The Survey October 1916-March 1917 . salaried clerks who spent their savings inthe hope of large and quick returns. Nor are these the only ones who have lost or stand to of the real estate operators themselves were caughtwhen last spring the Du Pont company finished constructionwork on its plant and discharged 11,000 workers. That wasHopewells first great shock. Up to that time it had per-suaded itself that there was no limit but the sky. Pricesdropped like lead. One man told me he had built a dozenhouses in the outside district. The lots had cost him $200,the houses $400 each. At fi
The Survey October 1916-March 1917 . salaried clerks who spent their savings inthe hope of large and quick returns. Nor are these the only ones who have lost or stand to of the real estate operators themselves were caughtwhen last spring the Du Pont company finished constructionwork on its plant and discharged 11,000 workers. That wasHopewells first great shock. Up to that time it had per-suaded itself that there was no limit but the sky. Pricesdropped like lead. One man told me he had built a dozenhouses in the outside district. The lots had cost him $200,the houses $400 each. At first he had rented them for $35a month, then for $25, now he rents for $12 and $15. He hasgotten half his money back and hopes that he may come outeven by inducing some of the 4,500 to 5,000 men who dailycommute from Petersburg and Richmond to move their fami-lies. But it is hope rather than expectation, for what Hope-well now looks forward to is contraction rather than expan-sion of the powder mills. The only section where rents re-. The only hospital is maintained by a doctor who is inconstant hot water for lack of a license to practice inVirginia. He has made a notable fi;/ht against ; main as high as $45 a month for five rooms in a board apart-ment house is in the original Hopewell, where propertyowners are still sure of the drawing power of the whitelights before the stores and movies. Meanwhile, during these vicissitudes of the city and itswidespreading suburbs, the Du Pont company has pursued asteady, consistent policy in the housing of a considerable pro-portion of its 15,000 employes. Although, as at Penns Grove(see the Survey for February 5), its provision has not beenenough to meet more than a fraction of the need, in this asin other ways it has been more foresighted than has the un-organized population of Hopewell. It has looked forward toa near future when its force would be materially reduced bythe departure of the construction gangs and has not attemptedto provide
Size: 2152px × 1161px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidsurv, booksubjectcharities
