New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-01
IENEMENT-HOUSE BILLS.
THE WAY CLEAR FOR REFORM LEGISLA-
TON
MEASURE DESIGNED TO REMEDY GLARING
EVILS Or THE TENEMENT SYSTEM TO BE
CONSIDERED by THE LEGISLATURE
TINS WEEK-lTS PROVISIONS.
TINS WEEK ITS PROvIsl(

THIS wEEK-ITS PROVISIONS.
Albany March 81 (SpeciaD.--One OF the most i'm
porant tasks undertaken by the Legislature at tnls
session has been the reform of the evils and abuses
of the Ncw-York City tenement-house system
Fortunately, the way to speedy and practical anne
llorative legislation had been made clear for both
branches by the thorough and palnstaking work OF
the Tenement House Commission, which. under 'he
leadership of Richard Watson Glider, had Just mn
ished exhaustive investigation of the actual con-
di;ions of tenement house life and had prepared an
elaborate programme OF measures to remedy l'S
most glazing abuses. The Glider Commission. on
which, besides the chairman. were Cyrus tdson'
Roger Foster Solomon Moses, George Is. fos'' Jon"
=. Schuchman, William OH. Washington anu E'-
ward Marshall. made twenty-one SPECIFIC recon-
mendations 10 the Legislature. more than half OF
them covering provisions In the present Cohsohua-
ton act which il was desired to have repeated or
amended.
These recommendations may be summed up DIS
follows: First the destruction of all hopeessly u"-
sanitary buildings. with compensation 10 'hc 0"N
ers: second, a compulsory increase OF the air anu
light space the construction OF tene1neh's' .i'l"'
more stringent precautions against hre' iou 'i' o."
elevation of the ceiling limit in Easements ilV"i o
foot 10 two feet above the level of the grouho' Ht
the absolute removal of all wallpaper; SIXTH the
lighting Of all Railways from sunset to 10 p III
seventh raising the minimum OF oreathms-'p"'ei
qulred for each adult 10 400 cube iee' anu ~ 49,
child to 200 eighth, the restriction OF 'ie "'
lutte prohibition of the use OF teneih'hI-houS'S ~
lolrincs stables or the storage Of rags; eh'"' an
insjstence that the owners and agents OF teHe"
houses shall file their names with me boaI" ~.
Health: eleventh an increase OF the mean" D,,
,,snec,ion force: twelfth. opening OF two siha
r,s 9th nlavgrounds In the district east or the
I2owerv and Catharine-st., ard south OF Fourlhs.'
thirteenth. the attachment OF suHcieh' pay
TO all schoolhouses; fourteenth the lhcreaSe' az
as possible of rapid transit fac.htles' hl'ec"'' ~
onening of municipal clearinghouse IN the c'o"u,
districts of the city; sixteenth the erec'o" Vi P
Ito drinking fountains and lavatOries; seventeenth
the extension of the electric lighting system III '
tenement house sections; eighteenth the iIee' u1 w.
asnhalt pavements; nineteenth an increase IA ~
number Of free kindergartens; twentieth r'o -
49,, runtsbment of solicitation and prostitution !"
tenement houses; twenty-first the abolition OF te
nresent Tenement House Board cohssu"s % s
officials and the institution OF specia' ooi'' 80
a, intervals of five years. Bills were drawn up oS
tho commission embody most OF 'hese i'
o,s,,,ons and sent with a voluminous report u
Albany in the early part of the present seSsio''
The only embarrassment TO legisla'io"
lie at first in this very wealth Oh Suse0 o.,
comment 1t was felt that all the Cohiiii9 10"
,deas could not well be compressed wlthh 'ie NM
~ . single remedial measure and some OF 'hei''
like the recommendations of better sree'.l'e"' ''
and having and the increase or rapiu 's"S'' ,.,
tics we're soon found TO touch on questions ii''0
outside the strict province of tenement-house ie
;or,,y in tho Assembly, and legislator Oh ca
nacity and experience was. however 'eauH' -.
duced to take charge OF the PROPOSED .. c,,
under his skifu direction the most lipo .a.,s
,as,,ons Of the Glider Commission were "i""0
out and presented 10 the hesi9
three separate bs. , hov. rassed
Two of these bills, as is well KNOWN nav" 80
both branches and are now IN lne uo'e' -,
for signature. Both deal with me nnoio "a ..
denominations Of the commission In regard 10
49, o,ariry of additional parks. the erection Vi
,nm,ctral baths and the attachment OF playground
IN nublic schools. The shorter one inc 20 -
,,,ch covers only four lines, although NOT i'- NO
.,o,,, tho wish of the commission TO pro'ide pay!
e"', .ho schools in the crowded districts
800 ,ou have none, directs that hereafter nv
schoolbouse shall be built in the CITY Vi -
without an open-air playground a''acheu " " C,.
a,le- second bill authorizes the Ne"-i 1
- ~ street Opening and Improvement 10 lay
-. .,,b;n three years from the passage Vi 'he
90, az many public parks as II may oeeih "eo
-sarv.-hut no less than two are 10 De ope"r''
,hesa are 10 lie IN the district east OF 'he io"e'
and Catharine-st and south OF four.h-s'' III nv"
narks municipal baths may also he built ana por
80 - ,bam NAV be taken for schoolhouses ana
school Fairgrounds Inc cosl VI ~
baths IS not TO exceed SW"Wu -,
.rha great bulk of the committees suggestions
e. ,ncoTnorated in the third bill, which deals di-
rec,lv with tie abuses which nave grown " ="
,t cors.r,ctjon and management OF tenement
bouses fl has already had us second reaui's i"
the Assembly and will come up ior PaSSaee, "
snecial order on Tuesday This Dill is IN the ioii
Of an amendment TO the present Iehelne"'-iioo'e
,ow and the more important notifications can De
~, - sa,.u To begin with, the force of police
.. he mt at the service of the Board OF Health is
axed at fifty officers and men. twenty OF "hoin arc
"a he employed exclusively in the enforcement OF
,hs tenement house laws. The number OIL SAINT
,arv inspectors Is also Increased 10 loi!' Inc
ornm,ssion's recommendation is approved raising
,h. calling limit Of any basement room from one
foot to two above the level OF the street 10
minimize the present danger OF H'e' se0"o' "
the bill provides as follows:
Af,er the first day of September, 1872 no
bakery or place Of business in which lat is p9ueh
shsi1 % Grnnroof except by permit Of and under
such conditions as may be prescribed by the IRE
ss ne used for the storage feed straw
except by permit Of and under sqen cUnar t All
trsnsoms windows doors and other openings ieao-
ing into halls or into rooms hsinsss X Which fat is
boiled in the Easements cellars or on me IN Yew
York shall be solidy closed with the same ma
ters the walls or paro n W no ope emil be-
tween said bakeries or other places S ohar
of the tenement house in which the same snail De
situated All transoms and windows opening INTO
ent-house where paint oil spiritmons LIQUORS or or
drugs stored or kept for me Pur2oSe o, nay
as the OF the wall and all doorS ieauifg ny ni1
any used as Aforesaid shall be made fire.
proof. go, -.
AS Introduced by Mr.. Ainsworth. the bill pro-
hbited absolutely the use OF wallpaper IN tene-
nent. houses 1t has since been amended so as to
provide that wallpaper shall be used unless
all MINER already hung shall be removed and the
wall o. ceiling thoroughly cleaned. Penalties are
provlded In Section for failure to give notice TO
the Board OF Health OF changes OF ownership OF
tenement property. An elaborate procedure Is es-
tabIished in Section for the condemnation of un-
sanitary buildings not technically nusances, and
for the award OF damages by the Supreme Court
Hereafter no tenement house building on an In
terror lot shall more than 10 per cent OF the