Evening star., 1924-11-01
'sBETTER HOMES'' WEEK
SCHEDULED MAY 1917
Hundreds of Communities to Join II,
Increment to oInproue Liuing Conditions.
Coolidge and Hoover An,ong Backers.

ton asks also that communities de-
vote their chief attention to the
ton of homes of moderate
cost, since the most urgent home
making problem in the Nation at
present is the problem of the small
home owner.
The question often arises: What is
the first thing to do in planning
better homes demonstration? OF just
what does a demonstration consist?
How may a community desiring one
go about it to hold demonstration?
Any, community or community group
which wishes to hold better homes
demonstration shoulC get in touch
with national headquarters of Better
Homes in America, 1653 Pennsylvania
avenue. Washington, and steps Will
be taken at once to give advice in
this regard.
school Won Prize.
Many variations of this typical
demonstration are possible. One of
| them was illustrated in 1923 at Port
Huron, Mich. where the cfvics stu
dents OF The Washington Junior High
School. with funds advanced by a
public minded citizen, built, equipped
and furnished the house that won the
first price in the 1923 contest of bet
ter homes in America, selling it at
the close of the demonstration for
S300 over and above expenses. The
feat of these Port Huron students has
resulted in a plan for the erection this
year of a practice house on the high
school campus. where education in
home making will be given to students
in the future. A similar type of dem
onStration held this year was that OF
st. Helena Island, S. c.. IL rural dis
trict with d population almost en-
tirely negro. which won special
prize through the construction and
demonstration of Il special 5-room
school house at cost of only S1."S5.
A third type Of demonstration was
that at Atlanta, winner of the second
prize for a better home, where the
demonstration was of three houses
one selling with land at S13.500. an
other at $500. and the third demon
strated by a colored subcommittee.
five-room bungalow. selling with land
at $3.50 and attractively furnished
for only 5000.
Mining Town Works.
A unique demonstration was held
last year in NataIia, Pa, small min
ing town situated on the top Of
mountain in the anthracite region,
where the community decided upon
better IomeS demonstration not of
any one house. but of the entire town
Natalie as whole was cleaned up,
repainted, redecorated, scores of gar
dens were started. and hundreds of
trees were planted. The boys and
girls of the town entered into the
campaign and succeeded in getting
new town playground as their con-
tribution toward better homes.
In Greenville. S. c.. this year
81 900 demonstration home was pro-
vided After the demonstration the
house was sold. Thus. with no ex-
pense to any one and large returns
to the entire community. a Better
Homes demonstration was held. In
many rural communities where 1t is
impossible to secure demonstration
house the method of rotating demon
strations will be followed.
Reasons for Demonstration.
The organization sums up the rea-
sons why every community in the
United States should hold Better
Homes demonstration as follows:
l. To demonstrate the advantages