Imperial Valley press., 1942-02-08
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

WASHINGTON. Feb. "A grca
deal Of the confessional thinkinI
on housing is still based on til
assumption that the only kind o
housing which is any gOod is tina
in which an honest America,
worker buys a house or farm
on time. settles down in the com
munlty. raises a family. finall'
pays eff the mortgage, stays OF
the same place or keeps workin!
for the same company all his life
saves enough money to retire ol
and spends comfortable old az,
puttCring around the house hC
and the little woman built Jus
after they got married 40 year,
ago.
That was the prc-F First
World War conception of ideal
American life. II is still tho
rural and the small town CON
ccption of life as it should be.
and the majority of the con-
gressmen today are definitely
rural. definitely small town.
definitely pre- World War-Onc
No one can deny that those
were the good old days. But
the question arises as to wheth-
er life is like that any more or
whether will ever be like that
again.
Surveys today indicate that not
9ne worker in 100 lives in the SANE
house for IS years. Jobs change
Factories 60 bust. A drouth or i,
depression comes along and make
necessary wholesale migrationS ol
thousands of people. Hopeful home
owners carrying mortgages get fcre-
closed on, Slap-dab in the middle
of one CT these CaStaStrophieS anc
lose everything but their shorts
THE AMERICA THAT WAS
1t is sad to admit, but rural ano
small town America as they We're
in these good old days arc dis
appearing. Rurally. there arcn'l
encuah new farms opening up fol
the SONS of farmers reaching man
hood. and these good young mer
have to go to the bic town for "
lob. In the small towns, Likewise
there aren't enough Jobs to 6
around With automobile, Gceo
roads and eight-hour days, these
young fellers and lot Of tn,
older ones can commute to job
30 or 10 or 30 miles away from
home.
If YOU we're to spell out the cycle
of shelter requirements for the aH-
eragc worker during his lie spar
today. housing experts believe il
would be something like this:
|. Before marriage-Onc room.
?. Just married-two or three
rooms
;. Raising a family-onc to
two more rooms.
4. Change of jobS-a differ
ent dwelling for each new To-
cation.
5. Increasing prOsperity-a
bigger and better house.
6. After the children grow
I'D and leave home-back TO
two or three or four rooms.
SETTLING DOWN" IS OUT
In other words. during 80 or IL
years Of useful life. the average
family will require from five to SIX
or maybe 10 different dwellings,
This isn't confined to factory work
ers in the lower income brackets
either. It applies to white collar
workers in the middle income
proups and to skilled tcchniclan5
professional folks and executives
particularly to the better paid en-
plovees of big corporations Whc
get transferred from one brancr
office or one plant to anothel
often in distant cities. These "hltt
collar migrants are Just as mucr
of housing headache as the DAY
laborer. And none can be eXpectec
to buy and sell a house every tlme
the family changes location witf
any expectations OF coming ou'
even on the hali-do2cu deals
In the fact Of such condltIcn1
the old talk of settling down ano
raising a family" become mere
nonsense as expressing the way
of average American life Tho lat
I ter part is still possible, but thf
former is complicated.
ACUTE SHORTAGE LOOMS
There is a demand u9%, 'oi
housing from 5 per cent to 10 pei
cent of the war industry workers
For lack of housing on the JOB
workmcn who live in Connecticut
are riding in their automobiles tc
war Jobs in New JERSEY and bacF
n bed in Connecticut. And from
Atlantic City they drive to Joo'
in Camden and Philadelphia
Wherever there is a BIZ no" mu-
nitions plant or shipyard there arr
cases Of long distance committing
like this till the housing problem
IS solved.
But wait till tires wear out
and for lack Of rubber can't
bc replaced. Committing by pri-
yate auto will then he out of
tho question, anu p'Hl'"" w
demand for additional housing
for from ) per cent to 10 per
cent of the war industry work
crs, you may have demand
for housing up to % per cent
of these workers near the plant
site.
In plain LANGUAGE am acute
ebcrfapc. Shortage for Wa laDol
is imminent. hn immediate reor-
panlzation Of all government nous.
Ing organizations to end tic pres
cnt confusion and to adopt new
.nh 1lnflniie WIZ LOm- M lnLrY j.