Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 100, no. 2596: Articles]: December 15, 1917

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REAL ESTATE AND (CopTrlgbt, lOlT, b7 Tbe Record tod Oalde Co.) NEW YORK, DECEMBER 15, 1917 HOUSING FOR WORKMEN SHOULD BE STIMULATED Urgent Demand for Structures of the Type—Concrete Can Be Utilized—Minneapolis Cited as an Example By WILLARD REED MESSENGER 'T'HE patriotic and also the purely ■*• business advantages, or disadvan¬ tages of building during the war, are being widely discussed by the people who know what they are talking about as well as those who do not; by those who are prejudiced and would like to see building curtailed in order to raise rentals of existing structures and by those who own vacant property and want it built upon in order to produce a revenue to meet the increasing taxes, and by builders who naturally want to build and continue their business, which is one of the basic activities of the nation's life. Aside from these discussions, there are also the incessant demands of manu¬ facturers who are appealing for a place into which they can move immediately their machinery, put labor to work and meet an urgent and necessary demand for their product, which would inci¬ dentally help to reduce soaring prices of some essentials. This factory and industrial plant prob¬ lem is being solved by one means or another a little more satisfactorily than has the housing problem for the work¬ ers employed in such plants. Thus there comes an appeal from the industrial op¬ erators in the Borough of Queens, urg¬ ing those familiar with the industrial housing question to construct more homes for factory workers. In one plant controlled by the Govern¬ ment located at a distance from New York, housing and living conditions in the neighborhood are so undesirable that more than ten thousand workmen have come and gone at that one plant within a short period. Anyone familiar with efficient manufacturing administra¬ tion knows what a demoralizing and tremendously expensive situation this condition creates. This general situation at diflferent points has become so serious that the Federal Government, through the re¬ cently created "House Building Board" working through the "Council of Na¬ tional Defense" and including represen¬ tatives from both the Army and Navy Departments, is undertaking to study overcrowded living conditions in the most congested centers, such as the iron and steel center at Birmingham, Ala., manufacturing communities such as Bridgeport, Conn., where housing facil¬ ities are at a great premium, at Akron, Ohio, Newport News and Norfolk. Va. It appears from careful investigation that in some localities and in many in¬ stances, building at just this time is a real patriotic service. In some cases it seems important to push both fac¬ tory and housing facilities at the same time. In other instances existing plants have doubled the number of their em¬ ployees by working extra shifts, and by additions to existing plants and new factory construction, have doubled the demand for homes. Thus it seems im¬ possible to speed up production without considerable building of one kind or another. It therefore becomes important to an¬ alyze the situation, to study the factory requirements regarding raw material supply, the market for the finished prod¬ uct and the subject of distribution; WILLARD Uii^i:.^ lUESSENGER. whether by railroad or water transpor¬ tation and also the vitally important question of labor supply, for labor at the present time is difficult to attract and hold, even with a wage bonus. Therefore the unwise policy somewhat in vogue early in the war, of locating factories on cheap land but with meager facilities, is giving way under a more careful study and a better understand¬ ing of original costs, fixed charges, per¬ manent assets, labor requirements, freight rates, handling charges, mar¬ ket and housing conditions. Business Advantage and Policy. Aside from these questions arise also the business advantage and policy of building under present conditions. Iron and steel of course are high, but there is little indication of a general range of lower steel prices for some time to come. The Southern States have been given a strong industrial impetus through shipbuilding and other indus¬ trial plants due to war conditions and will require millions of dollars of sup¬ plies even after the war is terminated in order to carry out the industrial policies and ambitions of their re- spe'ctive sections. The reconstruction period abroad will make unheard of demands for American building materials. The great steel in¬ dustries and other engineering and in¬ dustrial organizations are today actu¬ ally planning in detail for this_ coming period. They are already sending rep¬ resentatives abroad, to the Orient, to South America and to Europe. Already some classes of building materials de¬ mand at the seaboard, a higher price for export, not only to the war zone in Europe but to South America, than for domestic use and this indicates the growing requirements for construction and building supplies abroad. In order to construct wisely at the present time it is necessary to analyze the prices and advantages of different classes of building material and not to be misled by price discussion in general. For instance, reinforced concrete has become one of the most popular and HKCORD AND GUIDB }S IJV ITS FIFTICTU Y£:AR OF CQNTINUOUS serviceable types of building for all sec¬ tions of the United States for factory construction. Considerably more than two-thirds of the inaterial for concrete is sand and gravel, usually obtained lo¬ cally, thus avoiding the expense of transportation for long distances and also relieving the railroads from the burden of extra tonnage. The 20% or 25% of cement is obtainable from plants located both East and West of the Mis¬ sissippi and in the South and also along the Hudson River adjacent to New York City, and at other points where trans¬ portation by water can be utilized, thus again avoiding overcongestion of the railroads. These same favorable conditions ap¬ ply to the construction of concrete houses for workingmen. At the at¬ tractive community of Roslin Farm at Carnegie, Pa., this type of construction is used, even in the midst of the steel center. Attractive workingmen's cot¬ tages have been built at Seawaren. N. J., constructed entirely of precast concrete slabs, where the industrial workingmen's colony is being developed under the auspices of the Sage Foundation Homes Company and another model city, known as Morgan Park, at Duluth, Minn., is also constructed entirely of concrete. Here in New York building can profitably and patriotically be pushed in the same way. The present is not the time for every type of construction such as the skyscraper or unnecessary theatres or amusement places, but on the other hand factories to produce necessary food and clothing and other supplies, and homes for the workmen, should be continued. It should also be remembered that the percentage of highly skilled labor required on steel construction is not necessary for concrete, although it is subject to extremely artistic design and in the case of factories is non-vibrating. Large areas of structures of this type are composed of glass windows. Con¬ crete is cool in summer, and these build¬ ings are easily heated in winter. In houses and cottages, inexpensive but at¬ tractive stucco and color features are produced. All types of concrete are fireproof and last for centuries. Such construction is therefore an enduring asset both to the individual, the com¬ munity and the nation. It would seem to be the part of pa¬ triotism, efficiency and good business to review the whole subject rationally. At Minneapolis a gigantic industrial community comprising 200 acres is not merely being discussed but actually de¬ veloped, with the only union freight station in the city. The plan is the re¬ sult of cooperation between the munici¬ pality, the business men's organizations and the twelve railroads entering Min¬ neapolis, substituting a model factory and terminal development for what was industrial slums. Where perpetual waste in time, money and efficiency exists, through incom¬ plete or antiquated facilities, such con¬ tinued waste and total loss should be stopped by the creation of just what Minneapolis has developed—a valuable asset which can serve the nation and the community effectively. PUBLICATION.______________