The Washington herald., 1921-05-25
RELIEVES CALDER PLAN
WILL STIMULATE BUILDING.

SHAAf'''- y W.. % wv 49,
RELIEVES CALDER PLAN
WILL STIMULATE BUILDING.
II understand that your chamber
of commerce and other civic organ
iations are considering the question
Of adopting the Calder plan OF stim-
ulating home building, which has
recently been tried out in Senator
Calder's home state" said Henry J..
Lindsey, of New York city. who Is
stopping at the Washington.
II believe that no saner and
wiser measure could be passed. The
Calder plan PROPOSES to exempt
buildings used for homes for a Pc
riod of five years from taxation. In
New York city the total amount
that would be saved by the builder
for the period OF exemption would
approximate 40 per cent This 10
quite a bait. You show q man how
he can save 40 per cent on his
building by building now or rather
to be more accurate by building
within a year or so. and he Is very
likely to succumb to the tempta-
ton"
What have been the results Of
the adoption of the plan in New
York city," Mr.. Lindsey was
asked.
The plan as you know was only
adopted in New York some three
months ago. Within two weeks
time there was a leap Of about 50
per cent in the building permits is
sued"
Either" continued Mr.. Lindsey.
"wa must fo1InU thiS nlap a1se
the state will have to come In and
build for the people. take 1t that
every American will feel more ia
vorably of the former course. That
plan involves no state interference.
II is merely a step in the process
OF taking the tax off Of industry.
You can't shackIe industry without
putting chains on the people who
live off Of industry and most OF US,
except the parasites, do.
SAYS WASHINGTON NEEDS
oNE-THIRD MORE HOMES.
Washington needs at least one
third more homes than she has got.
The problem that Washington is
facing is one that one must be met
by every city and hamlet In the ma
tion. The problem indeed is uni
versal
Removing the tax on homes
would mean more than reducing
rent" Mr.. Lindsey added. For
more building would mean more
work, thus benefiting labor. More
homes means more furniture, thus
benefiting the furniture manufactur-
ers. jobbers, sellers and laborers. II
the Calder plan were adopted
throughout the country there would
be no unemployment problem such
as is facing us at present. Stats
tics show 100000 men who want
work can't get 1t. That's the stuff
bolshevism is made of. Remove the
tax on homes, make this a nation
of homes. a nation where every
body can afford to own his own
home. give the employment to labor
that will naturally follow, boom
the businesses dealing with the ar
ticles that go to the making of a
home. and the problem of indus
trial unrest melts into nothingness.
People do not understand how
significant the problem OF taxation
is,' said Mr.. Lindsey. 'It was
John Marshall who declared The
power to tax is the power to de-
stroy." And it is, but it is also the
power 10 make live. The people are
becoming awake to it's significance.
They are beginning to see. as the
Calder project shows that there are
things which II is wise to tax and
things which it is not wise to tax
and that there are times to tax and
times not to tax
URGES BUILDING AT ONCE
WITHOUT HEAVY TAXATION.
There was a time when taxes
were small-we paid our taxes. We
didn't like them. but we did 1t in a
Notwithstanding sort of way. But
the tax problem has grown from an
acorn to giant proportions
And this matter of affording re-
lief to builders of homes strikes me
as one OF the most important
phases of the problem of taxation.
Home occupies a high place in
America But now we are becom-
ing cooped UP in sardine-Iike apart
ments. for which we pay prohibitive
rents.
The laws that are being fash
ioned to curtail prohteering in
rents ultimately defeat their own
ends. By prohibiting landlord
from increasing his rent beyond a
certain measure the effect is merely
to drive capital out of the building
industry.
The Calder project works by a
different method. 1t employs not
the sting but the honey to attract
capital in the building business. 1t
says to the builder II you build now
for the next five years you pay no
taxes on the building and the re-
suit is that all benefit by the tax