Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 187, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1918 — Home Town Helps [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Home Town Helps

WOODEN SHINGLES ALL RIGHT Leading Cities Throughout the Country Have Refused to Forbid Their Use. ■MMWS There are only a dozen «r to of the larger cities where the use of woodeik shingles Is specially barred. At least 45 of the largest cities. Including New' York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, San Francisco, Dallas, Tex.;. Detroit, Mich., and-so on down the list even to the national capital, permit the use of wooden shingles within their corporate limits. outside of thecongested zone. “This,” an architect says, “is sufficient proof that the advantages of the wood-shingle roof in residential districts are still recognized. It is rather unfortunate for the logic of some of those most strongly opposed to the use of wooden shingles that they" house their own families under such a roof.” An investigation revealed furtherthat some cities after enduring the results of an anti-shingle ordinance until their patience became exhausted: by the harmful results in the retarding of building operations, either haverepealed or are planning to repeal such ordinances. Houston, Tex., forexample, after having passed through nine months of building repealed its anti-shingle ordinance. In that city is was found that the effect of the ordinance was to retard just 40 per cent of the building of small homes as compared with the corresponding period of the previous yearIn refutation of the claim by themakers of, substitutes that wooden shingles frequently cause great conflagrations, investigation shows that of the 47 fires involving losses of more than $500,000 in 1917 throughout the country, only one occurred in a residence section where wooden shingles predominate.—Exchange.