The Connecticut labor press., 1920-08-28
WORKERS MUST
 HAVE HELP TO
 OWN THEIR HOMES
Connecticut Need for Relief From Excessive Rents Is
 Very Great.
THE ST. LOUIS PLAN
While Not Entirely a Success for Wage Farmers It Offers
 Valuable Suggestions.

The Connecticut Labor Press has on many occasions called attention to the necessity of freeing the wage earner from the rent shark in order to largely alleviate the industrial unrest. That something definite and concrete must be done in this direction for the work CTS of Connecticut is self-evident. When man is b1ed of his last dollar and forced to put up with abuse as, well in order to supply his family with a place. to live in he is not going to be contented.
 In various parts of the country many plans have been adopted to make home owning easier for the wage earner and St. Louis recently adopted plan which promises great things. Unfortunately, however, the great cost of the houses placed them beyond the reach of the average worker. They are, though, be- ing taken up by the fairly well salaried class and lessen the excess demand for rents to an extent which may lower the prices of rents for the wage earners.
 It would seem that a similar plan, applied to houses which would cost less and thus bring its scope within reach of the wage earner, might be adopted for Connecticut, either by organizations formed of business men for the purpose or by municipalities or the state A description of the St. Louis plan fol lows:
 The St. Louis Home and Housing Association is a $2,O0O,00O corporation supported by the Chamber of Commerce and the City Commercial club, for the purpose of building cheap and comfort able homes i'll various sections of the city and country, wherever the need ap- pears greatest. It was originally in tended that the houses should be for the benefit of industrial workers
 f As 1t turned out, however, the wage earners of St. Louis have not been taking advantage of the opportunity. There has been a surprising lack of re- sponse from the working classes It seems incredible, but the only way to explain 1t IS that the working class can not afford to buy the houses.
 " age earners have oniy a small amount of capital and small wages to invest in real estate" explains Nelson Cun1iff, who has been placed in charge of the Home and Housing Association With the cost of building materials 240 per cent. higher than it was before the war, house which would have cost 5000 in 1914 costs today approxi- mately $7,000 or $8,000 This is beyond the means of the average working man. But the houses are in great demand among the salaried people, who wish to vacate flats that have undergone a 300 per cent. increase III rent"
 He drew some photographs from the drawer of his desk They showed the various types of houses under construc- ton, most of them comfortable, solid looking brick domicifes, with attractive facades and neat back yards extending to an alley.
 St. Louis loves brick houses, and it has some rigid building restrictions against the use of frame, tile or stucco. The houses of the St. Louis Housing Association have brick walls and con- tain five or six rooms, with hardwood floors, tile bathroom floors, modern toilet and plumbing fixtures and the most improved kitchen equipment. They are also located on improved streets. The selling price of the houses ranges from $500 to $500. These prices have been made possible, according to the association, only by instituting the most rigid economies in the buying of land and in building. Whenever possi- b1e land was bought on streets which had been improved before the war, for which the association paid $25 foot front Building materials have been bought in large quantities and at cash, to take advantage of all possible dis counts.
 One of the most interesting features of this housing enterprise is the scheme of payment. This calls for 10 per cent. cash on the price of the house and the balance in 10 or 12 years. On the To- year plan the purchaser pays $11.25 per month on every thousand of the selling price, after the 10 per cent, cash pay ment has been deducted On the 12- year plan, he pays $o.o5 per thousand of debt The association will not permit man to invest more than 27 per cent. of his monthly income Ill one of their houses.
 We figure that man can easily spare 20 per cent. of his income for rent" says Mir. Cunliff, "and 10 per cent. for good investment. If he spends more than this on home, the payments are apt to prove strain, and he is likely ultimately to prove a bad risk"
 Included in the selling price of the house is a unique insurance feature, Wnc1eDy Iii0 puIClidScI lS lIiSuICu, HI d group insurance plan, for the exact amount of his indebtedness to the association during the 10 or 12-year period of payments. Thus, if the pur- chaser should die or become totally dis ab1ed during this period, the insurance company assumes his indebtedness, inn mediately pays 1t off, and the property becomes part of the deceased or dis abled ones estate. Under these cir cumstances, as the association points out with dignity, it will never be forced to the distasteful task of foreclosing on widows mortgage.
 The St. Louis Home and Housing Association is planning to make safe six per cent on its investment.