The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-02-19
Projecting the Price of Blood.

s7,2s3. Arerdge circulation turing tho
precious isctk, cadiHg FtJ. 8, S7,750 daily.
-
Projecting the Price of Blood.
Some few years ago, the Legislature of
his State, with the laudable purpose of pro-
iecting the occupants of tencn mt houses
against disease and death, enacted certain
regulations for the construction of such
houses, rearirng their walls to be of Ger.
lain thickness their means Of aiiorling light
and ventilation TO be- of n certain capacity,
providing for fire escapes to be used in case
Of fire, and in other ways seeking to render
Them fit for human habitution. Laws of the
same kind have also long been in force re-
speeding other buildings the general object
Of their enactment being the safety of hu.
man life and limb. 70 make sure of the ex.
ecution Of these laws, an office has been
created, called the Department for the Sur
vcy and Inspection of Buildings. The duty
of it's officers is to sec that the regulations for
The construction of buildings are obcycd and
10 bring to justice their violators. How un-
faithful the officers of this Department are,
and how they sell the lives of men for
money, may be seen from the following
charges, which we have ample means of sub.
!antiating. We charge:
That walls are allowed to be erected of
less thickness than the law requires, and that
payis unlawfuly taken for the permission.
That some men nre compelled to put up
lrc-cscapes on their houses, while, lor a con-
sdoration, other houses of a like character
and occupied by the same number of fami
lies are allowed TO remain without any.
That ifccrtain men are employed t, do the
work any excuse for frcescapc will be np.
proved Of
That for the last three years moi mo tone
ipent house has been bulk in the city of
New York in conformity with the law.
That nearly every man building tcne.
ment house within that time has paid from
one hundred to five hundred dollars a house
for the privilege Of violating the law.
That within the past thr g .cars over
1000 tenement houses have been built, and
that for the unlawful privileges accorded the
builders over one million two hundred and
lify thousand dollars have been paid.
The Superintendent Of tho Department
may pretend that y app wing TO the Court
IN certificate of the Inspector, the builder
can procure an order allowing linn 10 build
house in violation Of the Law; but tho In
spector will not give the certificate, and the
builder consclu unity cannot procure the
order unless he employs certain lawyer
resident in the noigAborhood of William aud
Pine streets.
A single example will show how the busi.
ness is managed ANDREW J. KERwIN com.
mcnccd building thirteen tenement houses on
tho corner of Thirty.uinth street and Tenth
avenue; the Superintendent approved his
plans, and then directed linn to see the law.
Ter referred u, aud obtain permission from
the Court to violate the law. Mr.. kERwIN
saw the lawyer, WHO demanded $500 for
obtaining the permission, a service worth
perhaps SO KNwIN refused to pay the
amount demand led mud docming the approval
of the Superintendent sufficient, he proceeded
" tn tie buildings. The Superintendent,
notwithstanding he had approved the plans,
procured an injunction restraining klRwIN
from going on with the buildings. kLRwIN
then saw the lawyer, aud upon the paym nj
of 81 400 the injunction was dissolved, aud
no was allowed TO finish the buildings with
out further molcstot.on.
II is in this way that law intended TO
project the poor from being burned alive has
become in unworthy hands sham ard a
cheat and means of pcrpctuating and in.
tensiyi the porils sought TO be removed,
And further the enormous subsidies wfung
by this Department from the builder must all
subsequently be repaid out Of the scanty
earnings of the tenants OF course, this
machine is too profitable 70 thc Ring 10 be
abolished; aud henci We find in MIR.
ABRAHAM o. Halls NV charter, that
the powers and duties of ills depa..
ment shall continue as now authorized by
special laws This s the man who wants
autocratic powers as Mayor of the city,
The Leg Stature will do well before adopting
his clause of his new charter, to appoint q
committee Of investigation.