The Washington times., 1925-06-08
With The
iAIibi Artists
Parking Forces Mr..
Doe to Give Up Home
in the Suburbs
Bungalow or Business
By DONALD McDOUGAL.
Reconcentrad0s.


In the spring of 1921, q friend
Of ours left his downtown apart
rnent and bought a bungalow
nice one, it was, with seven
rooms and two baths: fifty by a
hundred and fifty foot lot, flower
garden in front, vegetable patch
in the back.
We went out there to see him
last winter, and sat in front OF
the sure-enough stone fireplace
burning oak logs that cracked
and snapped and sent flickering
flames up the chimney.
Mrs. Doe took US out to the
kitchen and introduced us to the
servants-the electric range,
toaster, frying pan, coffee pot,
washing machine, drying machine,
ironing machine and half e dozen
others whose specialties we've
forgotten now.
A good share of the dinner
that night was prepared at the
table by Mrs. Doe, and with her
sleeves rolled up, too, like they
cook omelets in silk hats on the
stage.
Every time she put tho raw
materials for the next course inso
an empty receptacle and a minute
or two later handed around por.
items OF the finished product We
applauded vigorously.
The last experiment was the
preparation Of sauce of q de-
cicedly anti -Volstead character,
and we gave q hearty encore.
In the summer, John said, hi:
lettuce and sweet corn gave him
the open air exercise he needed t.
keep In trim, and Mrs. Doe hadn't
swallowed q pill or showed her
tongue to q doctor since they'd
been out there.
From the breakfast table to
Johns desk in the Colorado build-
ing was q twentY.minute sDin, he
told ug, and the monthly cost Of
his home was about the same as
the rent he had been paving In
the downtown apartment. But in
ten years the property would be
his and he wouldn't have 70 pay
any rent at all.
Last April the Does gave up
their bungalow and came back to
town.
II had to do it. Had too much
trouble getting to work, and stay
ing at work after / got there.
Every other morning, I chased
around the block two or three
times looking for q place to park.
And every hour during the day
had to leave my work and park
all over again. ! 49,. -
That inferfered with my bus
mess. It took time away from
my work, and It took thought
away too. You can't do two
things at lonce, and do them
right. / can't, anyhow. If some
statistician would figure out the
value of time lost by business
men running out every hour 20
change their cars, the total would
stagger humanity.
For q while, Jane used to drive
me to work, and then call for me
at quitting time. But that scheme
failed. I'm not q clock-watcher
and II occasion demanded that /
stay, in the office an hour or no
after the usual time. stayed.
Or 1t might be Is minutes. And
Jane couldn't wait for me-she
couldn't park abreast.
Last winter / realized that had
to give up my business or give up
my bungalow, but 1 can't get
get along without my business. 20
here / am downtown again, help
ing to boost apartments rents.
And they don't need boosting,
can tell you."
The case Of John Doe set us to-
thinking. Wed like to know how
many apartment dwellers ara in
the downtown district because
their cars are made useless to
them in the same. way that Johns
was.
Its q certainty that the major
increase in rents has been for
apartments readily accessible to
the business district. It's also a
certainty that the more applicants
there are for apartments, the
higher apartment rentals will go.
We don't believe that mere greed
Of landlords ls the scientifically
correct explanation Of the great
increase in rents