Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-07-20
AGAIN THE HOME PROBLEM


Says "The Community Builder the new monthly
of the chamber of commerce:
''If Americas is to meet the pressing needs for
more dwellings and business houses, those citizens
who have vacant property must necessarily get busy
and promote active program of building activities
The situation is really CRITICAL of people
ready to make their homes here; business and indus
trial enterprises are knocking at our doors; YET
have nothing to offer them in the way of homes
which to live or buildings in which commercial
terprises may be established.
practically no construction work is at present
under way. Men who have been approached the
subject invariably raise the objection that the prices
of building material and labor too high and they
prefer to wait until there is decrease in the cost.
In the meantime people are actually leaving Amer
account of inability to secure homes and bust
ness enterprises are locating in other cities where
housing accommodations are being provided.
"The man who owns vacant property and is wait
ing for the time of lower construction costs is rot
only losing money but delaying progress. And too,
every authority in the country is agreed that the
price of labor and building material will be cheap
for years to GOMEZ in fact every indication points
to higher levels
at might not be untmey to relate here an in
cident which occurred recently wealthy citizen of
Americas who valuable property in the bust
ness section, and for which he is receiving pract-
cally no income was approached by a reputable real
estate man with a proposition to guarantee gross
income of ten per cent. on the total investment
der twenty year lease if the property would
construct modern business building the location
in question. The property assumed passive
attitude and SO far nothing has been done
GAN sorts of real estate developments are going
in other cities, and it is high time that Americas
people were waking up to the situation 1t simply
means that must get together or else get 50 far
behind that catch up"
The town of Griffin has arranged for the erection
of fifty homes for working people Albany through
the chamber of commerce. has undertaken to meet the
need for homes by promoting local BODYBUILDING IN
concern, which shall erect large number tf
homes which the people who need them occupy and
buy easily
Truly, the home problem is Americas BIG prob
lem right now And it must be solved The biggest
minds and the biggest of the nation say prices of
material are going down-not for many years if at
all. Prices high, but only by comparison, for in
comes investments of all kinds easily match costs
these days.
The ice has been broken in Americas in industrial
or business constructions the plunge has been taken by
few courageous men, and others will follow fast Some
of these days the home building ice is going to be brok-
en- and then watch the big splash
But there is one thing certain; Americas cannot
have too many homes If fifty were completed and of
fered to the public today there would be instant demand
for the entire number One hundred homes would
hardly than supply the immediate needs of the
community, and certainly would not provide for very
far in the future.