The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-09-06
Housing Legislation,

lRture will be watched with interest in
the special session called for this
month. because the subject of legisa-
ton Is one in which all communities in
this country take a sympathetic inter
est-homes and the homeless.
New York state Is big enough to fur
nish a Legislature with all the brains
necessary for treating such subject.
but what sticks In the mind OF the bar
barous inlander not from New York is
that 1t will be the same legislature
which distinguished itself last winter
| by witch hunt at the expense of the
Socialist members The country VIII
hope against hope that such a legis-
| nature will find remedy for the hoas-
| ing situation, which outranks the
league Of nations and the Republican
! campaign chest alike as an issue. in the
estimation OF many downtrodden cleo
tors
Whenever there Is anything bad, 1t
is worst in New York. Homes are
| scarce everywhere, but the mayor OF
New York claims his city Is short by Il
hundred thousand OF them. Another
authority says that in that city there
are 100 families clamoring for every 100
houses or apartments on the market.
The law has already been invoked in
New York city against the rent prof
iteers. These are respectable gentle
men who merely demand the right to
take the rentals they are offered The
price of rents in New York is no longer
fixed by the laws Of trade, but by
the Judgment of courts
The legislature has TO be convened
nevertheless to deal with bigger prob
lem than profiteers. Even II all the
available homes are let at reasonable
prices. that would not take care OF the
hundred thousand families for whom
there are no homes.
From south OF the Mason and Dixon
line It seems evident that the New York
legislature can do two things. 1t can
Aake the curb off the profiteers and
leave things to work out for themselves.
There is something to be said for this
policy. There is just one conceivable
reason for the dearth Of house building
today 1t Is due to the plain fact that
capital can get more for its money In
other investments. AS fast as the own
err puts his rent up TO where his IN
vestment would bring him the market
return, the city authorities get busy
and reduce 1t again, or at least the
renters hold mass meetings or write let
ters to the papers and make his name
a by-word and reproach among the
people.
with assurance that the government
would not interfere with their bust
ness, the capitalists might easily per-
suade themselves to go back into the
building business, and in the course
OF two or three years the situation
might be>normal again.
The only other alternative for the
New York legislature, as we see It,
is a policy OF state building. The state
can always build and rent at cost. But
if it's capital does not bring in mar
ket interest. that is plain subsidy,
and the people at large have to pay
for IT, Furthermore. the burden OF
proof is always on those who propose
to expand the functions OF government
and there are plenty OF Jeffersonians
living who are against that except in
the last resort
The one thing not to be done In any
event is to keep the rents artificially
low. by court interference, and stu
do nothing as a state toward building
new houses. That Is the policy now be-
ing followed with the result that prl-
waite builders have ceased TO build. -
Underhousing means overFowding'
The homes available go to those who
can pay the most and while nobody IS
pleased with what he gets for home,
the poorer classes get no homes at AL
or else they five in conditions calculated
TO make Bolshevists of them all, over
crowded living conditions spoil the tenn
pers OF the old and make criminals and
degrnerates Of the young. They are
deadly to health, character and con-
tcntment. and without these life is a
gift not to be received with much graf
itudc