Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-18
PACKED LIKE SARDINES.
WoRKINGMER UNkBLE 70 SECURE CON-
MoDIoUS QUARTERS.

The City's Urgent Need for Small Dwellings
An Investment Which Would Pay Well
Contractors Jones and Booth Give
Some Interesting Figures.
Evan Jones, the well-known contractor.
thought the idea of nice, comfortable homes
at moderate rentals for the working people
of Pittsburg was an excellent one. He said:
There is not a city in the United States where
the demand is more urgent. Under the present
order of things industrious men with families
are compelled to take almost any kind of quar-
tiers they can find, and there are hundreds and
hundreds of cases where several families are
crowded into one house, almost like sardiueS in
box. Then they are driven into alleys and
out-of-the-Way places. Now this is embarrass-
ing to the reliable class of workingmen.
Their families are just as dear TO them as are
those of more fortunate citizens. and they are
anxious to bring their children up under more
favorable surroundings. The truth is, the de-
mand for houses exceeds the supply out OF all
proportions, and in consequence rents are 81
most luminous.
A CHANCE FOR CAPITALISTS.
1t has been a matter of surprise TO me for a
long time that some of our men of money have
not looked into this question. { am satisfied
that a man could rent as many houses which
would bring from Sl2 to SIS a month as he
could build. Piutsburg has undergone a wonder
full change IN the last few years. With our
facilities for rapid transit with cable and cleo
trio cars the city has extended her boundaries
in all directions We now have plenty of va
cant property 10 build upon and it is within
easy reach of the business portions
Aside from being great move in the inter-
est of the working classes. the man who invests
his money in cheap, substantial houses will
make handsome thing of il for himself. At
Jeanette for instance, they have built great
many houses that suit my ideas OF what we
need. They are constructed on the Philadel-
phia and Baltimore plans. They are of brick,
with tour or nve good rooms. fiat roofs and
built sulidly, with NICE neat little front yards.
DO not know exactly what they cost, but do
not think the price exceeded more than 81, zoo,
and quite likely it was less. Now il is plain to
see that say SIS month on this kind Of an in
vestment would make IL profitable. As l said
before, the idea is splendid one, and THE
DISPATCH will do great deal of good in CIV
ing the scheme start
THOUSANDS OF HOUSES NEEDED.
Mr.. Booth, OF the firm of Booth & Finn,
said he knew of no question that was more
worthy o! thorough agitation than that of
moderately cheap and substantial homes for
the working people. He added:
1t lis an outrage, the manner in which the
working classes of PittSburg have TO live. The
rents for houses that are anything like decent
ones to live in are enormous. and men with
families who earn from SIS to SIS week can
not afford to pay the same. There is the most
urgent deRand here for thousands of houses
built upon the plan of fats. as in Philadelphia,
New Y Hork, Baltimore and other large cities,
ana the demand will be on the increase for all
time. Enterprises of this Kind pay handsome
returns in other places and wonld do the same
here. We have great field here for the judi
cious investment of money in the building line,
and believe that proper agitation OF the sub
lect through the papers will lead to excellent
results,