Evening journal., 1920-04-03
CAN MOVE $50
HOUSES HERE
FOR $500 EACH
Continued from First Page.

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survey OF the housing needs OF the
city. Wilmington is short about 1000
homes. Erection OF the $50 offered by
the duPonts, therefore, would be a
fair start toward relieving the shortage
In dwellings.
>The special committees report is
signed by Samuel H. Baynard, Dennis NJ.
Buckley, Col. Weller E. Slower, Mar
shall p. Tindall and Mr.. Thompson, the
chairman. It is as follows:
wilmington, Del,
March 81, 1920.
Hon. VIM. G. Taylor. Mayor OF the
City OF Wilmington, Del.
"Hon. Sir: Your committee on hous-
ing. appointed Wednesday, March 2i,
1920, beg to make the following report
Ground for erection Is obtalnaDle,
we believe, without cost, for a period
Of Ave years.
Various meetings have been held at
the proposed site Of erection. the pres
ent site from which they will be re-
moved, and in the Office Of your chair
man. The committee are Of the opln-
ion that these houses can be removed
from the present site and erected on a
new site and put into a livable condi-
tion. allowing them to remain In
groups of six units and finished as now,
Including all costs, for eight hundred
lsSOOl dollars per unit, or four thou
sand eight hundred S4,S00)) for the
group and wound undertake, If SO or
dered, TO take a contract on this basis,
for 400 or more units.
AT least 100 can be completed by
June 25."
Although several sites have been sug-
gested for the homes IN different sec
tions of the city. the one most favored
by the committee comprises about 10
acres OF excellent high land on the
East Side Of the Brandywine, between
Thatcher street and the Pennsylvania
railroad bridge. This would accom-
odate 100 homes. Offer of this land
free Of all cost for period OF five
years has been made by Joseph l.. Car
penter. Jr.. the owner, who conducts
real estate business In King street.
ings II Will be necessary for City
Council TO enact an ordinance grant
ing permission for their construction,
inasmuch as they are OF frame, and 1t
would be expected that taxes on the
land thus donated would be remitted
for the flve-year period the land is
used for the dwellings.
When the proposition was lrst pre-
sented to the Housing Commission,
William NJ. Hanly, representing the du-
Pont Chemical Company. quoted an es-
innate he had prepared covering cost OF
moving the houses, rebuilding them and
the probable rental which could be
charged and which would repay the
investment at the end Of Ave years. He
figured that each house would cost
$1,000 at the outside and that a rental OF
$40 q month would fetch s2i0 a year
income, or 1920 at the end Of i've
years. thus covering $1,000 cost and
leaving $500 for possible dividend, al
though no profit Is expected to be made
out Of the scheme. The special commit
tees figures as TO cost, II will be no.
ticed. are trifle lower even than those
OF Mr.. Hanly.
Mayor Taylor said today he was fay-
orably impressed with the report made
by the special committee and would at
once call meeting of the entire Hous-
ing Commission in City Council cham
ber next Wednesday night. At this
meeting the committees report WIN be
discussed at all angles and plans made
for raising the money necessary to
finance transportation and erection OF
the dwellings.
At the last meeting OF the Housing
when. the dupont offer
first was presented, the Mayor made 1t
clear that the city itself was without
funds for financing such deal. He ex-
pressed the hope, however. that If the
plan should be shown to be feasible,
citizens would volunteer
the money necessary in view OF the
seriousness OF the housing problem and
the need for some relief, even II only
temporary, from present conditions.
1T is my idea," said Mr.. Taylor to-
day, ITO get sll the data possible in
hand, figure the proposition down to
the dot, and then see If the people OF
the city will not respond to an appeal
to put the project through. Those
who help in it should get back their
money in 1--WE years and possibly little
interest, and they would have the sat-
isfaciion of having done something
practical 10 aid their less Fortunate
fellow citizens TO remain In the city
and not be forced to move away for