program of tn Q kind indicated. This will pay the cit, n, for whatever differences there ma. f be in lessened taxes because ther .s should be lesser cost for police ana l. fire and public charity. Good homes n peace and order good health, st<~'lie l. workingmen, bigger merchandising il " the community and generally highe e standards of life result as home stand h ards rise and are appreciated.
 n "In the larger cities incerasing cos l. of operations has forced the trolle, 1T companies to increase fares. Tha |. means increasing congestion and il i- districts that are already congestet d it means the Beginning of real stun
 conditions. In some cities the fare 1
 now eight cents and may go tq tel
 cents.
 50 far as New Haven is concernet , there are conditions that should de 10; velop apartment 4hcuses on the nor es valuable real estate. especially o1 a- side streets within walking distanc ce development on the outskirts tn