New-York tribune., 1921-01-23

every one realizes the usury law is
evaded in those states where it exists
and the high price of land. When
to all of these difficulties is added the
all-around high prices due to- the de-
preciated dollars of highly inflated
currency, the wonder is not that build
ing is inadequate, but that any build
ing is done at all. The short way to
an adequate housing supply is the abo-
lition of these restrictions, so that
money may flow normally into housing
Investments, instead of beiHg turned
aside to less necessary uses where
larger profits are forthcoming"
Besides tax exemption for money in
vested in building enterprises Mr.. Muir
ply advocates heavy taxation of unused
land and compulsory priority for build
ing materials in transportation. He
shares the typical American business
mans distrust of government interven-
ton in commercial problems, and insists
that the return to normal housing con-
ditions must be achieved through private
initiative.
Mrs. Wood, on the other hand, is an
advocate of state Intervention, at least
SO far as the housing of working men
and women is concerned.
"Housing for unskilled wage earners,"
she says, "must be supplied at cost as a
public utility"
Celebrating this thesis she points to
the experiments in state and municipal
housing which have been undertaken in
Germany, Belgium, England, New Zea-
land and other countrier. She chal-
lenges Mr.. Murphy on various points of
fact and theory. She asserts that ado,
quate housing accommodations can never
be provided for the unskilled wage
Garner on a profit-making basis. She
contends that labor would cooperate
much more readily with state repre-
sentatives than with private contractors,
once the element of profit is eliminated
from the building program. She dis
agrees sharply with Mr.. Murphy about
he success of municipal housing enter
orises in England and elsewhere.
Mrs. Wood sums up her suggestions
as follows:
a. The immediate appointment of
national, state and local housing COM
missions to study the subject, which even
yet is not widely enough understood.
"2. longtime housing loans to work
ingmen at low interest rates under the
auspices of Federal and state govern
mcnts. Nearly every civilized govern
ment in the world, except ours, already
holds out this helping hand to it's
workers.
"3. Municipal housing at cost for
lower paid wage earncrs, and slum
clearance where necessary. British and
German experiences, especially, show
both are feasible"
While Mr.. Murphy and Mrs. Wood set
forth the arguments for and against
private initiative and government con-
troll as means Of solving the housing
problem, Mr.. Alderman carries on a
constant guerrilla campaign against
both their camps. Quoting Thorstein
Veblen as one of his chief economic
authorities, he pronounces sweeping
condemnation Of the whole modern in
dustrial system. Production for profit,
he believes, with it's waste, its dupli-
cation, its curtailment Of output, must
60 before any genuine amelioration of
the housing situation is possible. He
is also convinced that our cities are
too large, and he is inclined to oppose
any schemes for making them larger.
He sounds this warning note at the end
Of the debate:
"Under present conditions, with our
attitude toward maintaining the right
to exploit, how to arrest the drift of
population into industrial centers, how
70 arrest the building of slums. how
to end the housing famine must re-
main q riddle. And it will remain an
! unanswered riddle just SO long as the
legal right to acquire wealth without
rendering service in return-the right
to profteer and exploits stands firm"
Such q symposium is of great and
unmistakable value in arousing intel
ligent public interest In the solution of
a difficult and serious problem Of daily
life. The cases for private and govern
ment activity in the building field are
ably and fairly put by Mr.. Murphy and
! Mrs. Wood. And Mr.. Ackerman's
shrewd and vigorous, if largely mega.
live, criticisms are admirably calcu.
lated to point out the weak spots in
the programs and arguments of his
opponents.