The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-04
For the Good of
 the COnnunity

A ings are needed in the United States properly to house the people,
 In Birmingham it is estimated, 5000 are needed
 War conditions and the necessities of the government put an end to building op- erations all over the country about three years ago. @ ~
 Two years ago the government put ban on all new construction work not essential to the winning of the war. From then un- til quite recently only such houses as were needed for employees of so-called essential industries were permitted to be built.
 But the population continued to in- crease.
 So serious had the situation become that the United States Department of Labor two or three months ago undertook to work out a solution Shortly thereafter the town your own home" movement was inaugurated and it has since spread throughout the country. ~
 Next Friday L. R. Putnam, regional di- rector of the information and educational section of the Department of Labor will be in Birmingham to talk the matter over with local people. He comes fresh from tour of the southern states where he has organized committees to push the cam paign.
 The following is quoted from a bulletin just issued:
 "Progressiveness and expansion is the keynote of progress being shown in the Own Your Own Home campaigns in Ok lahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, the seven states of the Mid-Southern division of the United States Department of Labor Three of the states have already formed statewide organizations following mass meetings held at Oklahoma City, Jackson and Baton Rouge, where Regional Direc- tor L. R. Putnam explained the govern ment plan to have each and every Ameri- can own his or her own home.
 "In each instance the interest of the civic and commercial organizations has been keen leaders uniting in the booster drives to encourage the building of homess Governors, too, have done much to give impetus to the campaigns, issuing procla-s nations and calling upon the citizens to aid inevery possible way the governments plan for speedy postwar reconstruction.
 "The next large meeting to be held will be at Little Rock, where Governor Brough has issued a proclamation naming June as Own Your Own Home Day in Arkan- sas. Governor Brough's proclamation calls attention to the fact that Arkansas is z greatly in need of increased building activ- ity, not only as a means of providing needed homes, but also as medium to give employment to soldiers and boosting the prosperity of the state.
 "On June Alabama will celebrate Own Your Own Home Day in the state with, a mass meeting at Birmingham The Ten nessee meeting will be held at Nashville, where Governor Roberts has issued a proclamation naming June 10 as Own Your Own Home Day in the state. The Kentucky meeting will be held in Louis vile June F, where. arrangements are now being made for gigantic meeting,
 "As result of the meetings already held several cities have started intensive advertising campaigns, the ads urging the citizens to take advantage of the oppor- tunity to build and aid the government in hastening the return of normal conditions These campaigns are now going on in Ok lahoma City, Tulsa, Muskogee and seve-