Imperial Valley press., 1925-05-07
AWAY WITH THE SHACK

The April building records which showed that
four homes be built in hse city aggregatng
$4,000 was welcome to all of us. 1t simply en-
phaszed the already very evident fact that we are at
least realizing the paramount Importance OF better
homes in the valley.
On every hand throughout this city of ours
attractive new homes going up, more than 40 IN all
having been built since the first of the year This is
splendid record for town the size of this and one
that merits than passing consideration.
However, city can never become the truly
beautiful spot 1t should be as long as unsghtly
shacks, that abound every hand, remain The
desert shack, hangover from the pioneer days, is
alas entirely too conspicuous in our midst and an
earnest movement should be started Immediately to
either condemn these unsightly abodes or force the
owners to put them in livable condition.
One can take ride down some of our best resi-
dence streets and find crazyookng shacks, dlapldat
ed and hardly than lean-tOs, alongside pretty
homes with attractive lawns and all modern improve
ments The writer has in mind block of good look
ing homes, most of them owned by the people who
live in them with green, we'll trimmed lawns, and an
asset to the town in every respect The writer person
ally knows that the owner of one of these homes
paid nearly $4,000 for his property because was close
to town and exactly fitted his needs However, right
next to him and in the middle of this otherwise attrac
tive block, two of the most nondescrlp looking
shacks one could imagine. They have never been
painted since they were slapped up years ago They
should not be inhabited at ALL yet living quarters are
so in this town that these excuses for houses are
rented at eXorbitant prices and the occupants forced
to put up with the most unsanitary and uncomfortable
conditions The flaps are coming to pieces and the
canvass that covered them is In shreds, flying IN
the wind, making one think of frowzy witches.
The presence of these shacks, which by right
should have been down years and years ago. not
only presents horrible eyesore and actual menace to
the community, but deteriorates the value of every
Il house i1'that block. - rs - @F.>A. -
This is not an isolated instance-there are count
less other blocks you look out and count three or
four of them without moving from your own front
porch
There are two ways of handling these nusances-
either bv condemnng them fire menaces or as be-
ing highly unsanitary The state laws lay down GER
tain plumbing requirements for living quarters with
which these novels do not conform in any sense.
1t is high time that the city council should take
some steps have this eliminated forever II
the owners will not be reasonable enough to put these
quarters in living condition then measures should be-
enacted to get rid of them altogether.
We are not shack community any longer That
day has passed long ago. The pioneer days are gone
and these houses many of them thrown up hastily un-
der stress of emergency much out Of place IN
this town as hang tree" would be our main street
Until something is done to abolish the shack, this
town can up to its fullest development
1t is time for to realize that not hck town,
wearing handme down clothes, but KEEN progressive
American city, alive and alert to the Influence OF good
homes and civic beauty.