The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-02
THE FINE ON BUILDERS.

The United States forest service /es-
Inmates that the country lacks $50. 900
houses. other estimates range as high
as 100000 and even 100000. The
raw materials for building are avail
able in abundance. Unlike the yield
of agricultural products, the supply of
these materials may promptly be en-
iarged whenever demand calls for It
In the lumber industry it is esti-
mated that there is an excess plant
capacity of so per cent. with like ex-
cess capacity in the brick, stone and
cement industries, while the steel mills
could easily expand their output of
structural steel thru a curtailment of
other. products. Altho there is not an
unlimited amount of labor for build
ing operations the unskilled workers.
and even the number of skilled work
ers could be greatly increased If the
demand for buildings should call for
them.
The general hardness of building
operations is in large part due to hes
itatfon to undertake new building at
current costs and to the difficulties
of financing such undertakings. There.
is no general expectation that by post
poning new building for few months
marked savings may be realized thru
future declines in prices. Even should
the long-desired definite recession in
prices develop there is much ground
for the belief that for some time yet
building costs will show at best but
slight decline apart from temporary
fluctuations. 1t is believed by many
that there will be still further ad-
vances in building costs generally. rs
William E. Harmon. a New York
real estate dealer and builder. offers a
an impetus to the building of homes
| MY frank opinion is" he says, that
the only thing that will create building
on a large scale within the next few
| Years is the elimination of new con-
| struction from taxation for a period
OF from five to seven or even ten
years"
In this Mr.. Harmon is In accord
with Allan Robinson. president of the
City and Suburban Homes company,
a large corporation operating in New
/ VI n anu DTOOhlyH. MI
( would exempt new buildings for a
slightly longer period. twelve or fiji
teen years. Ne figures that the money
so saved to the builder would, If put
at compound interest, equal the diff
ference in the present cost of building
| and that before the war. This is also
8the opinion of United States Senator
/ Calder. who claims to be the largest
builder of homes IN Brooklyn.
A municipality would not lose any
revenue by such an exemption for the
reason that the buildings are not now
| in existence, and will not come into
existence without the exemption, or
some equivalent aid.
Under existing conditions the build
er of q house is fined heavily for his
show of enterprise and the fine is
| continuous as long as his house
stands. Hold building sites idle for
the increase that comes of the growth
of the city and one amount is charged
against the owner If he put up q
one-story taxpayer" a slightly larger
amount Is charged. But il he put up
really fine building, something appro-
pirate to the importance of the city, g
. great addition is made to the charge
upon the owner. 1t looks like filming
a man for doing what we want hin
to do.