Show Health and Decency Lacking In Half the Homes of America Two thirds of the American people cannot annot afford to rent or buy decent homes lomes at present prices declares the February Issue of Fortune The picture of or America as one great reat glitter of ot plumbing ads is not altogether lifelike says this business business busi busi- ness magazine for tor 90 per cent ol ot American farmhouses 80 per cent of ot village homes and 35 per cent of town dwellings lack running water and sanitary Indoor toilets American housing is not superlative It is not even good Less than hall half the homes of f America measure up to minimum standards of ot health and decency and the building industry which complains complains complains com com- plains of ot overproduction has not even started to build bund good homes within the he means of two-thirds two of the pop pop lation If the building industry could build a good house to sell at it would add 60 per cent to its small smal house sales in its present market among the tho richest third of ot the lation If It the building Industry could build a good house to sell at il it would enter a virgin market and double its postwar residential output which in normal years has amounted to o Fortune cites statistics from cities villages and farms in all parts of ot the country to present a shocking picture of Americas America's pressing need for good housing within the means of the average average average aver aver- age family The slums of ot the large cities are the he worst in the world but it II Is b no not these alone that pull down the level leve of American housing I Zanesville Ohio a city of lying in pleasant farming fanning and Industrial industrial Indus indus- trial country was recently selected by the Literary Digest to serve as the typical American small smaIl city In I only 61 per cent of or the homes had plumbing systems' systems of any kind whatsoever Zanesville is more eloquent than New Yorks York's Mulberry bend And so is Des Moines Iowa the city of homes where the housing housing hous ing commission found of the city's dwellings entirely without without with with- out sewers or water with 1500 families families fam fam- flies In the East Court avenue slums forced to carry pails as much as a block and a half hall for water STANDARD NOT TOO HIGH The same housing conditions are found by Fortune in other large cities In the Basin district of or Cincinnati 70 per cent of the houses had outside outside out out- side toilets used by anything up to nine families In the whole area there were 80 bathtubs The decency standard by wl which ch Fortune judged American housing and found it wanting was set so low that it did not Include a tunes tune's only requirements are ample and pure running water inside the house a modern sanitary water closet close for the exclusive use of the family enough rooms and large enough rooms to give the members of the family faintly the necessary privacy sunlight sun sun- light and ventilation and dry waIls walls adequate fire protection and healthful health health- ful surroundings Fortune finds rural housing falling almost as far below Its minimum decency de de- de- de standard as urban homes home Point t- t Ing to a survey made by bv the United I States department of agriculture l in 1926 of 2886 selected farms in 11 states Fortune says that only one one- twentieth of ot all the homes reporting were completely modern that is fitted fitted fit fit- ted with central heating and central lighting systems running water kitchen sink and bathroom indoor toilet et and sewage disposal About one fifth of ot the homes were partially modern that Is fitted with a part of the he Improvements named Almost three-fourths three of the homes have none of ot the modern modem improvements men men- above And these it must be remembered are arc not tho the squalid shacks hacks which advertise their deficiencies deti- deti by their appearance but the externally pleasant and pastoral homes lomes of ot the best farming fanning American slums Fortune declares are considered the worst in iii the world We have houses that are old dilapi dated and run down damp In bad repair re- re paIr Infested with vermin without the he essential conveniences of ot living without water supply in the rooms without sanitary ry facilities with privies in the yard emitting their foul toul odors into the windows of the bedrooms bedrooms bed bed- rooms and nd living rooms that adjoin them and in a addition to all these thes conditions that are found in the ol old world cities we have conditions o oland of land overcrowding high buildings building and lack of ot light and air that are quite quit unknown In Europe and in andAsia-in Asia Asia in in f fact ac acIn In any part of or the civilized world AN AMERICAN DISGRACE i in More than persons New York alone live in homes with no bathing facilities and from one one- fourth to third one of the city's population population population lation still live in the so-called so ol old law tenements whose erection was wa forbidden in 1901 1001 because the state stat housing tenement commission coi considered con con- them inimical to the health healt and welfare of the families inhabiting them It Is by no means an overstatement overstatement overstate overstate- ment meat to say that the housing situation situation situa situa- tion is the disgrace of American in In- For reasons inherent in our ou political thinking the state has no not interfered in private housing in th this country and the state housing reforms reforms reforms re re- re- re forms which have played so large a apart apart part in the mitigation of or European Europea slums are here unknown The issue has thus been squarely presented t to private enterprise and arid private enterprise enterprise enterprise enter enter- prise has signally and magnificently muffed it The members of or the building industry industry in in- are neither heartless nor fools Their fault and the fault ault of or their industry industry industry in in- is historical In management in organization and in point of ot view the building trades are still nineteenth nineteenth nineteenth nine nine- century trades They have hav not yet applied the statistical an and organized technique which other other- Industries Industries In In- applied a generation ago THE MARKET STUDIED What has happened in the market marke for American houses may be described described described de de- de- de scribed briefly as follows One third of ot American fam families have incomes income not to exceed 1200 third One-third have hav Incomes from 1200 to 2000 One One- third have Incomes above 2000 I It Itis Itis is a proved rule of thumb that n no family should attempt to buy a house hous costing more than twice Its annual income and that no family should pay more than 20 per cent of ot a limited Income for tor rent Under this rule o of thumb families In the lowest third therefore cannot buy houses costing more than 2400 Families in the mid mid- middie middle I die dle third cannot buy houses costing more than The building bunding industry industry industry in in- has totally failed to provide provid any good housing at these prices an and is b neglecting two-thirds two of its marke market just as completely as the automobile industry would be overlooking its greatest opportunity 1 if no cars were bunt built to sell for tor less than 1000 |