The Washington times., 1922-03-05

pRMoops HUTCHINSON
p house IL still his castle In . num-
her of most uncomfortable and in
p. copyenient senses, cold. dark.
+, Damp and draftS.
Tho worst fault that a house
possibly can have from a health
point OF View is that II Is old.
IN recent times the majority OF
a places IN which people have to
- live would be paid an .undeserved
eompiiment II they were called
TONES or even houses.
BUILDING FOR HEALTH.
They are built to return a good
income on the Investment. tho
next largest moiety to form =
monument for the architect. and
: the third most important fraction
70 prove publicly and hescapably
that the owner '"hasnfhs price"
BUILDING FOR tho health and
comfort OF the occupant. or for
? the pleasure and welfare Of the
community has only just begun.
and most OF the best and most
@ convenient sites are already &C.
cupied by rack:rented barracks or
'tnisfits sor caiamities IN brick or
st9sAS sS!riGG' $50 s-.B
:" fSor tho sako Or health there
should be passed, therefore law
fixing term Of life for houses
used for dwellings, and this term
should be IN the neiehborhood Of
= fifty years. The Almighty In His
wisdom has fixed tho term Of
human LIE at three score years
ssnd ten, which - a. Ercat mercy
for tho rest or tho community,
. and We sho6ld initiate him by
fixinx = lifetime for houses one
third shorter than this because
we cannot yet build n well n
= He s9t,., -..s g..
Every house stiIl used for
- human -fsbitation. and dwelling
should be automatically burned or
pulled down when Il has stood for
fifty. years unless II can be clear
II shown to be thoroughly sani-
p .tary, up to date and fit for
huInan hAbitation according to
modern standards, or can be
readily altered to make it SO.
SOME EXCEPTIONS
Exceptions, OF course. should be
made OF buildings Of historical in
. terest, birthplaces of famous men.
speciments OF lost periods OF archi-
. lecture. ETC.. but thess should be
turned into public museums and no
longer lived in.
D." This would involve no real injus-
: tice, to the owners Of the property.
Let so a. to return about 10 per
cent on the original Investment to
cover repairs. dilapidation. etc;
, consequently, the house pays for
Itself every ton years, or four or
I'VE times over in fifty years.
81. Tho sgrostest obstacle we have
T.. fight, five times ~ serious ~
any other in attempts, Mt, and
ssohemes for, housing reforms, d
the old house. Utterly incapable
of being made sanitary and de-
. cent for human utilization. It may
be yet too tough, and strong to
allow It to be condemned on the
ground OF being unsafe to live in.
Our .hesthenish and outrageous
old building laws in, most States
and cities, permit the condemna-
ton of = house only on the. grounds
that Its walls are liable. to collapse
or It's roof to fall in. or It's floors
to give way. even though It be a
perfect breeding ground for bugs
and a ho 'ls Of disease and
death.
QUESTION OF. REVENUE.
LII We had power 10, pub down
these wretched old baby stiflers
and consumption breeders. the
owners or. the proper.K would have
- difficulty, 9ins borrowing money
enough on the land TO- erect In
their place, modern. sanitary, model
tenemente> or .apartment houses.
Bstthese would oplNreturn them
Scr 80 Per cent? oae their. sinvest.
nIeatr while the existing old rock
cries and barracks Dsy, anywhere
from 10 TO 10, per. ,sent on the
orisinal yaosl. so that As long as
our. brutal and sntiqusted laws
5,.. y-ts-,,z. an. sr.n .rt.r