Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-04
HOME OWNERSHIP
INSTINCT GENERAL
Growth of cooperative Idea
Held Due to Desire to
Satisfy Longing.
BY EDMUND j. FLYNN.

The desire for home ownership is
inherent in the average person. Stu
dents of sociology estimate that 81
per cent of the people have this urge
TO own their own homes, but many
of these cannot afford an individual
dwelling with the kind of accommo-
dations and services they wish. To
these, cooperative ownership Of
apartment homes offers a solution IF
their economic problem.
Cooperative ownership of apart
ment homes is older than the United
States. AS far back as 1920 at Rennes
in France, housing genius conceived
this idea for placing the ownership of
comfortable homes within the reach
of persons of moderate means. The
economic principle he applied--the
use of the combined resources of II
group for the benefit of the individual
nembers-is much older.
Prior to 1920, in France as in ether
countries, only those of wealth or
powerful position could own and liain-
tain homes which provided the com
forts, conveniences and services of
the times. The idea of cooperative
home ownership. therefore. was horn
of necessity.
Met Real Human Need.
BY a simple application Of The eco
nomic principle of combined purchaS
ing power, large-Scale production and
operation. the comparatively built,
owned and operated home came into
being to meet "a real human need
That need exists today and X as i'm
portant to the welfare of the masses
AS it was 200 years ago. True, we
have nc. such wide divisions in society,
no such inequalities Of opportunity
and vested right. no such absolute
concentration of wealth and power in
the hands of the few as prevailed
centuries back.
On the other hand. we have the
problem caused by that very progress
which changed the social aspect. The
majority of our people demand COM
fort in housing which would have
been deemed Utopian in 1920. This
modern problem, also. is the more
Nexing because the average income
has not kept pace with the mounting
cost Of living in accordance with the
standards of today.
Naturally. New York. with IT'S mil
lions. was the first place in the United
States to turn to the cooperative
method of providing home ownership
AT minimum cost In more than 30
years since it was adopted there. i.
has fiourished until now every vari-
ETY. of cooperative apartment, from
the modest two:fa uily fat on the Fast
Side to the luxurious homes of wealth
on Fifth avenue. is available at prices
ranging from a few thousand to hun
'ireds of thousands of dollars each.
Big Investments Made.
More than $4,000. 600 has been in
vested in the Park avenue district of
New York City in cooperative apart.
nlents. More than 100 families live
in cooperative apartment buildings
sold in one community in Queens
Borough, New York. In Chicago there
are more than 100 apartmen. build
ings operating under. this plan, includ.
ing many of the fines: buildings il the
city. The movement also has become
an important factor in Philadelphia,
Brooklyn. Los Angeles. Seattle, Wash
ington and number of other large
cities.
In some of the cities mentioned the
need for pltcin. ownership OF COM
Portable homes within the DIrrnn sing
power of The average income would
seem greater than it is in Washing.
ton. We have mo slum%, no CunseS ed
sections which properly could be ..oD-
pared with the teeming tenement dis,
triCtS>of other large cities.
As Il matter of fact. q corsidpr:lt,is
percentage of WaShinSton's peoni. i.
composed oil what may he termed
homecoming stock. Many of them.
II not most of them. have come from
smaller cities or towns where the cosi
of home ownership Is lower and with.
in the average local means. they
have owned their own homes: they
want to own their own homes 'rha,-