New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-27
CHANCES AT EUROPE. No.
The Future OF Labor---Day-Break.

| HAVE spent tilc lpituoOH VI I'-uAf ia NN''''''
ing portion of the Model Lodging Houses, Bath
ing and Washing establishments and Cooperative
Labor Associations already in operation IN this
Great Metropolis My companions were Mr.
Vansittart Neae. gentleman who has uSetuuy
devoted much time and effort to the Elevation OF
Labor, and NJ. Cordonnaye, the actuary or chosen
director Of an Association Of Cabinet Makers IN
Paris, who are exhibitors of their own products
in the Great Exposition, which explains their
chiefs presence IN London. We were in no case
expected, and enjoyed the fairest opportunity to
see everything IS it really is. The beds were IN
some of the lodging houses unmade, but we were
everywhere cheerfully and promptly shown
through the rooms, and our inquiries frankly and
clearly responded to. | propose to give brief
and candid account of what we saw and heard
Our first visit was paid to the original or prlnl-
tive Model Lodging House, situated IN Charles
St. in the heart of St CHESS The neighbOrhood
is not inviting, but has been worse than It IS
the building having been fitted up when no man
with dollar to spare had any faith in the pro-
iect, is an old fashion dwelling house, not very
considerably modified This attempt to put the
new wine into old bottles has had the usual re-
suit True, the SleepingrOoms are somewhat
ventilated. but not sufficiently 50 the beds are
cutie too abundant and no screen divides
those in the same room from each other Yet
these lodgings are decided improvement on
those provide for the same class for the same
price in private lodging houses. The charge Is
i'd (eight cents per night, and believe Is.
80 cents) per week for which Is given water
towels. room and fire for washing and cooking,
and a small cupboard or safe wherein to keep
provisions Eighty-two beds are made up in this
! house. and the keeper assured us that she sell
dom had a spare one through the night. | could
not IN conscience praise her beds for cleanliness,
! but it is now near the close of the week and her
! dodgers DO not come to her out OF bandboxeS.-
Only men arc lodged here. The concern pays
! handsomely
We next visited 4 Working Association of
! Piano Forte Makers not far from Drury Lane.
| These men were working for an employer on the
old plan, when he failed, through them all out of
employment, and deprived portion of them of
the savings of past years of frugal industry,
which they had permitted to lie in his hands.
! Thus left destitute they formed a Working AS
ISOLATION, designated their own chiefs, settled
their rules of partnership and here stepped IN
! several able Promoters Of the cause Of Indus
| trial ORGANIZATION Of Labor, and lent them at
five per cent the amount of capital required to
buy out the old concem-vlz: $500 They
haye-snce (about SIX weeks been hard at work,
having an arrangement for the sale at low rate
of al the Pianos they can make. The associates
are fifteen in number, all working by the piece
except the foreman and business man, who re-
ceive Sl2 each per week the others earn from
50 TO Sll each weekly | see nothing likely to
defeat and destroy this enterprise, unless It
should lose the market for its products.
We went thence to a second Model Lodging
House. situated near Tottenham Court Road.
This was founded subsequently to that already
described, It's building was constructed expressly
for II, and each lodger has a separate apartment,
though It's division walls do not reach the ceiling
overhead Half the dodgers have each a separate
window, which they can open and close at plea
sure, in addition TO the regular provision for ven
ulation In addition to the wash room, kitchen,
dinug-tablCs, sc. provided in the older concern,
There is small but good library, large con-
! ycrsaton room, and warm baths on demand for a
penny each. Tie charge is IS. I'd. (5S cents per
! week the number of beds is l04, and they are
always full, with numerous applications ahead
At all times for the first vacant bed Not a single
case of Cholera occurred here IN lsf9, though
| dead bodies were taken out of the neighborlng
| alley (Church-lane) SIX or eight in a day. So
much for the blasphemy of tcrmlng the Cholera,
with ike scourges, the work Of an 'mscrutable
Providence The like exemption from Cholera
was enjoyed by the two or three other Model
Lodging Houses then IN London. Their com
paratlye cleanliness, and the GOODNESS IN summer
caused by the great thickness of their walls,
conduce greatly to this freedom from contagon.
The third and last of the Model Lodging
Houses We visited was even more interesting, in
thatit was designed and constructed expressyto
be- occupied by Families of which It accommo-
dates forty-eight, and has never a vacant room
The building is Of course a large one, very sub
stantaly constructed on three sides Of an open
court paved with asphaltum and used for drying
clothes and as a chldrcn's playground. All the
suits of apartments on each floor are connected
By a corridor running around the inside Cor back
of the building, and the several suits consist of
two rooms or three with entry, closets, &c, ac-
cordng to the needs Of the applicant. That
which We more particularly examined consisted
Of three apartments two of them bed-rooms)
with the appendages already indicated. Here
lived a workman with his wife and SIX young
children. from two to twelve years Of age. Their
rent is Is. Isl SOY per week or s7s per annum;
and | am confident that equal accommodations
IN the old way cannot be obtained in an equally
central and commodious portion Of London or
New York for double the money. Suits Of two
rcoms only, for smaller families, cost but 81 to
81 25 per week, according TO size and eligibility
II Is provided with a Bath Room, WaSh-ROOm.