THE SUNDAY BEE: OMAHA, JULY 5, 1922.
Expert Explains Danger
. of Shoddy Construction
,
$60,000,000 Can Be Saved Annually in This Country
Through Use of Good Materials and
Workmanship, Authority
Declares.
THL DANGER OP SHODDY
CONSTRUCTION."
An aildma ht IiMas) Clark of (irnmt
lUarttla ramMnr, twtura rl.lr d-wlup.
rauu ! t tmmWr ( loniairrra ut
lalfni Main.
i
t Oram ! tt . (anlntctuf.)
At there can lie many interpreta
tion given lo tlit subject of "Dan
gen of Shoddy Construction," it
nay he Imt to paraphrase by stat
iiii! that "danger' refer to eco
uomici; "shoddy" refer to Matte
due to material or personnel and
"construction referi to building
Mructurct, either commercial, indus
trial of residential.
building construction in the United
Statu involves the expenditure an
nually of art amount probably equal
J to $J,000,000,000. The very .mall-
tit economic effect upon this expen
diture naturally involve a large sum
of money and we may readily afford
considerable expense in deviling
method for it economic use. At
in example, if our annual outlay
for building conttruction can be af
fected by only tuch a imall amount
at 1 per cent (or Rood or for evil,
or 1 per cent positive value and 1
per cent ncftative value, we have the
possibility of creating a saving ac
count of 2 per cent, or ?o0,0tH),0t'0
annually which is the interest charge
at 6 per cent on a total of 3J 1-3 per
cent of our annual expenditure. With
this large laving in mind, is it not
worth while to seriously look ahead
POLITICAL AOVEKTINEMENT
rOMTIt'AI. AnVKHTIHEUKNT
HI
DR. T. W. BASS
A Man With Experience '
and Executive Ability
Republican Candidate for Secretary of State
For Economy and Prompt and Efficient Service
VOTE FOR
Dr. T. W. Bass
and devii every pouibl meant (or
the reduction and prevention of (nod
dy in building conttruction?
Cautei of Shoddy Work.
1. Cautei of shoddy construction:
A, Ownership.
0. Construction.
A. Ownership There are many
cautei for shoddy construction that
are traceable to the ownership of
property. We look upon property in
the rense of invested capital upon
which we must teek a financial re
turn. Our constant thought is to de
velop the property for one purpoie
or another, that it may make a re
turn on the invested capital. From
the ttandpoint of building conttruc
tion the owner it alwayt confronted
with the problem of what belt can
be done with hit property from two
poiutr of view; he mutt coniider the
property in the light of a holding
with ever increasing value or he
must consider it in the light of
something to be traded in ai an ar
ticle of commerce. Where the owner
hat adopted the latter consideration,
there springs up within our urban
and tuburban center an enormous
amount of building conttruction.
There is a eause for shoddy con
ttruction where the owner triei to
teek a greater earning increment by
attempting to build beyond hit
meant. Without sufficient capital re
quirements, he often placet upon the
property a building of the disten
tions and content he desiret by
utilizing thoddy construction. In
other words, he it forced to build
beyond his borrowing ability.
Quettion in Construction.
B. Construction It is question
able whether more shoddy if used by
those having to do with the actual
construction of building than those
who are concerned in the ownership
of property and buildingt. In the
construction work, we have to con
sider the following responsible per
sonnel: (I) Architects- and engi
neers; (2) general and subcontract
ors, and (J) labor.
(1) There is probably no profes
sion upon which is imposed a greater
necessity of knowledge than that of
architecture. In the architect's rela
tions to shoddy construction we may
truthfully state that ignorance is the
only possible avenue for its introduc
tion. Sometimes this ignorance is
due to a "closed ear" on the archi
tect's part from his inability to re
ceive or lack of appreciation of ad
vice but it is seldom if ever the ques
tion of wilful' introduction of shoddy
construction by him, a condition
which does not always pertain to the
owner.
Must Watch Loans.
II. Reduction of Shoddy Construc
tion. ' .
1. Loans. 3. Education.
2. Regulations. 4. Co-operation.
1. Loans While it may be a deli
cate question to impose upon him
ivhn lnans funds for building pur
poses a further consideration than
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o
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I
the return of intcreit and principal
there, however, eem to be a grew,
ing consideration that financier mutt
be more concerned with this question
than they have in the pan. The
mortgagee of property should be
concerned not only in the insurance
that principal anr interest are re
turned but that the loan had been
wisely and judiciously invested. It
hould he the duty of one loaning
money for building to know that
the character, kind and quality are the
beit within economic mean. The
life of building ttructure ha been
variously estimated at being for
cheap frame tenement! of from 10
to IS years and for the best struc
tural buildingt of from 75 to 100
yeart. A rate for linking fund
would then he 10 to 5 per cent lor
the cheap frame tenement for a term
of nine to lb year. In the struc
tural buildingt the rate of the kink
ing fund would only need to be 1 per
cent and the term only one-half itt
life. Therefore, we may reduce the
introduction of thoddy conttruction
by impressing upon the owner the
economical consideration of building
well, and further, by making it dim
cult to obtain loam for shoddy con
struction. Wc may be able in this
way to reduce shoddy construction
by placing a premium upon gocl
construction.
' Few Building Codes.
2. Regulations. Wc have com
paratively few cities with what are
municipally known at building codet
and none of these codes absolutely
prohibit the use of shoddy construc
tion. In the majority of cases they
are made out for the purpose of cre
amy fire walls but do not go very
far into the character or nrtessitir
of good construction. We have va
rious rule for lire protection which
more or In define the kind of ma
terial but again these material arc
merely lo prevent fire haiard rath
rr than to create good construction
While there are inspection of one
tort or another for urban and some
tuburban propertiet there doet not
teem to be tuch regualtion that pro
hibit! or reducet to any marked ex
tent a considerable amount of shod
dy construction. Attempts have
been made, however, to clarify and
imitV many regulation! imposed up
on the building ttructure. We may,
therefore, hope by thi mean to
greatly reduce thoddy construction in
tuttire building.
3. Educatirut It it possible to re
duce the use of shoddy through
many educational facilities. Con
siderable good work ha been done
along these line, not only in the
technical pre but in popular maga
zines, newipaper . and circular.
That considerable more ran be done
in our schools vid educational in
stitutions, there can be no question.
The building public should he ad
vised as to the economic advantages
of quality materials. Considerable
benefit in the building industry
mis' t accrue also from visual in
struction through the use of motion
pictures distributed by manufacturers
and othcrt.
Benefits of Co-Operation. '
4. Co-Operation Probably no bet
ter means for reduction of shoddy is
provided than through co-operative
i It or I stimulated by trade ou.
tiont in setting up useful and eco
nomic standard that have materially
reduced the waste in budding struc
lures. There it still a great deal of
work to be done and it would trein
worthy to propose that wherever
lotilile, various trade association!
should be notified by the architec
tural profession, by the engineering
tocietie and by variout contractors'
association of anything that will
lend lo reduce the use of thoddy by
its removal from the market.
We are confronted today In the
construction industry with the price
of labor tumcient to necessitate the
ue of only good material and cer
tainly entire elimination of shoddy
material. It it impossible to con
ceive of paying the prevailing ratet
of labor for the introduction of thod
dy. If one will undertake to ex
amine the material in the market,
it will be clearly and easily teen that
the use of good material doet not
vitally atfert the cost of building
structures; that those concerned with
building operations do not examine
thoroughly the market price of com
modities, in planning building struc
turet mutt be evident. We, for in
stance, do not find a marked increase
in the use of cooper at a price in the
neighborhood of IJ 1-2 cent over the
uie of copper at the price of 26
centt; we do not find a marked in
created use of rubber at 13 centt at
over itt normal price of 90 centt or
during the war at $3.30.
In retidential building, we are con
fronted with a condition where abou'
one-half the cost goei to Ulior and
one half to material. Fliniiiuting
certain items of material that are by
an average amount equal lo Id per
rent, we tan figure on obtaining a
home in the definition of Webster;
"The abiding place of affections."
Generally, quality may be obtained
at an expense of only J' J per cent of
the total cost. Sometimes through
the application of knowledge the same
it true without any increase in the
investment.
Shoddy at meaning "watte" must
be eliminated if we ar to aM"tta
any economical rrhiirintm, vbat
fore, may I suggest that all con
cerned in building constructionthe
banks, insurance companies, mer
chants, industrial, profession and
trades interest themselvct m every
mean available for the reduction and.
elimination of thoddy conttruction.
raUTKAk Atttt-liriSBMEKT
No matter what you want to ae
complish, give the job to an Omaha
lire "Want" Ad and you'll get it
done.
roUTII At, AlUKBTltKIIBNT
if
Primaries, July IS. 1922
L.N.BUNCE
Freient Jettlce ef the Pea
Candidate for .
Municipal
Judge
Non-Political Battel
" Vote Once for Bunce
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VIA SCOTTSaiVM
A Map of the Middleweat Showing Principal Highway and Hotels
Touring the Corn Belt
the Eppley Hotels Way-
Good Roads
Good Cities
Good Hotels
TOURING through this scenic commonwealth of corn and cattle
is made the more pleasant by the thought that at the end of every
day's drive is an Eppley Hotel a cool, clean oasis of comfort in
which to erase the stain and strain of travel and to rest and refresh for
the morrow's tour.
A cool, clean, cheerful room, an inviting bath, good, wholesome food
and reasonable rates contribute to the choice of an Eppley Hotel as the
nightfall destination of every day's journey through the Corn Belt.
Tourist information gladly given in all hotels Automobile
Club Headquarters in Hotel Fontenelle, Omaha; Hotel
Montrose, Cedar Rapids, and Hotel Lincoln, Lincoln.
The
'iiV 1:
Eppley
Hotels Go
E. C Eppltr, President
In Omaha
Hotel Fontenelle
In Sioux City
Hotel Martin
In Cedar Rapids
Hotel Montrose
In Lincoln1
Hotel Lincoln
In Scotlsbluff
Hotel Lincoln
i
In Sioux Falls , '
Hotel Cataract and
Hotel Carpenter
wninraivws!NKMiwnKHSNMi
