Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-05
INDUSTRY OF
AMERICAFAUS
IN BUILDING
Housing Situation Calls for
Organization and COnstruc-
ton in Large Way.
CITIES MUST TAKE LEAD
BY FREDERICK j. HAsKIN.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-Great corpor-
ations in every city to build houses for
US in groups of at least 800 and to retain
the management and administration Of
those houses as long as they last.
That is the solution Of the housing
problem which is proposed by John
Ihlder, manager of civic development for
the Chamber of Commerce Of the United
States He offers 1t as his personal
opinion as to what should be done. But
about 100 of the local Chambers OF Com
merce have already fathered housing COM
panies after this fashion, and the national
chamber Is preparing to hold series OF
conferences. with Mr.. Ihlder as consult
ing specialist, to determine upon ma
tional housing plan. So 1t may be safe
IL guessed that the Chamber Of Com
merce of the United States will attempt
to solve the housing problem by apply
ing big business organization and erfi-
cheney to it.
The move is significant. 1t seems to be
the first organized effort to solve the
housing problem in this country. 1t may
be taken as the effort OF American CAPT
tai to meet it's responsibility in this re-
gard
HOUSING PROBLEM
WORLDWIDE.
The housing problem is world wide. In
every country that engaged IN the war,
building of dwellings practically ceased
for two to four years. In England 1t
was Immediately recognized that private
capital was not competent to handle the
problem. 1t was neither prepared nor
willing to do anything adequate. Neither
could the British workman pay the rents
which must be paid If capital is to get
its interest and profit. Yet men and
women were dying for lack Of houses.
The British government decided that Il
was necessary to save the British people
even II British capitalism suffered some-
thing Of a setback In the process. There
fore the British government proceeded to
build houses It did build and is build
ing them by the thousand 1t is renting
them for less than they are worth. The
measure Is "a measure OF state socialism,
Of what is commonly dubbed paternalism
in this country. 1t is a body blow at
private capital. 1t seems to have been
the beginning of a general process of
specialization in England. But 1t had to
be done. Capital couldn't do the work,
WAR BRINGS
DEMONSTRATIONS.
The same thing was true IN this coun-
try during the war. Dwellings for war
workers simply had 10 be had at once
and at reasonable prices. So Government
had TO build them. But after the ar
mistice the Government Housing CorpO-
ration was quickly put out Of business.
II first demonstrated that houses foi
workmen can be made attractive and can
be grouped into pretty villages. and that
woTkmen appreciate such houses.
IT,. g, ~
a postwar housing problem as Great
Britain. Yet it is more serious than yor
realize unless you are hunting an apart
ment We are about q million and a
quarter short of the number Of houses
we need IN order to house our popula-
ton as we'll as we did before the war
This means that there are at least four
million more people in the United States
than we have comfortable housing room
for.
That is bad enough But the worst
of It is that nothing adequate IS being
done to remedy the situation. Capital
has not met the emergency in this coun-
try. any more than 1t did IN England.
And Government has not even tried. The
revulsion against Government ownerships
control and initiative. which followed the
war. made that impossible. We have
therefore preserved intact our beloved
system Of private enterprise, but the said
enterprise IN the building trades has not
made itself conspicuous except in the
unSavory ways recently revealed in the
New York Investigations.
SITUATION
GROWS WORSE.
You think you seea good deal Of build
ing going on. Then consider these facts:
I.
an average of 10000 housss 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 1919
Consider that last sentence. The hous-
ing situation so far is not getting better.
1t is getting worse. We are not failing
to make up he shortage in houses; we are
falling to keep up with the normal in
crease in the population. The housing
situation viii almost certainly be worse
n year from now than it is today. Our
Building industry has fallen down on
the job.
OF course you cannot blame the build
Ing industry as a unit. Costs are high.
People won't build because they feel that
If they wait a year or two they can
build much cheaper. Contractors who
build houses to sell find IL had to sell
them. People cannot scrape up the
money 20 make the initial payment. And
the builder cannot afford to build
houses to rent He cannot scrape Ut
enough money to keep himslf going on
that basis.
The whole thing is a fine illustration of
the way the industrial system does not
work. There is plenty of material. There
is plenty Of idle labor. There are sew
eral million people who need houses. Ana
yet houses are not built. Those magical
forces Of supply and demand upon which
we so implicitly rely are simply not
working.
HOMES FOR WAGE
GARNER NOT BUILT.
Most Of the houses you see going up
are expensive houses. Most Of them are