New-York tribune., 1921-04-17
By John ]. Murphy



Charity Organization Society
An impossible ideal. so far as New
York is concerned. you will say a
once; so why discuss it? But if it h'
thus dismissed the alternative must be
accepted, and that alternative is ulti
mate chaos and civic bankruptcy
What must be the fate of city III
which only 2 per cent of the people
own their own homes
Indifference to economy in city gov
ernment, reckless misuse Of property
dearth of community sentiment, total
atrophy of the home and family spirit
and Grass materiahsm are inevitable
characteristics of society composed OF
tenants -at-will, who are mere lodgers
in and not real citizens of the city
where they dwell In vain will public
and private eXhortation strive to hold
such a population up to high civic
standards. Demogogues. with no real
interest in the peoples welfare, will
easily move such people to mutiny
and revolt.
Is it not worth while to study care
fully any plan by which home owner
ship can be increased, so that so per
cent of the population may become
owners instead of tenants? In The
Architectural Record was recently
printed plan by which it was claimed,
even under present conditions of high
cost of materials and labor, manyfam-
lily houses could be built within cost
which would permit ordinary wage
earners to own them comparatively AS
q demonstration, the project proposes
to demolish enough old buildings in
some suitable area to clear n tract 200
feet by $50 feet or thereaboEts to
acquire a vacant site. and on such
site to erect new buildings, not occupy
ing more than so per cent of the space.
the balance of the area to be used for
gardens and interior Fairgrounds,
which will keep the children from the
periis of the street.
The creator Of the plan is no mere
visionary, but an architect who has
already constructed some of the best
designed and most successful new-law
apartments and tenement houses in
the city. The new thing about this
proposal is its intent to bring such
amenities within the reach of the small
renter and to hake him part owne,
of the building.
Many Financially Able to Buy
But, you will say. how is this trans
formation to be effected? The skele-
ton of the plan is as follows: A site
is chosen, the old buildings demol-
ished. new buildings erected on the
economical plan proposed; apartments
in these buildings will be offered for
rent, based on cost of production, al
lowing for 6 per cent profit and OK
per cent amortization, instead of being
let for call the traffic will bear" as at
present. These apartments will be re-
served for families able to make an in
vestment in the preferred stock of the
company, on which 6 per cent is guar
anteed, and who are able to make an
nual payments until their apartment is
fully paid for. The number of families
able to make such an investment, now
living in squalid quarters because they
,an get no better, is much larger thar
most people suppose. Such investor
-enants will have an interest in the
of the property, because
hey are part owners of it, which Nero
enants do not feel at all.
Perhaps you will concede that all
his is desirable and ask why it is not
lone, in view Of the present housing
hortage. The answer is that to make
he demonstration a concrete example
must be Forthcoming. To-day it is
cry difficult to get houses built, even
hough abnormal profits offer. A
scheme like the one proposed would