Evening star., 1937-09-05
HOUSING SUCCESS
IN j. s. PREDICTED
British Expert Is Interested
in Working Out of
Wagner Act.

=
N.A.N.A).-Barrow Cadbury, Brit
ish authority on housing, here to at
tend the World Conference OF Friends,
believes that recent movements un-
dertaken In the United States will be
As successful in providing low cost
housing as English projects have been.
He Is especially interested in observ-
ing the working out OF the provisions
Of the -Steagall housing bill
recently passed by Coro-e-s
Cadbury Is nephew OF George
Cadbury, who founded the Bournville
Village Trust, which now controls and
administers several villages OF work.
ingmen's homes I miles from the
center Of the industrial city OF Bir-
mineham.
Although land values and building
costs today present far less favorable
economic conditions than those under
which this English project started, the
experiment in low cost housing de-
velopment, outlined by Cadbury, has
attracted the attention of many
American housing experts.
Taxpayers in this country who have
been questioning whether the $780,
000,0 900 Federal subsidy in the new
housing act will ever yield economic
returns and social minded American ms
who clamor for improved housing for
workers with low incomes, In The be-
lief that this will insure better citi-
zenship attitudes, may both find en-
couraeement in what has been ac-
complished at Bournville. 1t has been
long enough in operation for definite
results to be recorded
Cottages Successful.
II understand" said Cadburv. that
here in the United States it is felt
that apartment housing can be built
more cheaply than cottages. In
Bournville it has been possible to
build cottages detached, mi-deta ched
or in blocks Of three or four, 80 giving
opportunity for growth OF community
spirit and still make them financially
successful
1T has even been possible, not only
to extend the original project so that
1T now takes in something like l,5OO
acres. has about 1000 buildings and
has reached a value OF over 81, soc, 900,
but to do large amount OF extension
work with its accrual of funds 1t is
now a shareholder in several lov-cost
housing projects in different parts of
England and it has set standards in
town planning 1t aims 70 obtain a
4 per cent return on investment.
The financial success of ,he project
was not the foremost cons it,era tion at
the beginning. But it was soon realized
that, il Bournville was to represent a
plan that could be put into opera ton
in other industrial areas. II must be
imam cially sound. it must be made to
pay. Otherwise. it would remain pure
ly philanthropic venture
Built for Workers.
Cadbury Brothers, Ltd. manufac-
turers Of chocolate, moved their plant
out from the center OF Birmingham in
the last century and, in 1895, George
Cadbury bought $50 acres and built
200 cottages for his workers. For over
so years he had taught Sunday
morning Bible class OF men and his
acquaintance with workers had led
him to feel the great need for better
homes.
His frst plan was to sell cottages on
the terms workers could meet But,
as the project has developed. arrange
ments Of various types have beer made.
cold leo
some comparatively owned ano man.
aged. Families from adjoining areas
now seek housing in Bounville, and
there is seldom a vacancy.
Since 1901 the project has been
administered by the Bournville Viii
lage Trust. to which George Cadbury
turned over his holdings with the
stipulation that profits be used for ex-
tension OF the Bournville idea. The
deed Of trust empowered the trustees
to acquire land and construct build
ings for workers in any part Of Eng
land. Certain wishes Of the donor
were also specified, such as that each
house should occupy only one-fourth
OF the homestead site. the remaining
three-fourths to be used for garden
space, orchard and lawn; that streets
should have shade trees. that sites for
public buildings should be set aside,
that one-tenth of village land be used
for parks and recreation grounds. and
that the developments be non n-political
and non-sectarian. The range OF
rentals now runs from approximately
$3.50 to 81 week per cottage.
(Copyrisht, 1897, by the North Amercsn
Newspaper Alliance IncJ