The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-15
|HOW TO ORGANIZE
0k'E-A0hE CAMPAIGN

1t Is essential to the Immediate ys.ks
turn to normal conditions that butld Il.
! ing and construction work be stiHaat
lated. There Is a home shortage III
the United States. Some authorities
estimate our shortage in this partlcu-
lar at 900, 900 dwellings. Five hum
| dred thousand Is conservative esti-
mate.
| We need homes We need business
| And for the months of industrial
transition from war mobilization -
I peace production we need buffer em.s
| ployment for labor.
! Federal supervision and direction
a necessary incident in the prosecu-s
ton OF the war. must give way tC
| local and private initiative. #%
A sound and practical method o.
arousing this initiative Is in the own
your -own-home campaign. which
serves our three pressing needs, viz.
homes, business, labor.
! Almost all communities have beer
educat ted through the war in organ
izing and prosecuting the so-callce
/ drive" 1t is, therefore. an easy mat
! ter to profit from our experience ir
! organization for liberty bonds Rgt
! Cross and similar work in now under
taking a campaign for home buildinf
and home owning. In this sort OF r
campaign local interests and loca
I benefits, in large measure supplanf
the nationa Interest involved In the
various war time drives
/ The success of an own-your- hons
campaign will depend upon thrss
things:
! First-The actual need for building
| IN a given community.
| Second--The organization through
which the campaign is waged.
! Third--Publicity.
! If community is fortunate enough
/ tn have adequate home facilities III
! It's population. mauifestly an own.
your own home campaign will no
promise success, for the reason tina
there is no demand for homes y
Assuming there IL such a demand
/ the own-your own home campaign
should be undertake nfrom a stand
poitn of civic and social hetterment y
! leaving material and business benafiG
( to be the incidental rather than this
direct objective. The directing organ
! ization. therefore. should have q per-
sonnet OF civic and social vision, which
should be made up of men who enjes
! the confidence and the esteem OF thu
community and men of recognized in
/ tegrity and business ability. Sinry
! the prospective home builders inter.
est equals, If it does not surpass II
importance. the combined interests a
other elements In the campaign. n,
hhouio De gwen tlperai III not the ma
Joflts representation on the genera
i and sub committees of the organize
ton.
In the communities where labor /.
organized the unions should have lib
eral representation In the general aIas
Sup-comlnlttees, Tor the reasons tina
union labor already has tbs organt
eaton essential to getting over to ths
working people the meaning and mer
/ lis of the wn-your-own- home move
| fnent'
Inc directlng machinery for sucf
campaign mRht De paced In gen.
erai committee. with the mayor or
| prominent and popular citizen of abii.
ny as chairman. There should be or
the general committee an acting chair
| man manager executive secretary
ana such other members as are war
'anted Nv iocai conditions.
IL might be advisable TO make w
ehe central committee membership
from the heads of the sub-commlttees
! thereny bringing into the genera
council those persons who have fa-
hhi.iarity with the details OF each COM
Mi.tee work.
second IN importance only to tbt
! sehsiai coihIliittee is the committee
on nhahce- on TINS committee IT may
De pruoeht 10 nave a iioerai repre-
sen,atloh from the local nnanciaI IN
lions ana the correlated businesses
III we puiiaihg INDUSTRY II VIII. o.
/ course. be necessary to look to civic
ana business organizations such e.
ehaiioers OF commerce. boards o.
! traue ana Improvement associations
LOT Hnanciai assistance Those lines
OF business which naturally VIII prom
! from the bultdihg activity also ough
! 10 oe iloerai contributors 10 the CAM
palgh fund
! me committee on publicity Anc
IL may be prudent to have at the head
OF this an able newspaper man te
handle publicity and to suggest pub
: licity methods.
! 1t may be necessary to have COM
mittees TO interest themselves in mer-
camille institutions, public service cor
! porations. education. religious actiyi.
ties. Industrial workers and labor
! unions, hotels and restaurants. exhib.