The last census reveals the fact that fifty-four per cent of the country's population live in rented apartments and in rented houses. The Department of Commerce in Washington estimates that 1,200,000 families are living in inadequate quarters as a result of a housing shortage. And this condition exists in spite of the vigorous campaigns, having the slogan "Own Your Own Home," which have been extensively conducted by real-estate firms, land speculators, and building loan corporations.

Many a worker makes payments on his "own" home until a period of unemployment sets in, when he loses all that he has been working for. In exceptional cases, all payments are made on schedule; the worker in question thereupon rents his house to another worker at a liberal profit, and builds more houses, which he 2also rents out. In this way, he moves up from the ranks of the workers into the landlord class.

It seems to us that in the field of housing, co-operation holds out the only hope for the worker and for everybody else who lacks capital. We commented once on the Finnish co-operative association which was formed in Brooklyn in 1918, and which erected a building containing sixteen apartments. The story of this association's success was told some time ago in the New Republic. In this first building, apartments which under private ownership would have commanded from seventy to eighty dollars a month were rented for twenty-seven dollars. And in spite of this low rental, the first year's profit permitted a reduction of one thousand dollars in the outstanding debt upon the building.

During the last four years, seven additional buildings have been erected or remodeled by the association; these provide fine living quarters for 116 families. And during the same period, other groups of workers have erected eleven 3apartment buildings on the same tract of land, two more now being under construction. Altogether, there are now twenty-two buildings in which 325 families are well housed at a rental which does not exceed nine dollars a month for each room.

Each shareholder paid in only a few hundred dollars in cash, the rest of the needed capital being obtained by sound loans, which are scheduled to be repaid within ten to twenty years.

What these Finnish workers have done in Brooklyn, others can do in other communities. Their example is already being followed. There must be thousands among our readers who could successfully engage in similar co-operative building activity and benefit greatly thereby. The chief requirements are initiative, energy, and the will to act.