The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-19
READY MADE HOUSE
RENT EVIL SOLUTION
Architect Attcrbury Would
Apply Principle Of Making
Hats, Clothes and Shoes.
Observation-Disclosures
Expert Dissects Reasons for
High Cost of Homes and
Suggests Remedy.

Grosvenor Atterbury, architect, has
advised the Governors Reconstruction
Commission that the best promise for q
real advance in the problem Of indus
trial building is to be found In the de-
vslopment of the industry which turns
out ready made" houses. He said he
was more convinced than ever that no
very substantial progress toward the
solution of the Industrial housing prob.
lem would be made until there are ap-
piled to the production OF the commod-
ity In questionable house-the same
chine. factory and quantity production
that are employed by all the great In
dustries.
we must make our cheap housing as
We make our hats. our clothes and our
shoes--as standardized productivity
wholesale manufacture through an Or
ganized industry" he says In a letter
TO the commission.
Mr.. Atterbury, who SERVED as chief
Of the section OF housing and community
planning Of the Army Educational Com
mission. has Just returned from Europe
where he was engaged in planning for
the reconstruction of devastated towns
In France He designed the Forest Hills
Gardens. the model town built by the
Russell Sage Foundation.
Millions in Construction.
Roughly speaking. In New York city
alone" Mr.. Atterbury wrote, 100000
600 10 annually spent on tenements and
small houses out OF a total of $780,
100000 for all OF the construction In the
city. An even higher proportion for
homo construction would hold true Of
the entire country. Two and a half
billions Is the rough estimate of our nor
NAL annual budget for home building
Why then do we fail to solve the prob
lem of small houses on a commercial
basis. when our sfeat office buildings,
factories. hotels and apartments keep
pace with the public needs and pay good
profits into the bargain2 The explana-
ton lies. of course. in the fact that the
individual house Ia q product of disor-
ganized. individual effort, whereas the
great building is sufficiently important
to justify careful organization and con-
csntration of all the coordinate activ-
tiles necessary for Its production.
1T is organized construction against
disorganized construction: cooperation
against disjointed individual effort; to q
growing extent, Standardization against
constructional chaos.
1T comes. then, to the question OF
whether there Is any good reason why
the Industrial housing problem should
not avail itself of Just such modern
methods OF combination, cooperation,
concentration and Standardization as
have produced such astonishing results
In almost every other commercial activ-
ity IN this country.
Protection Except in Housing,
at Is a curious fact that the scientific
ana cooperative principles have been
practically applied to the production of
almost every item in the poor
mans living account but the second
largest single one-that OF housing His
bread, his clothing and his watch are
factory products. largely guaranteed
sometimes by the Government His
house is usually custom made and
bought at the mercy CT a speculative
builder. A proposal to clothe the desti-
tute with garments made to order
would be laughed to soorn OF stock
patterns and sizes clothing can be
turned out in quantities at a fraction
OF the cost of individual manufacture
Yet We are enthusiastically trying to
house our poor in custom made tene-
ments and are puzzled and worried when
we md that in spite of most model plan
ming the cost of the model dwelling falls
TO 60 down 80 as to bring its rentals
within the means OF the poorer iaborinS
classes whom We wish to reach. In fact
in this respect we find Il difficult to COM
pete successfully against the ordinary
tenement
Now the obvious solution appears to
lie In the Standardization, not neces-
sarily OF the general plan, but of It's
various component units and structural
elements. Carried to its logical conclu-
sion. as believe It should be, this prin-
ciple would result In system OF stand
ard dwelling manufacture, In ready
made system. II you please, of whole
sale fabrication like that which has al
ready given the poor man his two dol
lar shoes and his ten dollar suit of
clothes.
The chief elements as you doubtless
realize. in the housing problem are first
the prevailing rate OF interest on capt.
tai second. the prevailing rate Of wages
for labor; third. the prevailing standa rds
OF living; fourth. the cost Of construc-
tion.
Elimination OF Building Waste,
'These factors in the equation fall
into the relation in the form Of a vicious
circle, and while improvements In
methods OF financing, taxation and rent
ing may act as palliatives the ultimate
problem Of the relation between a days
work and the quantity and quality of
housing that II will secure for the
worker will still remain substantia
constant. except only we find one or
more OF these items in which we can
eliminate waste.
1.-THE investment OF a few millions nd
ditional capital under duress on the
basis of an interest yield below the mar
ket rate will accomplish little except
perhaps to discourage the Investment NJ
other capital in similar enterprises II
would be Just as logical and probable
as effective In the end to call a meeting
OF those who need homes and persuads
them to pay higher rents than they can
afford SO as to attract capital info
housing enterprises OF again, TO asl,
the builders TO eliminate their proi,a 90
as TO simplify the equation.
Most experts agree that the real cr,,x
or the industrial housing problem lies
not in the land cost. taxes or interest
rates. but In the house itself-the cost
OF building construction. The invest.
ment In the building is anywhere from
three to ten times the cost OF the Iand
ana Is. therefore. the dominant item
problem"
Mr.. Atterbury said that the copr,rv
Is suffering from the lack OF scientific
building codes based on the latest enei1
neering coeffcients and practice He re-
QalT