The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-11-04
PLANS
 HOUSING DRIVE

Paris, Nov. 4-Under the direction of the Minister of Liberated Regions, a gigantic scheme for the housing of hundreds of thousands of workmen whose homes were destroyed during the war, has just been launched.
 The plan provides for the organiza- ton of home construction organlza- | tions''N in every district of the devas- 1 tated zone, modelled to some extent ] on the building and savings societies in the United States. These organiza- | tions will be financed by private cap | ital and will have~a free hand in the work of rebuilding, but the govern | ment will maintain close supervision | to avoid the danger of speculation. To | facilitate their operation and cheapen | the cost of construction the govern |
 nent will waive numerous kinds Of taxes which would otherwise make the cost of building tremendous. In this manner it is hoped to, build thou sands of homes at approximately the same cost that prevailed in 1914, deS- pite sharp increases in the cost of ma terial and labor since the war. The problem of housing workmen in the devastated area is one of the
 most serious confronting France In
 her effort to get quickly back on her feet. Though more than 75 per cent. of the factories in the war zone have resumed operations. they are now em- p1oying less than 45 per cent of their 1 personnel before the war. To some extent In1S IS que to a SuD-nOTI1dl oS-
 mand for manufactured products but | largely it develops from the fact that | there are no buildings in which to house the workmen and their families. | At first this difficulty was not fore Lseen. French manufa cturers, eager to | get back to the business as usuaP 1 basis, devoted all their efforts to re- | building their damaged plants and | restoring wrecked machinery: The | employees were left, to look out for I xx-hn a of finding shelter.
 | The restoration of factories went forward so rapidly that In the sum
 mer of 1920 the lodging situation mediate steps are taken to provide
 shelter for the laborers French 1n- II dustry is bound to suffer in 1921.
 An investigation by the bureau of
 industrial reconstruction of the Min
 istry disclosed the fact that at a very
 minimum 30,000 houses sheltering
 200, 0,00O workers and their families,
 must be erected before the end of
 1921. This estimate does not take into account the condition in the mining | centres, where thousands of men all | ready have resumed work.
 7, For this work of reconstruction alone it is estimated that at least 5O,O00,00O will be required. Further ) more, the needs of 600,000 men who
 already have resumed work under un- 5 satisfactory housing conditions ir many cases, are not considered. s The first organization to take over the work of rebuilding workmen's homes has been formed in the Lille district. Manufacturers themselve: subscribed a large part of the funds , but part of the money was furnished . by the state. To remove the societ. l rom any suspicion, the Minister O. Liberated Regions and the Minister O. Hygiene have approved the bylaws O. . the new organization.
 Each society will be limited in it operations to certain district SC
 aside for it. But one or more ma!
 unite in buying or building operation :, for the purpose of obtaining lowe prices.