The New York herald., 1867-01-08
EXTRAORDINARY DEvElOPmEnrs- TENEMENT HnusEs-yI1AL
sTATETCs-aEf0ams PROPOSED.

EXTRAORDINARY pevrlupmfnrs-rENEnfMT HuusEs-vIfAl
sTATETcs-AEfuams PROPOSED.
the newly organized Board Of Health has forced upon
the conviction that We have sanitary organiza-
on In all respects equal to the necessities and worthy
OF the character Of the city Of New York This I'm
portsnt document characterized BY the Of
some novelties both Of theory and practice long hoped
for. but until approaching realization.
Among them may be mentioned the selection Of en-.
ployes without reference TO politics or nationality but
solely with view Of personal fitness and sdaptaby 70
the ofnciai duties required bs discharged sssns
strange 70 announce such novelty, dictated
a. It IL BY tho planest ideas Of duty, but novelty
nevertheless ID in this most abused and party ridden
city, where upon the organization Of any depart
menk the nra mpulss INDUCED has been the selection
Of places for political favores solely a rewards for
political serviceA
Notwithstanding the heavy expenses almost always
attendant upon the unsuccessful introduction Of
system, and in this rendered necessary by the
perls Of approaching disease and the adoption OF msa
70 prevent It's extension the total OF its expendi
lures for ordinary purposes Is put down st fraction
sos 900. which is only ezl 900 than was ex
pended under the old system for health wardens
jory Of whom could neither read write Il Is
necessary TO examine the smount Of work done since
the commission has been IN operation 70 form Just
conclusion Of the sad condition Of the sanitary Affairs OF
the city and the doubly burdensome Abors imposed on
The new commission the very entrance upon ths
discharge Of Its duties. Abuses various and 20
merOus were found N exist in many quarters and had
been long submitted TO a. the incidental evils Of
densey peopled communities that the task OF ame,io
rating thsm necessarily involves more than ordinary
hsa
prudsnty made that tho city should consider itself
largely indebted 70 the commission In pecuniary point
Of view.
Notwithstanding jths mortality Of the city exhibits
slight increase over that Of Of the previous years.
have every reason 70 congratulate ourselves that
greater and that the cholera which early made
s appearance confined in its ravages TO certain
districts known the tenement districts and did not
extend throughout the city. But for the wise and
timely adopted by the Board stay the pro-
gress OF this epidemic, such would undoubtedly have
been the case and this fact should be deeply impressed
upon the public mind In estimating the amount Of
vices performed BY the Board during penous days Of
the sickly season IL perhaps be regretted that
accompanying the report Of the commission have mot
the report Of Dr. Harris the Registrar Of vital Statistics
which, IL ID understood win be among lhe most COM
prshensive and valuable documents the subject Of
which treata In the absence Of this desirable infor
nation must content ourselves for the present with
the less detailed accounts furnished in the Commission
srs report. is estimated, says tho report that 70
every death there twenysevon cases Of sickness 30
that in this city the supposon that there eight
thousand preventabls deaths year. have total Of
two hundred and xteen thousand Of illness which
might have been prevented n this approximation be
trus-and We sec no reason 70 doubt its correctnsss-
how II the sphere OF labor imposed upon the guar
dians Of the pubic health and how delicate the task in
trusted 70 their care And yst there seems no reason 70
doubt that the task w b performed without the least
shrinking from responsibility and with the fullest as-
surnce permanent amsliors,on Of the sanitary
dition Of the city. This assurance ID strengthened BY
tire results which haveS elected In England and in
ssvssal European cities since the work Of sanitary
form has been entered upon xeaousy and intellgsnty
and similar results will follow smar efforts whenever
properly directed.
Il d known ths. most Of this sickness and mortality
are among the poorer Glasses Of citizens are
the main satrbutabs the neglect Of sanitary precaa-
tions dIssoluteness and wretchednesshe almost tn
variable attendants upon tenement mode Of living The
admission Of this fact naturally draws attention TO the
tenemens themselves and to those reforms which have
been Instituted for the amslioton Of the occupants OF
these dsns Of death BY the commission. Here are
somewhat disappointed in finding Important and vital
however, been wholly neglected, and many abuses have
boon corrected but deprived the necessary data
from which an estimate might b formed Of the dan
gers which surround the community st large from these
plague spots; called human habitaons II Is because
Of such omission that venture to advance our own
Views upon this highly important topic
The tenement house system is peculiar and exsraor
dnary trait in the social system Of city. II has not
been adopted among until quite recent period in our
history Great and constant has, for long number
Of years. been the increase OF city from immigration
come means Seems 10 have been found TO gre local
habation until Of late years whsn owing % the higher
and ss increasing price Of land foe building necesses
no resource was loft but The erection Of lofty buildings
ON the unoccupd space above ground which the
Of the soil free TO Tho tenement house
system wac adopted simply because Il was . necessity
from which thsrs was escape While in Philsdsphis
and other cities having wider outlets for expansion
landlords nnd their interest TO srsctsma dwellings, for
the accommodation Of persons Of moderate
such plan could be adopted in this CITY, owing 70 she
higher price Of building lots and landlords COM
psiied 70 mako such kind Of Improvement = would
produce the noss rsrhunsratins rent
Our tenement house population for sns pses II
pies exeeeds By Aousands the tenant population Of any
other city In The world There about sxsssn thousand
tenement houses and cslarsNn ths city, In which
crowded about I'VE hundred ana any thousand persona,
with a svsnes Of nssls than eight families 70
house In addition 70 tht, thsrs ere families slowed
away In shs sscs Of smaller habasons and In stable
os and the further fact 10 adduced that the houses
containing this MAS Of humsn beings have bssn buls
upon what would constitute an area Of lom than two
miles Of ground, win population Of about two hundred
and ssvsntyfv thoufand 70 square mile. A 81 pres
distributed the tenement houses 1T the city
fined lees than four square milcs Incredible as
appear there senemsnts IN this city for hundred
and twenty ave and hundred and fty families which
occupied each BY at least eight hundred persona
Thee houses do not contain single room having proper
ventilation and are 20 dark owing 70 adjoining tenement
budsngs that . cloudy day the inmates neither
zee read nor ssw without artificial light. Persons