New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-28
THE LODGING-HOUSE EVIL.

A subject which will probably come before
the next Legislature is the evils produced by
the clearinghouse system in this city. Public
attention was recently directed to this matter
by Inspector ByrneS, whose knowledge of these
nurseries of crime" is doubtless more full and
accurate than is possessed by any other student
of life in the metropolis in all it's phases. He
declares that the lodging houses " constitute an
evil of large and growing proportions" and that
they have ga powerful tendency to produce,
foster and increase crime" The report of the
Police Department for last year showed that
during the twelve months ending December 81 g..
1888, 1910 $3.50 cheap lodgings were fur
nished. There were 267 places classed as
" lodging houses and dormitories," containing
10,489 rooms. Yet there is no law that gov
ems or applies to these places, except certain
sections Of the Sanitary Code which give the
Health Department the right to exercise super
vision over them in the matter of cleanliness
Of course there are some honest and re-
spectacle people who happen to be down on
their luck" who find in these resorts cheap
places of abode but as a rule the houses in
question are the resort of drunkardS, thieves,
idIers and loafers of every description. II is
easy to see the influences that would surround
young man who had not succeeded so well in
the city as he had expected, and who had been
driven to one Of these lodging houses in defaults
Of means to procure more comfortable sur
roundings. 1t is not in the slightest degree
surprising that many bmglalies, murders, etc.
have been traced directly to places of this sort,
and that they are in the majority of cases rank
hIaad nn nI1cnc Of crip Mt ,l,.
men corrupted in them through association with
criminals but convicts newly out of prison are
not infrequently forced into crime again by
meeting their former associates in some of
the lOdging-house TO which persons without
resources naturally drift. Inspector Byrnes is
convinced that during the last three wears
crimes cOncocted in the citys lodging houses
have increased rapidly, and he declares that
only very small proportion Of the dodgers are
worthy persons who are glad to get nights
rest at one Of these resorts for trihe But
under our present laws the lodging houses are
law unto themselves, and the police are power
less to exercise any authority over them.
No student OF social conditions in a great city
like this can fail to see that these places are a
fountain of almost unmixed evil The ouos-
tlOn tndt presents llSeII IOT solution Is, What
shall be done to reform them? Lodging-hous,s
cannot be abolished but something can be done
and ought to be done in the way Of regulating
them. In the first place it would be easy to re-
auire that they lie licensed and that no person
who is not II good character should be allowed
to conduct one. Then the proprietors should
be compelled to keep full and accurate record
Of every lodger entertained, and these records
ought at all times TO be open to the inspection
of the police Mr.. ByneS thinks that the po-
lice Department should have complete authority
in the inspection and supervision Of the lodp-
ing houses, and his opinion is entitled to great
weight Wholly to eliminate the evil Of which
these resorts are the source is hardly to he
thought of at present, but the Legislature will
fail in its duty if it does not take some action
in the direction of reducing it, Our charitable
institutions could hardly do a wiser thing than
to call upon the Legislature to make begin
ming in the work of reforming these fruitful
nurseries OF crime.