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Show II Happiest Communities in Rit J r ward m the Movement j France Live in Garden Cities Ij Special Cable to The Tribune. t j i PARIS, Oct. 22. Amonp: the' sharp impressions loft on tbo minds of dclo- RatoB lo the inlernutiounl, conference on town planning juat liold in Loudon j' tvas llie lead achieved In England and Germany in modern urban development " compared witli other countries. To iij those who onlv know Paris since the reforming hand of Baron jruussinunn carved out its boulevards, the abscuce I of France "the soul of Europe" from the front rank of town planners was a surprise. But any Amcricun who ,Jiaa stayed in France long enough to 'know something of its home life will not hesitate to say that the French are far behind the Anglo-Saxon in their " conception of modern comfort. Many ; of the labor-saving devices that the av- ; crage American family is accustomed j to such as telcphones and dumb waiters wait-ers in apartments and running hot and cold water are only found among the wealthiest Parisians. This national indifference to modern conveniences explains whv the French are seldom in the vanguard of any movoment that tends to improve the material well-being of the masses. "Libit "Lib-it crty, equality fraternity," -docs not get dowu to hard practice all the time. That explains whv the first jrnrden city in France was founded a scoro of years after such communities were a well-Tocognir.ed well-Tocognir.ed factor in the life of Eng-; Eng-; land, for example One Garden City. Bui-today there, are signs of improvement, improve-ment, for though, at present, there is only one garden city in actual existence exist-ence in F ranee, two more aro being planned and constructed. Perhaps it I :s even an exaggeration to call the ' workiucu's community of 150 at Dour-ge. Dour-ge. a . garden city. And yet these cottages cot-tages were the first to bo' patterned after those in the English garcion cities and villages. Like most of the British agglomerations, agglomera-tions, this garden village in tho ex-3 ex-3 trcme north of France wiTs constructed . by an industrial company for the solo use of its employees. Tt is the property prop-erty of the Doufges Mining company, which embarked on this new venture I . shortly after the Courriercs disastor ; live years ago. when so many miners were killed ' Perhaps that catastrophe made the companv feel that the lifc of a miner was so fraught with hardships and perils that tho least it could do -was to oft'er attractive homes and surroundings sur-roundings to its employees during the time they spent above ground. Anyway, the gaily decorated, two-storied two-storied brick houses have been so appreciated ap-preciated by the men that now plans arc being drawn up for 500 more cottages cot-tages lo be built in groups of three, w Each group, like tho original one, will re have its broad walks lined with trees, rc its open squares and its playgrounds I In Champagne Districts, j What, promises to be a much more ! pretentious garden village in the mat- t tor of arcbitccturo 13 being planned by j tho Pomruery brothers, tho great cham- pagne merchants of .Reims. Tho village . , w-Hl adjoin their vast works on the out- KkirtH of the city and will cover over ( sixty acres. Each aero will bo cut '. j up into four lots, to bo separated from , each other by wiro fences. Over these tho workmen will bo expected to grow 1 rosea aud clinging vines. Thoro'will bo three types of cottages for tho ten-1 ten-1 anls to choose from. They will be let to tho Ponimery workmen only, at ; "very low figures. The Fommcry brothers' main rca-foii rca-foii for establishing a gardcu villago is because they wish their employees lo j be uear tljo works. At present, they ' fi livo in the poor quarters of iRcimSj 1 where the surroundings aro unwholo- ' 1 Home from every point of view. In fact, it wa3 to keep tho meu away from tho low company and tho low resorts of tho ; Jicimfi slums that tho Marquis do Pol- ; igoae, tho daughter of ono of tho Pom- 'at jnorys, gavo three million francs for jf ihe creation of n park of eports near m the champagno works. Tt is bafo to M Ky that no Vouipany in tho world has At given its employees such oxtensivo and perfectly equipped rocrcaliou grounds. , j) very few cities in Franco havo parks thaf compare with it in tho careful J details of arrangement. TIhto is a n track for foot races, fiiirroundetl by a . natural amphitheater that seats 33.000 poople. ii golf course for cross golf, a j, etadium for athletic competitors and open air plays, tennis courts, croquet grounds, a football field, a bowling' green and swings. , Each particular ground or field has ji fihellerH both for men and women, and charming rustic seats are hidden among ;t tho clumps of trees. Tho park is sit- i ualed on a high hIojic that commandn a .f view of the famous Iieimn aviation j grounds. The garden villace is within fj a. otone'u throw of it. Bccuubo tho i Pominery employees aro no well pro- J vided for in tho matter of recreation ft grounds, the workman's villago -will jjj have no largo open squares or paTko g they would Heein superfluous. On Oo-Oporative Principle. i 1 Si n.'1'10 garden villago at Dourge.s and I the prospectivo ono at Keims, being m grpupB of cottages put up by indus-' indus-' I ft ' . companies for their employees. . n m ro Lno-t rKulate3 by socialistic notions. II H ? -1B not tho caB0 o tlj0 third Car- H Jj den village, under construction at Ton-kW Ton-kW gambault. Although the community jl owe its existence to the liberality m I 1 ael,-"own Parisian philanthropes philanthrop-es A ist, Judge Georges Bonjean, it is lo be 1 fl I on.r strictly co-operativo principles. j(W t After Judge Bonjean finishoe Iub work I'll I of organization and construction, the L B I village is to be turned over to the ten-li ten-li R I ' axils all engaged in the trade of but-s but-s h j ton making. V B W At present thirty cottages are beine m put up, each m its own gardon. Thoo J'Jl m re to be in a vast enclosure, which will m 9 include, besides the garden homes, a II common dining room, a public square tJS 1 h n banfl etauds, a concert hall (ttl: a coniinon nursery and playground. Not BS 1 only will the material Hupplies food. ! R 1 clothing, and so forth bo furnishod I i n " co-operative basis, but tho button I Bif niukmg tnide -will bo carried on in ) ma 1- 6H?,e way' '''ero will bo no que-fffl'lt que-fffl'lt ,i?u -of c,"P'o''-'r and employee in this mil, Utopian community. All will havo an mm e,lual sllftro " tho rctnrna from tho ' fflfilm common labor. ' fflffltt 1 According to Judge Bonjean s calcu- I Islet iSth? .':0B.t of eaf',, ottago will I SlfSj J10 $,I00, r,ns ,H tionsiderably less than i (fc'l lias "ocn expended atDourges, whore i '.a ench houso cost $!no. M. Redout, the iel''9l architoct of the Pommerv villate es-timatcs es-timatcs that there each dwelling will M n'ouut of $2000. Before drawing hia I fflii ' r,laB,H- Bedout snont somo timo in f It? J Jutland, atudying tho different garden S iSI i-tic tl,ere' W 'w''ls accompanied bv eff.jGl Georges Bonoit-Levy, the ueueral nSfSI eecretarv of tho French Garden City 1 Swf'il association, by whoso tireloss propa- Jifyfifl Cinda of. books, pamphlets and lectures ,Tils3 t" garden city movement linn forced 'IftllS au entering wedge into French life. -lifl Although J udgc Bonjean 'a community will be the first workmen '? villago to bo run on purely socialistic lines, his venture has a worthy forerunner in tho irurmel wool factory at Val-dcs-Bols, near Beims tvilled tho model factory of France. There for over- twenty years tho workmen have co-operated with the employers, not only in the direction di-rection of local affairs but in the firm's relations with the outside market. However, How-ever, this docs not mean that all the workers havo a sharo in the profits. Foremen Arc Barred. The co-operation in tho matter of management was brought about iu 1SS5 by the institution of a "factory council coun-cil composed of simple workmen. No foremen or overseers arc allowed to be members. These workmen are chosen by their fellows and they meet every fortnight with their einplovcrs to discuss dis-cuss uot only the .financial 'interests of V'm hr"';, ,btf.fc "l,,flt relates to tho daily well-being of the men. It is this lactory council" which supervises the working of that admirable institution, tho "family savings bank." This bank was started by M. Loon Harmol for Ihe purpose of assuring to all tho work-moil's work-moil's families a minimum salary, and its operations are very interesting. The individual cost of living js 32 cents a day Rt Val des BoiB. Therefore, There-fore, a couple with 12 children would requiro $2;;.52 for a fortnight's livelihood. liveli-hood. Suppose tho father cams !)0 cents a day. one bov 20 cents and another an-other -10 their total carniugs for 11 days would be $21 that is, $2.52 lesn than the minimum cost of living. This deficit is inado up to them from tho family savings bank. Of course, the amount of the earnings is very apt to yary greatly tho workmen being paid by the piece for different fortnights, so that as a general ruin the salariea arc considerably above (ho minimum cost of living. It is needless to say that .tho capital of this bank i a "gift on the part of the firm, although its 1 various payments are docided on each tortnight by the "factory council," Has Had Happy Eosults. This socialism, in naturo, if not in name, has haa tho happiest of results. Tho factory hands, mon and women, BBI d n c to ignorance' is removed. ' Tho SY G?S79G-Vl C-?C5V7VSV greatest proof of this success is the af- foot ion all the factory families have for Ihe head of the firm, Leon jrarmel. 11 s. rtp 1 lrt ((nA,i .n.,i,. i . 1 como 'into constant and cIobo contact with their employers, and bo tho friction fric-tion between capital and labor that is due to ignorance is removed. Tho greatest proof of this success is the affection af-fection all the factory families have for Ihe head of the firm, Leon Harmd, or the "good father," as ho has been callod by his vast family for many years. Aside from tbc workmen 'a co-operation, in tho firm's management;, much of the material supplies aro furnishod by workmen's co-operative societies. 'I hero is a co-operative bakery aud butcher shop and a common lauudrj' for tho women, and a school for tho children. On tho factory grounds is an assembly hall, where tho men hold meetings, givo concerts and thoatrical performances and play billiards. Anhough the houses cannot compare com-pare with the attrtctivo cottages at Dourgosr- or tho English garden villages, vil-lages, still each family hat its homo and its own plot of ground. I doubt if any country in the world has a happier hap-pier community. |