The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
washington. .. C.
UNCLE SAM AS HOUSE BUILDER.
washingten. .. G.

Washington, D. c., April 21.-
Houses of artistic appearance and
good material. having every modern
convenience, can be built at costs
which prevailed during and since the
to $1,000 each.
This has been proved by the United
States Housing corporation. which
built during the war many thousand
such houses. Its work was interrupt
ed by the armistice, and it Is now en-
gagged in closing out hundred NIL
lion dollar business on short notice
Unlike England, the United States
government will not build any houses
as a reconstruction measure. Uncle
Sam is retiring from the real estate
business. But the architects and
builders who have acted as his agents
say that the work of the housing cor
| simply as an educational measure.
They go SO far as to say that the
business of building houses will be
revolutionized by the work the gov
eminent has done. They are now en-
gagged in preparing report for pres
entation to congress which contains a
complete illustrated account OF their
plans and methods. 1t is believed that
! this report will have a wide circula-
| ton among builders and among pres
pectiVe house owners, and that it will
have most favorable effect upon the
character and cost of the million
| houses which must be built in the
United States during thu next few
years.
Briefly, the government builders
claim to have learned how to build
| houses that are inexpensive without
being cheap in characte.: and appear
ance. They did this by dcvising sew
eral standard types of houses, and
then restricting themselves to these
types; and also by standardizing many
parts and materials. For example,
/ they evolved standard types of doors
| and windows. which enabled them to
produce these in enormous numbers at
a low cost. All of their plans and
methods, they claim, can be followed
with advantage by American builders
The best proof which the govern
i ment builders offer that they built
better houses for the money than any
| one else has ever built in America Is
| the approval which these house ellie
tied from their occupants. The gov
| eminent started to build eighty vii
lagos of about two thousand houses
| each, and twenty-Seven of these have
been completed or nearly completed.
| One of these villages, Truxton, Va, is
given over entirely TO colored workers.
These people are the most enthusiastic
and appreciative of all those who rent
| houses from Uncle Sam. 1t seems to
have been an accepted real estate
| maxim in the past that almost any
house was good enough for the col
ored trade, while the government pro-
ceeded on the assum ption that colored
people could appreciate good houses
as well as anyone else. The usual at
titude toward the colored tenant was
illustrated by the fact that some per-
4 sons, who were supposed to be well
informed, advised against going to the
expense of putting bathtubs in these
homes for colored workers. 1t was
suggested that the tubs would be used
in most instances, as receptacles for po-
tatoes. But the bathtubs were put in
and it is claimed subsequent investi-
CATION shows they are regularly and
reverently used for bathing.
In fact the darkies have spared nc
pains to show that they appreciate the
good homes they were given. One OF
their first acts was to perfect an or
ganizatlo-' known as The Citizens
Committee of Renters. This commit
tee made it its duty to take care OF
the premises about the houses-cut
the grass. dispose of garbage and
ashes, trim the shrubbeFy-and this
has been done with the most scrupu-
lous care The organization is purely
voluntary. .
l. Most of the government houses
were built for that modern lord OF
industry, the skilled workman The
chief purpose in building them was
to make this indispensable person
satisfied to stay at the munition plant
where he was needed. The men who
had this task of satisfying the Ameri-
can mechanic came away from the
task with an increased respect for
that individual. He was not pernick-
ETY.. He did not demand nicely. But
he did demand adequacy. He refused
to stay where there was not a good
school for his children. And in con-
verting sundry country villages into
munition towns, the housing corpora
ton had. to lend the municipalities
money enough to build proper schools
before the skilled workmen could be
induced to stay in the towns TIC
other municipalities it had to lend
money for putting in water sup
5 plies, and in others it had to finance
sewage systems; for the skilled Amer
lean workman would not stay where
these conveniences were lacking
a surprisingly large percentage OF
I the houses built for skilled workmer
had to have garages attached, for the
prosperous mechanic often owns 9
car He also numbers among his pos
sessions in many cases, the govern.
ment builders found, an electric wash
ing machine and a grand piano. ant
: he demands a house at about $25 q
month, which contains a good ba Sc
ment for the one, and a suitable sit
ting room for the other. The govern
ment builders are deeply imbued will
the idea that the skilled American
7 workman is a most substantial, up
standing citizen, who knows what h,
wants and insists upon getting it.
The career of the housing bureau
4 was brief but energetic. Congress
created it and provided it with
working capital of S1OO,00O,OOO t,
$ build houses for the employees O
o munition plants. This was a mos
f necessary war measure. Materials ant
labor were so high, and other invest
/ ments were SO attractive, that privat
n capital would not go into the build
ing of houses. Munition towns wer
9 all in most unhealthy state of con
Sestion- The government stepped in
as in so many other instances durir1,
e the war, because private capital re
n fused to do the work. and because i