The New York herald., 1921-01-02
MUSTEDUCATE PUBLIC
TO NEW PRICE LEVELS
Suburban Expert Says It's Sad. but
True. That Old Values Will
Never Return
~ A. ". LocKNER
Secretary ~ Frince Z EFisg

AHF"N - Mf
small rfoptfiion are usis 10 a. - a
sepuate hnH.a ana H uang instanees
thr two fsu.iies sf tefnhirsst ara Nte
now seldom nlr1rll hl enly one family.
The servant proni0ul ia itssn alscouwsaes
tilis. AanI naFe hecn converted lntp
apartment or waln.fama.sr houahf n
some sort. and tafrshF srfse ~ h0Ufe a
much grratsr rurlhsf W ptcpie
This condition - affairs isafar ffora
desirabie H "a an unbfsishy fon1iftna
both nguratFtiy ana literally n =
only right aud proper that vher uls
newiyweds start h9ueekeepinW tiey -
Il independently snd In a harne cf thf-
own. The coribining ~ "iu-iaea" trs
been the wreck % many 4 rlstrtrct -
ship before it Eot fairly started C@~
gcstion and crarnped liTinE quarters are
morally dangerous. ~ a. MY belief
therefore. that there A. an Immense and
ever Increasing potential demand for
homes. The People are fairly ncnlug 10
spread out and have more room O. rent.
10 buy or 20 build honeN
This great demand manifested itaeIf
materially during thc sear 0f 1919 and
the spring ~ 1890. and tD a certain ~.
tent right up 20 the beginning ~ tis@
present dcprcsscd business spasni. but 4
did not haif show b. fuil strength Tgse
prices of acqulring and maintaining a
home were 30 high that thar had reaahna
beyond the power cf tha people to nav
and only a small portion of the reai a.
mand was satisfied I.ike al other rorn-
modites. real estate is now suffering
from the strike ~ the buyers and the
process Of doubling 40 contlnura
Exactly the same condition exists IN
other commodities. paint for instanc~
a ~ f.r.. 4
thousands OF building fairly crying for
paint. but they are nof being painted.
Whyg Painting Is too hiEh TIE owner
cannot afford a. But the Immense te-
nsnd exists Just as u does for bomss.
whence shall Come she Rsiiefr
Now the question Is. How arc we roinx
to relieve this condition and transform
this great potential denand into q real
demand which can b. satisfied Thers
are only two ways that this can DC done
FIRST. that OF producing homes Al less
cost and at a more moderate upkecp 20
that people can afford 10 buy, rent or
buiid-and second. the process OF slow
~ educating the people TO the effect that
nome ownership H. never again going
TO be as low Ia cost as IL was before the
war To illustrate. suppose we could pro-
duce small. new attractive seven room
mouse in good Westchester suburb Tlke
Pelham. Scarsdale or White Plains and
offer II for $4,000. and that II could be
carried at a cost OF about $500 per year.
The demand would manifest itself and
any number OF these could be sold.
IL we could produce a little estate
with an acre OF ground aud a uo.l-rn
nine or ten room house In one Of the
finer suburbs convenient TO train al vav
$4,000 10 $4,000. Il would sell al
once. But from all sources I am n
formed that this cannot and never win
be possible. The factors anu elements
which enter into the home cost win
never come down 10 plane where such
values can be produced II is hard TO
convince some buyers Of this fact IN a
market such as we are experiencing
Just now, but personally 40 not tnlnk
that the cost OF homes viii drop in any
great degree from what they are to-
| day.
| Therefore we are forced 10 the second
method, that OF generally educating the
| people to the fact that homes are or a
different price plane and can never b
bought or carried at this low cost.