Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-07

election, and after the Wrctched Burchard
had worked of his disastrous alliterative
epigram. spent some time with Mr.. Blaine.
On the right Of the November election
he received the returns at the old Everett
House. where, with three of the other cor
respondents on his memorable tour, We
foregathcrcd with the Plumcd Knight.
The four correspondents other than myself
who accompanied Blaine were F.. j. Gibson.
of the Philadelphia Press Theron Craw-
ford, of the New York World; w. +. Ogden
and Frederick Muss"y.
WALKER, the oldest son of James G..
" Blaine. accompanied him on that torr,
together with Joseph Mancy, then post
master of Augusta, Me. Mr.. Blaine's cam .
paign manager. sturdily built, big headed
little hunchback.
James G. Blaine. Jr.. in the later eighties
driftcd out to Pittsburgh. lie was just out
Of a preparatory school and was basking in
the sunlight of his great fathers name.
Chris i. Magee then the Republican
boss Of Pittsburgh, extended helping harl
to young Blaine. and gave him job as
reporter on the Pittsburgh Times. which he
had but recently purchased from Robert
Nevin. one of the famous Ncvin family Of
western Pennsylvania.
Young Jim Blaine didn't last very long as
cub reporter. He rather made mess Of
it. ! presume he had the ability, but he
lacked either the persistence or the stability
to hold down the job.
Then suddenly one day he surprised Pitts
burgh by marrying Miss Ncvin. remark
ably pretty girl, whose family had settled
in Pittsburgh some years before.
After that the young man driftcd around
from post TO pillar and finally landed in
New York, where there was some unhappy
matrimonial tanglc.
Though James G. Blaine, Jr., never
amounted to anything rcpOrtorially or politi.
Cally. IL would seem that his son is destined
to occupy a considerable space in the public
eye before the present campaign closes.
THE story of the frontier dance hall. with
L it's placard above the head Of the SOLITARY
musician, Don't shoot the fiddler. he's doing
the best he can" has a counterpart on u
wider scale in Philadelphia today. In less
expressive terms it would read:
Don't blame the real estate man, he is
doing the best he can"
That at least is the Interpretation Thomas
Shallcross. Jr., places upon the housing
situation in this city.
The real estate agents, according to Nv
Shallcross, and he is one Of the best known
and most responsible real estate men, are
the victims Of circumstances.
And they are circumstances over which
they as reputable business men have no con
troll.
The housing problem is a national and not
a local question.
Every great city in the country is suffer
ing fiom lack of dwellings, for its popua.
ton. 1t is a nation wide crisis.
H REAL estat" man occupies the SANE
\ position as any other business man
dealing in n certain commodity. He handles
a manufactured product. namely dwellings
and apartments. They are n manufactured
product, the same as automobiles or loco.
motives" said Mr.. Shallcross.
During the war the labor and material
heretofore utilized in the manufacture of
dwellings was cOnscripted for war work
Later on the shipment of building material
was forbidden. Then the railroads placed
an embargo on lumber, until at last building
operations ceased throughout the country,
I'm the meantime the population in Philn
delphia continued to grow. There was tro-
mendous thrush Of skilled workmcn, in nd
dition to the normal increase in the city :
population.
tITT REQUIRES 1900 new homes every
year to meet the normal demand Of
Philadelphia'S increasing population" said
Mr.. Shallcross, dropping into statistics
Since the armisticc about $500 homes
only have been erected For 1919 and 1920
than one half of what we need. Take into
account also 1917 and 1918. when buildiu ;
operations were at a StandStill.
''The scarcer an article the higher IFS
price. Until We can catch up with the
| demand for homes there will be no relief
| from high rents.
"a great many more homes would ha
erected this year were it not for the cost Of
| labor. Ninety FIVE per cent Of the entire
| cost Of building house goes for labor. |
| sneak now," said Mr. ShallcroSs. ''of labo,
| from the brick kiln or lumber camp UP to
| the completed dwelling.
| 'You can readily SO" what chanc" there Is
Of decline in rents. And you can ais
understand why real estate brokers, as th,
| agents of the owners cannot be held morally
| responsible for existing housing conditions, "
| n T. MCDONNELL, executive head Of
~. another large Philadelphia firm, voice
similar sentiments.
| People frequently say. Don't you know
| that the price you are asking for this hOu4.
| or apartment is Outragcous| | confess that
| circumstances Justify such a belief But
| what can we DO
| "There is an increasing demand for homes
! and apartments at any price. Wherever
| possible we advise re leasing property by
| the wear at reasonable advance to old or
| exceptional tenants. Where an owner de
mands very material increase we simply
| mass the demand along to the would be
| tenant; he pays or moves.
| at is this scarcity of dwellings that /,
boomirg rents to the most unheard OF
"Only yesterday | rented a house for SS-
which last year rented for S45 and the yeaI
before commanded but $50 a month. And
the lessee was glad to get it at $50"
| ----