Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-01-28
TIME TO TALK BUILDING.

rs time to begin thinking about a building
program for the rapidly approaching spring
Houses are needed and needed badly in Perth
Amboy and all surrounding towns. People
have been Rowling more and more into exist
ing dwellings. Buildings that used to house one
or two families now are occupied, in many IN
stances, by four or five families. Apartment
houses built to provide homes for four or SIX
families have been made to take care of eight
or ten families. Boarders who once mad a
Single room or shared It with a roommate now
ind the same room occupied by several per-
sons. In some sections the beds are constantly
IN use being occupied at night by men who
work during the day, and men who work at
night sleeping in them in the day time.
An this is insanitary. degrading and decidedly
detrimental to the progress and development OF
the city, to say nothing of the effect it has on
che lives of the people.
The workers IN the industries here complain
that whereas their pay has been reduced or
they have been laid off altogether. rents are as
high as ever and in some Instances they have
been raised. Their complaint is justified. 1t
is time something was done.
The only solution is the erection Of more
bouses Conference after conference has been
held hut without result. Laws have been pass
cd exempting new buildings intended for dwell
ing purposes from taxes for a period of years,
hut still little or no building takes place. Just
NJ present another housing conference is under
wav in washington under the auspices of the
limited States Chamber of Isaac
A1nern. president of the Perth Amboy Chamber
OF Commerce, is in attendance at this Washing
ton session. Perhaps Mr.. Alpern will come
- 18th aorna tdaaa learned from this gather
ing that can be put into effect here to help
solve the housing problem for this city.
II is significant that the Building Trades AS
ISOLATION here is becoming active in an effort
70 start building in the city. An important fea-
.ure, as they see IT, Is that of wages. 1t IS to
be hoped that the builders and their pcs Nsn
get together on some satisfactory Arrangement
whereby eve,y encouragement ~p~"fble can be
-, 70 crosse contemplating building but who
have been holding IF until the costs are less.
Tor the past YEA or two building has been al
most prohibitive because of the price. Natural
Iy. the more a house costs the more the rent
Will be in order that the owner can make a
fair profit on his investment.
Then, again. financing a building is a problem
for a great many. In some places a system
CT liberal credits has been devised while in still
other places there is a certain form of CO.
operation between those having money and
those who need it so as to encourage the build
ing of homes. Big industries that are con-
cerned over proper housing conditions for their
employees have. in some instances, combined for
the purpose of organizing a housing corpora
ton to assist their men TO build, erecting the
houses at the company's expense and then al
lowing the men to buy them on easy payments
in the form or rents.
Financial institutions have arranged whereby
depositors having a certain amount in the bank
can borrow enough more to erect a house the
balance being held as a mortgage to be paid off
In the form of rents.
All these various schemes have been worked
to more or less success in different places. It
would seem as IL it was time TO get busy along