The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-02-19
DOWSE TELLS or
HOUSING PROBLEM
Kenosha NJ a n Principal
Speaker at Meeting of Wis.
Retail Lumber Dealers
Association.
TELLS OF KENOSHA'S PLAN
Milton L. Dowse, Manager of Keno
sha Homes Co., Reviews the Hous-
ing Problem Here and Efforts
to Solve II.

Kenosha IS advantages from an in
dustrial, commercial, and residential
standpoint was placed before the Wis
eonsin Retail Lumber Dealers associa-
tion this afternoon in an able address
by Milton L. Dowse, manager of the
Kenosha Homes Company
Among other things Mr.. Dowse said:
Kenosha' s housing proposition had
its birth simultaneously with the or
ganization of it's splendid Industrial
enterprises. Previous to its industrial
development it was one of those typic-
al country towns largely inhabited by
sterling class of people who had pro-
vlded themselves with a sufficient sup
ply of worldly goods to insure quiet,
peaceful and comfortable existence.
In other words, the development
Of Kenosha was practically in ratio to
the development of the agricultural re-
gions contiguous to It's borders. It's
splendid borders, its schools, it's point
of entry to a beautiful lake region as
well as its comfortable climate, were
the main attractions to the outside
world
Reviews Kenosha Plan.
z Mr. DoWse@ then gave a concise re-
sumo of the establishment of the Ke-
nosha Homes company in. 1916 and the
purchase. of 80 acres of ground H. a,
beautiful district in the city and erect
ing ia dwelling houses thereon. How
the orders of the United States gov
eminent prevented the company from
going ahead again until after the arms
tice was signed and how in August
1919 the demand for homes became so
great that the Kenosha Homes CON
pany began again to erect more houses
which it is continuing to do. Along this
line he said:
Upon the reorganization of the Ke-
nosha Homes company building opera
tions were again resumed and 90 hous.
es have been commenced. Of these SIS
houses have been completed and the
rest will be ready for occupaniy before
the building season opens up this
spring. The la houses that were built
in 1916 and 1917 all were sold to en-
ployees of the Kenosha industries. It
is needless to say that these purchases
are 100 per cent satisfied. The appre-
citation of the homes that they have
purchased has been from 80 percent to
$50 percent. Many of these purchas-
ers have taken advantage Of this rapid
rise in values and have taken the pro-
fits on their houses. When this has been
done, the company has insisted upon
payment of their contract above the
mortgage. AS a result of these sales,
the comany has already decided a great
many of these places although origin
ally it figured on carrying them long
er term. 2
The 80 houses that are now under
construction were all sold in about 90
days after operations were started and
at the present time the company has
calls from great many persons who
wish to purchase homes from it OH
easy terms such as the company offers =
Mr.. DoWse then took up the housing
in general and showed that
industrial communities everywhere ara
face to face with this problem. He
discussed it from the industrial stand
point, the commercial standpoint and
also from the human standpoint. He
showed that future efficiency of the
race requires better housing for the
present generation. ''The better man
is housed, = said the speaker, the
greater is his efficiency"