The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-03-31

NO INDICATION OF n,
%% ;"f DROP HE DECLARES
- ~ BY Ralph F. Couch
UNITED Press Correspondent

=, - ~ BY Ralph F. Couch ~
Omitted Press Correspondent)
4 = Washington, March 31.-High
rents and high building costs have
come to stay for years, President Lee
Roy K. Sherman, Of the u. s.. Hous-
ing Corporation, predicted today
There is no reliable indication of
a drop" he said. =
1.-The housing shortage now issSjust
as acute as q year ago. It is conserv-
atively estimated that the country
now is short about 100000 dwell
lings. y -.
I'm my opinion it will take at least
five years to catch up and get back
to normal" o.. g.
Il: Sherman, as president of the hous-
ing corporation, has built 5000
homes in cities in all sections OF the
country. Experts = working under
him kept elaborate cost sheets in ev-
cry conceivable angle of the building
business. ~ -
: ~ =. Sherman Has Figures. :.
a. Sherman has figures ,sEtowing*mnst
minute details of building ranging
from the cost per cubic yard to the
cost; per square yard Of roofing, wall
building, brick laying, eplastering,
and SO on. ''':' s' Nut. -. ''EH5-
Furthermore, the housing corpora
tion has tried to keep in close touch
with the building situation in every
big town and city in the country.
Here lis his verdict: 49,, .- -.
! Only in Washington does there
seem to be even the beginning OF re-
lief from the tremendous pressure of
the shortage of dwellings that grew
UP during the war PERIOD" he said.
In Chicago, New York and other
big cities the shortage Of dwellings
seems just as acute as, ever.
Labor and Material.
e"The cost of labor and building
material holds little promise of going
down. The general cost of building
lias9increased, from IS to 20 per cent
since 1913, according to accurate
cost sheets of experts in the corpora
ton. Their figures have been tested
by, careful application to the con-
struction OF. dwellings of almost ev-
cry variety. = ''3,..'' =. - -.
: I many people who! have money to
build houses now are holding Off be-
cause they hope prices will drop.
This, has a. tendency, Of course, to
keep. prices up. To. get the nations
housing situation back to- normal we
must build al a rate calculated to
keep abreast of the normal increase
in demand for dwellings plus an adj
ditional rate which will make up the
shortage of 100000 homes now ex-
listing. So far as I can see now, we
are building even at a rate fast
enough to take care of the natural
increase in demand. - =
Pre-War Days. :.
by normal conditions I mean con-
ditions similar to those prevailing
in pre-war days when in every big
city there was general exchange OF
tenants every spring. In some cities
it also was the custom for landlords
to give one months rent free to in
coming tenants. Such conditions in
dictate nearly equal balance Of sup
ply and demand. This is normal. 1t
viii be at least five years before this
condition. is restored, think. -
ssThere is one hopeful sign that
building costs will.be reduced event.
ually. Architects and contractors
everywhere are working continually
to devise new and short processes of
building. They also are experime mt
ing with new materials. Thus many
builders recently attended a national
convention called to discuss the pro-
posal of building concrete houses
which are poured into moulds and
can be turned out much more quickly
than the average brick or frame
house can be completed. So,
Hopeful Sign. -
Another hopeful sign is the com
bination of representative citizens IN
many localities to building houses IN
cooperation, charging fair rate Tor
the money advanced Quantity pro-
duction of this kind makes for econ
omy in construction
Housing corporation experts have
worked out figures showing the com
narrative cost of erecting in 1919 and
1919 6-room dwelling OF model
.}4sg ~ p. :. =.