The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-08-18
ARTISANS HOMES.
HOW GLASGOW HAS IMPROVED SOME
OF ITS POOR DISTRICTS

Poor at Reasonable Rentala.
\ Municipalities are not necessarily
wiser than other corporate bodies Glas-
Cow has by no means solved the human
problem But she has made some notable
experiments in the direction Of bright.
ening human life But. with less than
half dozen blocks Of municipal tene-
ments, she is still far from pointing the
way to beatific condition. She is also
far from having become socialistic city
She had the Opportunity to make expert
ments in the most wretched Of her dis
trictS The experiments have succeeded.
and private enterprise here, as elsewhere,
has made similar experiments and with
similar success
The municipal tenements or artisans
dwellings as they are variously called.
consist Of blocks Of fats ON either side
Of the Saltmarket The buildings are
four stories in height The ground floors
are occupied by shops The houses are
usually arranged so that ON two floors
there are three tenements. . tenement Of
two rooms being ON each side Of the
staircase and tenement Of one room be-
tween them. There are also several flats
Of three rooms each. The tenement Of
one room is IA by IS feet 1t is fitted
with a bed closet, which is expected 70
answer the purpose Of a second room, .
scullery. large press or cupboard, q
! commoGious dresser and a kitchen range.
Such an apartment rents for $40 year.
| The two roomed fat has a small lobby
fitted with a press, or closet. On one
side Of the lobby is the living room,
which Is completely furnished as a
kitchen A scullery adjoinS There is
also a bed alcove in the room On the
other size Of the lobby and on the front
Of the house is the sitting room, to which
Is also attached a bed closet Such fat
rents for $40. so per annum The three
roomed fats rent for $50 year Gas is
supplied by the city at the usual rate Of
60 cents Per 1000 feet There is a laun-
dry at the fcp Of the house for the use
of the tenants These artisans dwellings
are constructed in the most substantial
manner. The stairs are stone, and the
stairway walls are tiles or glazed brick.
"AASA - c.Asily Arpt SitsA1
1t has long been objected that these
| dwellings do hot meet the necessities Of
the poorest class Of laborers The rents
were too high for men who work in the
streets or on the docks and at other kinds
OF unskilled labor. Glasgow had to con-
slider whether it were possible for the
municipality to reach these men in any
way. IL 1t had been question Of letting
ROOMS 10 single men, the arrangement
could have been made easily enough
But the difficulty was to devise homes
for large families, and it usually hap
pens that i'll this part Of the world tho
poorer the man the larger is his family
Houses could be built, of course, but
could the poorest class of laborers afford
to pay rent which would return to the
municipality an interest Of 9, 8 or
! per cent on its investment: Could the
municipality compete in that respect
with the owners Of rookeries, where
families live in single apartments,
Much deliberation was given to the sub
| Ject. Ii was found that the municipality
could put up a block Of substantial
buildings to meet the wants Of the class
hitherto iel' uhtoached' but that 1t
woulh noe DC prac'icaOie 10 provide any
thlhe more than what are called "one
'ooineo houses -tnat Is TO say one
room TO a family. To be sure, the rooms
could be divided by a partition reaching
within two or three feet Of the ceiling,
.ne sleeping quarter oeinS thus separated
foni Tue c"'hihS quarter
was IinAiiy o'cioeo 'ha' a DOCK OF
siHe4o iooia 'eiieinehts snould Dc CON
s'ruc'sA a place was cleared at the
rear Oh oiocH Oh artisans dwellings
anu pam ouii'iihs 0, three stories was
erec'ei' Win iour single rooiu tenements
on e%ca uD 70, TWO IN the 'front.' and two
oeu in were let at rents Well
W. mitnih .,s means Oh unsAiiied iaDorerS
NC Ouiiuihs was openea' ana IL mas
go uiIed ever since Inc experiment
ulIiAiy succsSsiui' OUT IN other re.
speos .tefe Is li''ie 70 Dc said tor IL VI
ooo, ,s 'he apartments are larger lighter.
ne,i'nier' letter punt than any single
I'm .encenes IN the OH rookeries
NeVertneiess the objections to the herd
By removed They are merely mininized