Imperial Valley press., 1922-05-31

There are thousands of little towns
in every state that should begin right
now to think about this problem. If
they follow bad system of city build
ing, it will be bad for all time.
I Every organization, business and So
cial, should get behind the movement.
A plan should be worked out that would
meet with the endorsement of every or
should be the motive.
How can every family have an acre
of ground, you ask. There is not room
they will have to move out too far, you
say.
Draw a circle seven miles in all di-
rections from the center of your town.
There will be 100000 acres of land in
side the circle. If your business dis
trict is two miles square, 1t contains
less than 5000 acres. This leaves over
81, 900 acres for homes-.an acre apiece
for $4,000 families. The average family
consists of five people; this will provide
homes for nearly half a million people.
If each family has half acre you can
provide for city of nearly million in
habitants-all within seven miles of the
business district.
The economic thing is not to have a
home with just paved street in front
and no ground-but place big enough
to produce something-to grow some OF
the necessities of life.
You can buy or build a house but
that is not a home. 1t is only house.
| If the workman wants real home, one
| in which he can live cheaper than he
| can rent he must so far enough out TO
have some land so he can grow a garden
and reduce the cost of living.
In nearly every family there is a
grandfather or grandmother, or children
too young to work; perhaps there Is
some one in poor health. If there is a
garden, these will have something to
dos something that will help support
the family.
J. Other Than Cash Dividends
Such home will be real home. II
will be q home the workman can buy
and pay for. 1t will provide outdoor
exercise, sunshine and pure air. 1t will
keep the family in touch with growing
| things. 1t will improve their health
| keep them vigorous and strong; make
| hem good citizens.
/ The promise Of free land turns home
! ess men into frenzied mobs.
UnpIincipled land owners understand
| this human desire for ownership and
capitalize it.
| Every man Graves n home of his own.
| If we make it easy for this craving to
| be realized, we will make this nation
Of home-owners.
Unfair requirements, exorbitant in
| terest-these things create discomfort,
endanger the safety of the nation, are
criminal, unpatriotic, almost treason
able. When man is deprived of what
ne has put into his home, because he
was unable to meet payment, some
thing is wrong. The state is. to blame
when legalized robbery exists. Every
| man has right to square deal.
No movement for home ownership
can succeed unless we cooperate with
| one another-unless we work together.
| If we make it narrow, money-making
proposition, there Will be no life to it.
1t will die-and it should de. Business
must be back of it-not a part of it.
Mothers think most in the terms of
boys and girls. They must make every
effort, exert every influence to pre-
vent a great and worthy idea from be
| ing exploited merely for the benefit of
some real estate agent, some builder, OF
some lumber dealer.
There are real estate men and build
ers and lumber dealers who are inspired
by genuinely worthy and patriotic mo-
tives. But there are others who are not.
Makeshift Is Exploitation.
| = aFf no hot hn ~,
who takes tho least interest in human