El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-06-14
Western Companies Ahead
Of Government Stand
ards. Revolutionary.

ONE OF the many interesting and
" unexpected bi-products Of the war
has been the Inauguration IN this
country OF the policy OF building
workmen's dwellings by the federal
government. and the Inauguration OF
government standards OF housing for
workmen under the housing admins
tration of the department OF labor
THE government action viii stamp
for the next hundred years the type
OF house that is to be built for in
dustri2l workers." said one observer
but Irrespective Of this statement
there can be no question OF the stan-
dards adopted by the government will
have a potent influence upon the
housing Of worlmen IN this country
for many years 70 come.
That the west IS in advance Of the
east in housing betterment is shown
by the fact that IN the east the SOW
eminent standards are regarded as
the high water mark IN housing prac-
tice. while there are many towns in
the west. particularly mining locali-
ties. that could boast Of all govern
ment standards several years before
such standards were made. ana in
mary Of the features have gone the
government one better.
The mining industry has long been
interested in housing development.
such towns as A1o. built by the New
Cornelia, Tyrone, built by the Phelps
Verde Extension Co.. and Clarkdale
by the United Verde. would make IN
dustrial towns in the east. built by
government standards. look quite or
binary.
It has been the policy OF many OF
the mining companies OF the west 70
encourage their employees to build
their own homes, assisting them by
means OF their building and loan as
sociations. but some Of the companies
have undertaken housing projects,
and Il is interesting to compare some
Of these with the government stan
dsrds-
An CT to Date Coal Scamp
The coal mining camp Of the Phelps
Dodge corporation at Dawson. New
Mexico. makes an interesting compar-
ison. because good housing in coal
mining camps is unusual This COM
pany adopted its standard two years
before tbs government undertook 10
make any standards. All OF the fea-
lures provided as requirements in
government construction are included
in the Dawson housing. and in many !
cases they have been improved upon. /
Wtile the government requires 20 |
feet Between buildings and a back !
yard Of 20 feet. a condition which is
regarded as Revolutionary. Dawson |
has 30 feet between buildings and a
30 foot back yard
TradidonaIiy. coal mining camps 1
are pls ces c. ahominable living and /
sanitary conditions. and. while the |
camps OF Virginia and Pennsylvania (
are gragrally following the pace set I
them by the western camps, the pro-
gressiveress Of the west is Illustrated [
by the fact that their housing stan /
dards OF years back are even better 4
than tFose set by the government AZ
an objective. and regarded by eastern /
industry as almost revolutionary.
Two New aPrsTates Towns.
Two other noteworthy examples Of 1
mining towns that have been built in 4
the southwest during the past few 1
years are the towns Of Ajo. ARK, and 4
Tyrone. y. n. both housing projects /
OF minizg companies
Ajo IS the project OF the New Cor
neia Copper company, where i'm l
mense bodies OF low grade ore called i
for woT K on large scale and con-
sequently town Of considerable size.
It has been the effort Of the MANAGE
ment 70 build a model town and