Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-22

One of the greatest needs with
which the industries of this city and
vicinity ave to COPE with today is
the lack of houses for their employ
es. Before the war there seemed to
be any number OF houses that could
be obtained by workmen, but as the
war progressed these houses became
filled and, strange as 1t may seem
after the war was over, these houses
remained occupied and conditions
are little better today.
The lack of homes ior employees
is felt keenly by the ceramics tn
dustry, at the present time, and on
ditions for more homes for employees
do not look very promising. For
a long period of time there was lit
tie or nothing doing In the ceramic
industry in this section of the state
and the lack of workers was not no.
ticed to n great extent. Today,
however, this industry is booming
and the lack of homes for exper.-
enced men has become a hardship.
Under present conditions these
men come to Perth Amboy, Wood
bridge and Metuchen, for employ
ment in the various ceramics fac
tories and although they readily
find employment, the matter of liv-
ing accommodations is another mat
ter. In fact the lack of housing
has even become so bad that men
have found it almost impossible
to even obtain a place to board, let
alone a home into which he can
move his family.
1t is said by those who are inter-
ested in the matter, that If some
enterprisinR firm would build a
series of houses, probably twenty
five or more, h little trouble would
be found in renting them and that
probably they would fad a greater
demand for them il sold on the in
stal1ment plan or through some en-
terprising building and loan asso-
citation.
The question of homes for en-
ployes will probably be brought
home more and more to the ce-
ramic industry, as this county today
presents to the entire state the ideal
place to learn the secrets of COM
mon clay or mud. This has been
brought about mainly through the
building at the New Jersey State
College or Rutgers College in New
Brunswick, the new ceramics build
ing which is to be devoted to the
study of this Fascinating industry.
The cerimac industry is not the
only one that is confronted with
inc lack OIL housing IOr ltS employees.
1t is practically impossible to get
any new skilled labor to settle here
because of the lack of housing. A
man who is skilled at his trade and
is valuable to a firm will not leave
some other locality and come to
this city to work, unless a home can
be found for his family also. OF
course, there are a few cases where
a man will allow his family to re-
side in another town while he him
self works somewhere else and gees
home once a week, but the occa-
sions like these are few. and unless
the average skilled mechanic can
be with his family each night he
will not seek employment in an
other locality, no matter how fiat
tering the inducements.
The houses needed for employees
of today, must be along lines that
give the most comfort as well as
serve as a protection from the
weather. There was a time when
the skilled mechanics would put up
with almost anything as long as it
was a place to lay his head, but to-
day these times have changed. The
skilled mechanic must have i'm
provements in his home, he must
have a place in which his daush-
tiers and sons can entertain, he is
n of the most valued citizens and