South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-04-21
Other Editors Than Ours
WHO HAS THE VISION?
New York Worldly

The housing and rent problem has overtaken this
city with a vengeance-just the Evening World
a year ago predicted it would unless civic foresight
and initiative brought to bear upon the stua-
ton.
War put check upon building operations
War suddenly increased profits and wages in certain
industries made New York a more
attractive place for people making or earning more
money than they made earned before. War
produced examples of profteering which landlords
In this crowded city quick to follow. War
raised the cost of labor and materials thereby fur
nshing plausible excuse for boosting rents
But there was nothing to limit the extent to which
the landlord might boost the rent and above
the actual increase in his expenses.
No authority interposed to protect tenants from
the rapacy of landlords and realty spectators who
chose to take holder and holder advantage of con-
ditions which favored them.
The results of all this the city is painfully aware
OF now
Tenants are being dispossessed with mercy by
landlords dazzed by the high rents they think they
get In the Bronx rental jumped from
SIS to $50 i'm the period of a few months People
asking to live in churches Judges
complaining of the powerlessness Of the courts TO
aid tenants under the law. Legislators proposing
hasty eeventil-hour measures OF relief.
Where is the vision that will grasp the actual
nature of the problem and attack 1t with purpose
large enough to help solve it?
Who will convince New York that the providing
OF adequate housing reasonable rents a matter
OF public TO which the city should bring
the best thought and expert knowledge it can COM
mand?
1t is be hoped that its present housing and
troubles may at last awaken New York TO the fact
that older cities of the world have only passed
through similar experiences but have prohted by
them and now have something substantial to teach
about remedying their
Landlords speculative enterprise and the law of
supply and demand not recognized everywhere
the sole factors that must be relied upon to
vide homes and fix rents in civilized communities.
If they recognized, England would not
have more than 100000 pounds of public money
invested in housing. The government OF France
would have made available i0O,0OO,0O0 francs
for the same purpose. The General Savings bank Of
Belgium would not have advanced. up to 1913
100000 francs build workmens dwellings.
The German government Of before the war would
not have spent $500, 900 systematic
housing work.
Up TO May 81. 1915. the London county council
had invested upward OF 100000 pounds i'm housing
for workers. This money built 642O apartments and
S,402 cottages. Not penny OF IL was charity. but
thanks TO its investment in this form some $1,000
persons were enabled to live in clean attractive
dw-ilings reasonable rents.
suppose the city of New York could point to
something like that.
wouldn't it be as we'll worth boasting about as
skyscrapers or $5O0oO-a-year flats de-luxe?"
The laws OF supply and demand are not adequate
In house building either TO erect a sufficient number
of houses or TO keep rents down 10 reasonable
figure declares Dr.. Frederic G. Howe his book.
The Modern city and It's Problems"
The city Of New York has made Fetch Of
private speculative enterprise in the realty field
When speculative enterprise produces stupendous
Office buildings vast hotels the city gapes IN won
der and p1de.
When SPECULATIVE enterprise results IN cheaply
constructed apartment houses rundown and over
crowded tenements rent-raisng campaign that
hundreds Of families into the street the city
takes granted that such things must be since
they
The realty Spectator must. under no circum-
stances. be disturbed discouraged
Even at the present moment. when eXorbitani
are a most serious problem. il Is urged from
some quarters that the only out is to let rents
high they will snd thereby tempt the realty
spectators TO build,
The kind OF enterprise New York wants in the
realty hed will never be killed by imposing just
limits upon the extent which rents may be raised
Nor will IL be killed by competition in the shape
OF public housing plan whereby the city furnishes
standards OF modest well-bult dwellings for
workers al reasonable rent
Who has the vision. the initiative and the iniu-
az this prOpitiOus time New York on
progressive housing prOgram?