The New York herald., 1921-06-05


IN New York city Is uncertain" says
Allan" Robinson in his annual report,
made yesterday. as president of the
City and Suburban Homes Company.
The ccost Of building is SO great that
kenements cannot be put up for renting
10 people Of moderate means. There
are A-number of people who have saved
from 5000 to 5000 and these people are
In position to obtain homes built for
krenal ON an easy payment plan. and
many such homes are likely to be con-
structed in the next two years. but the
multifamily house which. after all. Is
the only solution for the housing prob
lemodn New York city. will not be
erected in any considerable numbers
until. labor production materially In
cresses ana the labor wage somewhat
decreases.
"Eabor says that If 1t cannot afford
to rent at the present wage 1t could not
afford to rent at lower wage. There
Is pxuch to be said for this point OF
view, but the fact remains that rents
are a. matter of supply and demand and
the. greater the number Of houses pro-
duced, the greater the fall in rents will
be. * $500 house has 4 market to-day.
but there is a larger market for a
e5, 800. house, a still larger one for a
81 800 house and very much larger
market for a $500 house. If we could
get a0ur building costs geared to the
s., 500 house. such large Ipumber of
them would be produced that rents
throughout the entire city would fall
and Tabor would benefit along with the
general community
Ht.h Costs, Low Productivity.
Citing from his own experience In the
erection Of the City and Suburban. s
Hofiewood Garden Apartments. COM
pletHd last October, Mr.. Robinson at
tributes a large. proportion Of the in
crease in New York city rents to the
high wages and low productivity Of the
building trades worker. Labor and ma
teriai costs reached their peak in the
summer Of 1920. he says; the high level
in that year showing an increase in
wage scales and in the list prices, of
matArials OF approximately 120 per cent.
overs pre-war levels. Actual building
costs were higher. TABOR was only SO
per cent. efficient and materials could
not be had In many instances at list
prices.
Before the war;" says Mr.. Robinson,
|''bricklayers used to lay from 1900 to
| Q. 900 bricks a day. but last summer in
our Eomewood development the average
was from 500 to 1000 bricks a day.
OthAr trades showed the same falling off
in efficiency, so that builders found when
they came to put Up dwellings that the
cost OF the finished structures amounted
4 SxskA 1All Al x,,l.,
the same development would have cost
IN 1914. One Of the important industrial
interests Of the city, members Of which
vera, concerned with the problem OF
housing their employees, asked for bids
on several million dollars worth Of five
story walk-up tenernents, and one Of the
largest construction companies In the
country estimated the cost of such build
ingG'in May. 1920, at 63 cents a cubic
foot This compares with a pre-war cost
/ Of less than 20 cents cubic foot. The
preddent Of the largest tenement own
ors' association in. the city stated las,
winter that tenements could not be built
to rent for less than $50 a room per
month.
Rent Laws Must he Amended.
Regarding the rent laws, Mr.. Robin.
fUIl.~AdS tllS 10 say
THE rent laws enacted in September
ls2O, served to relieve a distressing
situation which many tenants were fac
ing,-,but It Is an open question whether
the continued operation Of these laws
does not tend to retard resumption OF
building, which. after all. is the only
way in which real relief can be Sc
cured. There Is naturally the fear in
the minds Of prospective builders that
II they erect buildings at present costs
they. will have to face In q year or
twothe competition of buildings erected
at a. considerably lower cost. While
this.vIs the principal reason why new
nlulti-fsmily houses are not being
erected, a strong contributory cause is
the attitude of the Legislature in de-
nyng to owners OF dwellings the right
to select sheir own tenants. Under the
rent-1aws we can no longer guarantee
to our tenants as we used to do that
they shall be surrounded only with self
respecting neighbors The decision as
TO who shall or shall not occupy our
buildings has been taken from us and
placed in the hands Of judges who have
had no training In the highly technical
business Of management.
'sSome legislation Is needed to curb
those who have seized upon the scarcity
of homes to crafty brutal selfishness
at the expense OF helpless people who
happened to be at their mercy. but the
p,esent rent laws should be amended in
the Interests OF the public so that the
new. building of tenements may be en-
couraged."
Yet Mr.. Robinson shows that the land
lordc as we'll as the building trades
worker, can increase his efficiency and
productivity. and by the exercise OF
economy not only maintain his rate OF
profit but keep his rent increase within
h~,.uds 81 ffpneu Tia n,totas on M