New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-05
NETWORKS BAD EMINENCE
,,rp rrNEMENr-uousEs THE WORST OF
ALL.

,YER OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ItE WohSi vi
,,,.,pn WATSON Gu.DERs OBSERVATIONS.
.nRoAp-BErrrR HOMES FOR THE POOR
IN PARIS AND LoNDoN-IMpRovE-
MENTs HERE.
Richard Watson Glider. Editor Of THE Cent
,rv Magazine" who with his colleagues of the
rsr,ement- House Commission worked early and
ate to secure the passage of the bills looking TO
he betterment of the living conditions OF the
MOOR of the East Side and the other tenement
districts of the city Of New-iork. arrived IN This
city week ago. after prolonged stay In Eu-
rome and the East. With the exception OF TWO
months last fall. Mr.. Glider has been absent
rro,n this country since May. 1899. His absence
was undertaken as a vacation. after the twenty
afth year Of the magazine. but IN the various
cities through which Mr. Glider passed he took
occasion to Investigate the conditions OF the peo-
nile occupying tenement-houses, and to compare
such conditions with those that obtain IN THIS
city. To Tribune reporter Mr.. Glider gave the
benefit Of his observations among the poor OF
the great cities Of Europe.
ION account Of my connection With the Tene-
ment-House Commission. said MIR. Glider Il
vas naturally much interested in the housing
problem wherever l went. even In the cities OF
IN. East and the small villages up the Nile,
xvhere families live huddled together in very
c,ose quarters. Nowhere did l see any consid-
erable number Of tenement-houses so bad as
those that are to be found in the most crowded
portions Of New-York. Owing principally to the
extreme fimsiness Of the material of which
many Of our tcnement-houses are built, two most
undesirable results follow First they are easily
saturated with filth. which they just as readily
give out in the form Of disease germs. and sec
ond. they take fire and burn very readily. In all
Europe believe there is nothing like them.
THE DENsEsT POPULATION.
Tt IL a curious fact, too that In the city OF
Prague. which is said to have the most densey
populated section Of territory in all Europe, the
density Of population is considerably less than
in the most populous portion of New-Nork. In
the Josefstadt, Prague, for an area OF twenty
two acres the population IS 1894 per acre.
In the Eleventh Ward, the most densely
populated section Of New-York. the ratio Is
1884 for an area of thirty-two acres. Ihen
too the houses in Prague, While they are mud
died together and very dark. and their BACK
Yards are often filthy. are not especially haoie
to fire. for they are substantially built OF stone
They make one think Of cave-dwengs. In ad-
dition to this, the tenement-house section OF 'ne
CITY Is near the river Moldau; the open space
there Is nearer TO the lnilapltai'S 'iiiii 10 '''
case on our East Side.
I'm Berlin the tenements are more mooern'
and there is strictly speaking no tenement Sec
ton or district for the tenement-houses are
mingled with q better class Of buildings Poor
neonle often live in the rear, or at the top OF
nrettv good buildings. The cause Of these COM
paratiyely excellent conditions Is that the build
ing laws of Berlin are extremely strict. The per-
centaee Of q building lot that can be covered py
a tenement house is much less than Is allowed
even by the reform laws that have recently peeh
adopted in New-York. Thus 1t Is almost lmpos-
sible to build very dark houses. Again, nre-
proof building materials have been cheaper IN
Europe than In New-York. They were never SO
cheap here as they are now. and they VIII grow
even cheaper. owing to new inventions and to
competition.
"The housing problem seems scarcely to exist
la Rome for the reason that. during the COM
paratively recent period Of wild speculation, the
city was overbuilt to such extent that now
many fine houses are occupied by what used to
constitute the tenement classes blocks OF the
new houses seem to he simply falling into decay
C.orn lack Of occupation.
In the old Jewish quarter of Venice the
houses are very high and close together put the
streets are comparatively clean, and canal
runs along the front. making both neighbor-
hood park and a bathing place.
THE PLAN IN PARIS.
"In Paris / found that the Government was
remorselessly uprootng and wipng out FOR good
and all whole sections of the poorer and older
houses They do this by opening up new streets
and public parks widening Old streets The
French Government has taken UP the subject
TO the extent of passing laws that facilitate the
formation of companies that have as their op-
feet the furnishing of homes TO the wage-earh-
ers These laws We're passed in 1894. ana were
supplemented in 1890 and again IN lo'o' Inc
laws nrov;de for the establishment in every de-
nartment of committees cheap tenement
houses which are to endeavor to encourage the
building Of cheap and healthy tenement build
ings by private parties or corporations by me'h-
ID. and under restrictions minutey laid down.
Tn Paris there is the Societe Francaise des
VALUATIONS a Bon Marche. whose functions are
.mi,ar to those Of the Improved Housing Coun-
ell In this CITY, This society does not build. put
II promotes the cause of cheap houses Tor WORK
men, and keeps in touch with those associatlohS
which actually DO the work OF building. Inc
3sane family distantly related to the poet, am
told have interested themselves in the cause
and have built q number of these houses; not
~ attractive perhaps as the London ones. but
vtfli an Improvement over the ordinary frehch
l~nenent. The Societe Anonyme des Habita-
hons Ouvrieres builds little houses In interior
saleys. and sells them very cheaply to workmen
rhase houses have pretty little gardens In 'front.'
Md are very conveniently arranged
zone of the most interesting experiences had
iufTrance was visit to the little town built by
eha, Meniers. at Noisie There is the great 1ac-
torv. and near 1t are the charming little homes
loesths.workmen, who may live in them or not,
~ they please. There are also an admlraoiy
>~-.=.eA .ahool h,iildinp with Open-air Ilay-