Pueblo chieftain., 1921-01-09
A P[AN TO HOUSE US

a year. In 1917 We built a good part of
this number. In. 1918 we built hardly
any. In 1919 we built, about 10000. And
in 1920 the total promises to be less
than in 1918.
Consider that last sentence. The
housing situation SO far is not getting
better. 1t is getting worse. We are
not failing to make up the shortage in
houses; we are failing to keep up
with the normal increase in the popu-
lation. The housing situation will al
most certainly be worse year from
now than it Is today. Our building in
dustry has fallen down on the Job.
of course you cannot blame the
building industry as unit, Costs are
high. People won't build because they
feel that If they wait Il year or two
they can build much cheaper. Con-
tractors who build houses to sell find
II h""d TO sell them. People cannot
scrape up the money to make the
initial payment. And the builder can
not afford to build houses to rent. He
cannot scrape up enough money to
keep himself going on that basis
The whole thing is n fine Illustration
of the way the industrial system does
not work. There is plenty OF material.
, There is plenty of idle labor. There are
several million people who need
houses. And yet houses are not ouilt;
Those magical forces of supply and
demand upon which we so implicitly
Build Bii- Houses Only
Nest of the houses you sec going up
are expensive houses. Nest of them
are the houses of men who made a
stake in the war, and are now spend
ing some or it. They do not care If 1t
does cost n few thousand more. The
modest house of seven or eight rooms,
for the man who works for salary. is
being built in very small numbers. And
81, a. 10
for the wage Garner. is not being built
at ali. Furthermore. most OF the
houses being built for rent and for
sale are being built of poor material,
The woodwork and the hardware are
of the cheapest kind. The construction,
say men who know, is not of kind
calculated to last.
In this situation, you sec the i'm
portance of any move that the Cham
Der of Commerce may make. 1t is up
to somebody to make move. For
somewhere must CONG nitiati and
orga niZation. So far as housing is con-
cerncd American industry has fallen
down. Let whoever claims the rcspons-
ibility for 1t come forward and pick 1t
up. II capital claims that 1t can serve
the country's need for leadership.
initiative. and organization in its in
dustrinl life. this is its chance to prove
the fact. to gain and hold the coun-
trys confidence.
fact that the chamber of commerce
sits down to frame a housing plan.
Naturally. it sees the solution of the
problem in business organization,
1t points out that the building nf
houses is one of those industries which
has to n great extent remained in the
control OF the little fellow Further
more. the building OF the house. the
sale of it, and the administration of it.
in case 1t is rented. have all devolvod
.g.,..
/ tons. Responsibility Is divided.
The Corporation Plan
Mr. Ihldcr proposes in each town of
Sood size several large building cor
porations. These corporal tons would
buy land in large tracts, and build
whole suburbs. They would seldom
build less than 800 houses in unit.
That there would be great economy in
such large scale operations cannot be
denied. Furthermore, Mr.. Ih.der would
have these corporations retain the ad-
ministration of the houses permanent
ly. The occupants would be sharehoid-
crs in the corporation rather than
purchasers. In this way all the
economy and efficiency OF larEe-scalc
operation and large organization would
be gained. These housing corporations
could employ the best architects. land
scapc gardeners and other specialists.
They could make planned, artistic
units of their suburbs, instead OF
hodgepodge growths.
such a system would have all the
disadvantage OF large corporation
scontrol as well as its advantages. The
housing corporations in given town
would soon dominate the real estate
situation. You would have 10 buy or
rent from that housing corporation
and at its prices.
But corporation control Is the sys-
tenn by which we live. The large cor
poration at least does the work This
housing corporation would probably
build the houses.
crnment supervision or control OF these
housing corporations. but he would
have them limited dividend companies.
He points out that the occupant OF a
house would further be protected
against exploitation by the fact that
he and his fcllow-tenants would be
stnckhnlders in the cnrporAtion.