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Show Cooperative Action Nets . Homes - Some Cities Talk 'Tall Tall ' , ' Housing HousingMemphis ; Memphis Ac Actually tually . Builds BuildsBy By BAUKHAGENews BAUKIIAGENews BAUKHAGE BAUKIIAGE News Analyst AfI"lyst AfIlyst " and "nd nd " Commentator Cormnmf4tor WNU Service 1616 Eye Street NV N \V V W \ VWashIngton WWashington WWashington WashIngton D CTbss C CThis ThIS ( ( This Tbss r IS the thtl fourthof fourth of a " seNeJ series seNeJdeJbmg seriesdescribing senddescribing deJbmg describing ( , . how bow Amcnca A.m1 Am1 Amcrwa . " " a i in-senuty in senuty in- in ingenuty , , . - solI soltf onl one onlof oneof oneof genuty ty is .s s . helping helpg " , to tI a gmu of Am Amer Amerces " us cds biggest b.ggesl bggesl . problems- problems problemsthe problemsthe problems problemsthe - the G I 1 bous hollS bons ns ng shortage shorlllge ) > WASHINGTON - Thirty five nun hun nundred hundred tiundred dred new homes stJrted started started in m one year yearIS yearis yearis record for any faIr faIr.i7ed fairsired lairti7ed IS a pretty good .i7ed i7ed sired . community-especiaUy community especiaUy community-especially especially - when whenthe whenthe whenthe the year is 1946 and the city cityMemphIs cityMemphis cityMemphis MemphIs Tenn had never started startedmore startedmore startedmore more than 2 400 units a year beforeSome beforeSome before beforeSome Some two t\\O t O \ thousand thou'and thouand ' of last year s.tarts s'tarts s starts 1946 1946Now 1946Now 1946Now completed in m tarts .tarts 'tarts . ' .tartsere \ were \\ere ere Now in m the spring of 1947 wh while'ome while whileome e e.ome .ome ome 'ome . ' ome commun communties tIes still sWI stall talk about aboutand aboutand aboutand and wish for housing Memphis IS ISgo isgo isgong go ng right ahead finishing fimshlng up the therest therest therest rest of o1 the 1946 starts and under undertakmg undertaking undertaking takmg taking more moreThe The answer to this old southern CItY CItYs city s success in housing hou.mg houmg houwrng . 1 I es partly partlyin in the coopera coopers coopera1Itif cooperstive coopera\t coopera t 1Itif . live tIve attitude ofk of \ " , . ' " | city officials offic181s who whoiX whoare who\ who whoare k ' " iX iXare il iltIve \ | are aery l \ ery cona con a , | sclous of the veterans vete vet | erans e r a n a s housmg housing housingproblem housingproblem - problem and andpartly andpartly ' partly to Indlvid individ Indlvidua individua indlvidua\ indlvidua indlviduabuilders ua \ ] builders who whohave whohave whohave have been will willIng willing willing Ing to m make makeprice makeprice a k e eprice price sacrlllceswork sacrificeswork sacrifices sacrlllces sacrificesand work long hours hoursand hoursand and do whatever whateverwas \ whateverwas hatever hateverwas was necessary to toovercome toovercome toovercome overcome shortBaukhage short shortBaukhaee Baukhaee aukhage Baukhage aukhageages Baukhageages ages ol of mate materIals materials materials materialsTake rIals rIalsTake rialsTake Take Wallace E Johnson for ex examplea examplea example ample-a ample a - - a bu builder der who started in inDecenber InDecenber inDeceiiber Dece-nber Dece nber - - 1939 to construct one onehouse onehouse onehouse house and who now has to his credIt credItseveral creditseveral creditseveral several thousandHe thousandHe thousand thousandHe He is devoting all his energy and andIngenUity andingenuity andingenuity IngenUity to housing housmg veterans these thesed'1Ys thesedays thesedays d'1Ys d1Ys days ' It takes energy e'1ergy e1ergy a'lergy alergy ' and mgenulty ingenuity mgenultytoo ingenuitytoo ingenuitytoo too but this man who dur ng the thewar thewar war . ar \ was as completing completmg a house for a aar awar awar \\ar ar war \ worker every two and a half halfhours halfhours halthours hours has what it takesFor takesFor takes takesFor For example last September Septemberwhen Septemberwhen Septemberwhen when lumber couldn t be bought for forlove forlove forlove love or money Johnson bought land landWIth landwith landwith WIth standing standmt , merchantable t mber mberand mberand mberand and a sawm sawmill l camp near Potts PottsCamp PottsCamp PottsCamp Camp M ss close to Memph s sTms sThis sThis Tms This purchase made poss ble a atriple atriple atriple triple playhlch play \ which \\hlch hlch has paid off oil 10 in 10savmgs insavings insavings savmgs savings of time and money Johnson cuts his . own timber . . h tnuls h\uls h uls . ' \ iuls L it " , to _ his hisown hisown hisown L ' _ own sawmill for sawing drying and andcuttIng andcutting andcutting cuttIng then hauls it direct to his hisown hisown hisown own bu building dmg sites in m size and andamount andamount andamount amount wanted So much waste Is Isel1mmated iseliminated iseliminated el1mmated eliminated that the leftover lumber lumberfrom lumberfrom lumberfrom from a whole house can be hauled hauledaway hauledaway hauledaway away to in one wheelbarrowWhen wheelbarrowWhen wheelbarrow wheelbarrowWhen When brick couldn t be had in the theMemphis theMemphis theMemphis Memphis area .Johnson Johnson , , . Johnson .Johnson . still man managed managed managed aged He got brick on a swap basIsobtammg basisobtaining basis basisobtaining obtaining -obtammg obtammg -obtaining - - critical materials and andlabor andlabor andlabor labor for a brick making makmg concern concernwhich concernwhich concernwhich which used the items thus supplied suppliedto to make brick bnck tor for Johnson projects projectsIf If he couldn coulda t find the mate male mate- materials materials . - rials he needed around l\lem l lem Mem llemphis Memphis \ Memphis phis he went where he be coulJ could coulJbuy couldbuy couldbuy ; buy them He has sent em employees employees cmployees ployees by air ir all the way to the thewest thewest thewest west coast to pick up wIndows wIndowsand windowsand windowsand and doors even payinr paYing retail retailprices retailprices retailprices prices for them when be he had bad to But Johnson couldn t do as well wellas wellas wellas as he does nor keep his costs to vet veterans veterans veterans erans so low without cooperation of ofthe ofthe ofthe the community commurnty In Memphis the thecity thecity thecity city repays builders of approved approvedsubdIvIsions approvedsubdivisions approvedsubdivisions subdIvIsions for their expense in m m in mstalling installing installing stalling ut utilities ltles The Memphis light lightgas lightgas lightgas gas and water division which Is Ispubhcly ispublicly ispublicly pubhcly publicly owned has gone so far as asto asto asto to permit utility connections even evenwhen evenwhen evenwhen when no meters were avallable available avallableThus availableThus availableThus Thus quite a number of houses houseswere houseswere houseswere were finished fimshed and families were werehoused werehoused werehoused housed without having havmg to wait walt for forthe forthe forthe the hard to get metersAs metersAs meters metersAs As a result of this cooperation cooperationJohnson cooperationJohnson cooperationJohnson Johnson last tall fall had completed 55 55two 55two 55two two bedroom houses which went to toMempms toMemphis toMemphis Mempms Memphis vets for $5 5 $ 250 Other OtherprIces Otherprices Otherprices prIces are comparably low $6 6 $ $ 000 000to 000to 000to to $7 7 $ 000 and even In the lowest lowestbrackets lowestbrackets lowestbrackets brackets Johnson tries tIles for good de design design design sign He switches root roof lines hnes or the theset theset theset set of a house on a lot and utIhzes utilizes utIhzesother utilizesother utilizesother other means to avoid the sameness samenessgenerally samenessgenerally samenessgenerally generally characteristic characteIlstlc of rows of o1 ofhouses o1houses ofhouses houses in m developments Inc den dentally dentally dentally tally he recently was awarded a apr apr apr pr ze by National Home BUilder Builders Buildersassociat Buildersassociat . assoclat associat on tor for Meritorious MeIltoIlouS House HouseDesIgn HouseDesign HouseDesign DesIgn in 1947The 1947The 1947 1947The The tenants appreciate apprec13te this Not Notlong Notlong Notlong long ago one couple the first Ilrst ten tenants tenants tenants ants in a new subdivis subdlvls on gave a aSunday aSunday aSunday Sunday night mght supper for all of John Johnson Johnson Johnson son s workers-the workers the workers - the sh pp ng clerks clerkst t mekeepers the general manager managerthe managerthe managerthe the truck drivers dIlvers and all the people peoplewho peoplewho peoplewho who helped build the house . < : - - --l l - - rw rwfC urM > v 1 ' " fC , . " . . { ; " ' 'l l ' " - " ' - " * ' / . : " ' < . f t t CommunIty cooperation aids borne home builders of 'Iemphls Iemphls Memphis ' Tenn in incompletmg incompleting completmg completing badly needed housing projects These homes are typi typical typical cal of the low-cost low cost - - prOJects completed by Wallace E Johnson |