The times., 1897-12-02
Central Relief Committee VIII
Consider the Matter.
GEN. STERNBERGS REPORT
Several Houses, Built on Bates
Street as an Experiment, Have
Proved To BE a Success Each Has
Heat. Light, Bath, Gas and Range,
With Separate Yard and Cellar.

Ing officers and members being pres m:
c. {. Cole. chairnan; Beriah wilkins, treas.
urer; George s. Wilson, secretary; Mrs. ].
Y. Baison. j. F Cook, J. E. Fitch, Prof.
j. h. JahHey, Simon Wolf, Rev. II. 7.
Stevenson anG Mrs. 7. " Smith.
A valuable report was submitted by
Surg. Gea. stcrnherg, chairman Of the ;, b.
committee appointed To consider plans OF
permanent relief ana sanitary dwellings Tor
the poor IT gives the history of the orcani-
zation Of the Sanitary Improvement Com
pany. and is as follows;
l respectfully submit that my committee
has noe Yet considered tie Question OF an
organization Tor permanenJ reneI, out that
IL Is my intention To caii the committee
together at an early date for the consId-
Grafton OF this ques tion, ana that, after due
dcnoeratIon, any recommendations which
We may have TO make VIII be submitted
To the central relief committee.
1t is scarcely year since tie Commits
siuners or the District OF Columbia re-
quested the central relief committee 10
consider the question oT providing SAM
tafS homes Tor the poor Of the city OF
Washington. Ii was ia accordance with
this request that Tn. SInConiHnIte OF when
L ana chairman was appointed. After a
personal inspection OF tho alley houses I'm
TINS city by myself and other memberS of
thlS subcommittee, and a careful COnSidera-
ton OF the various problems Involved in
an effort 10 improve the 81 HiIary conditions
OF those sections or the city inhabited by
persons OF limited means. Ii was decided
that the most practical method or pronint-
ing the object in view would be ths organ
pany.
Ihis proposition received the approval
OF the Central Relief Committee, and "A
company was soon after organlZ-G. Under
n a ia
! hc names OF the officers and directors
! gwen IA the prospectus OF the company
VIII show that the project met with the
approve 81 OF many of the best-linoWn men ia
tIe CITY OF Washington, aud that the
executive committee Includes the names Of
| several men OF recognized business capacity.
SuIIlcient stock IaVing been sui sCrii ed.
nuiiding opera lonh were Sprfmeu''s' 80
Juhe!a lfpon some lots purchased fol this
purpose, on Bates street. Tnfs ShC n street
extends from Month Capitol To First street,
ifef fsezt = ara @. ara ire iufiilir, o. erect pd
by the Washington Sanitary ImpruvpIpent
| Company are he Inst % b" Wilt uTon Il.
/ / ne loCa ioa Is a htalthfuloue. aud lie land
was obtained at reasopa iIie figure ~
cents per foot. block of eight txo-S tory
houses has been constructed uron LlanS
ota Wn by Surgeon General Stern ferg. the
president of { be company, and the members
OF the executive committee and other stock
hOlders OF the company. who hay inspected
ne Ss, are very much pleased with
the results.
Each house consists of two independent
Hats, one on the first flor ana one en- tie
second. Each flat has a separate ard
and exit TO the alley, a cellar and a bath
ro1iH provided with n sanitary water
| closet and hath tub. Eight OF the flats
have -four rooms, bath room and three
large closets, and the remaining eight
| have three rooms. bath roam and two
|, large closets. The rooms are all well
! light ed, the plumbing is of the best quail
/ ity; there is good range iu EACH Kitchen,
| with water back and a thirty gallon boiler
| To provide hot water for the bath roum
and Tor use in the kitchen. The four
rOun flats viii be rented fer $3.50 a
month, and the threeroom flats for 50 30
! a month, and as an incentive TO tie en-
! ants 10 keep their apartments in coed
| order, one months rent in each year is
/ set apart for repairs.
If at the end'of the year OF occupancy
| no repairs have been required. one months
! rent viii be returned TO the tenant. or 50
iuch Of this amount as is not required 10
| cover the costs OF necessary repairs. At
these rentals, il all the flats are OcCuDiea.
! the sanitary Improvement coihpany viii re-
ceiVe from 10 per cent net upon the
! capital invested, This viii insure the
! payment OF per cent dividends to the
! stockholders. and from l 10 per cent
! surplus for the reserve fund. Although
! ti:p houses were not turned over TO the com
] pauy by tEe contractor until Novemb Der
| 21, twelve OF the sixteen flats are already
| rented to d very good class Of tenants.
! Applicants are required to furnish ref ar
1 enceS as to character ana rents are to be
/ paid monthly in advance.
! The officers Of the Sanitary Improve
! meUt Company believe that a denonStra ton
OF the fact that houses OF this class can
be rented 10 respectable wage-earners at
I rates considerable below those which they
( have been I'm the habit OF pa wing for in
/ feTiOr accommodation, and that those who
1 invest their. money IN the enterpris G
can depend upon receiving regular divi-
z dends OF per cent per dUnum. Will ma ke
I n pJsSihlc % procure the necessary ca pitaI
: for greatly extending the operations of the
I company. But IL is anticipated that the
/ CJaG accomplished VIII not by any means
{ bs limited by the amount Of capital in
Z vested bv this company, for already the
I plans adopted are being copied by private
Z individuals, and they viii only serve as n
J Htudel Tor this class OF houses, tut the
I rentals asked, VIII, % some extent at
/ least, establish a standard for landlords
who may heretofore have expected aud re-
I Ccived very much larger returns for the
l money invested by them. Moreover, those
/ who move into these flats leave cant
4 somewhat inferior Il wellings which must be
Z rented M u lower figure than heretofore, Dr
I improved 81 that they CORES pond TO some
I extent 40 leIsr 90 THE accommodations a f.
& for'lcl by the sanitary improvement Com
ln. general effect or the movement VIII
I Be- fu Improve this class Of dwellings and
I th1-e renting az StiIl lower rates through
/ out the CT " When the necessary capital is
/ scared che Sanitary Improvement Com
Z Uanv W ili uot only huilu more hOuses 81 the
1 type already constructed. for plans have
\ tsen drawn Tor sanitary flats which can be
Z rented Tor - or = month II willbe the
/ aim % the officers OF the company TO make
] no Investments either In land or houses
/ y hiIh are not carefully considered with
1 reference tu the payment pf per cent
I uigideuds 20 those ing in the stock
/ OF the company for IL il evident that the
1 tax undertaken is too large for philan-
4 thruphy alone, and the enterprise can only
/ reach the ueaSure OF success which Is
I aimed at, toy insuring capitalists a safe
/ investment and regular dividends. The
| pnilanthFophic element in the movement
consists not alone in arryng out the plans
1 indicated, but in the fact that business
I ruen. law yers and sanitary experts devote
| their time 10 the interests OF the company
| without asking or receiving any COM
] pensatiOn.
Fortunately the comparatively low price
I Of land in certain sections of the city of
/ Washington, the extent OF the city, and
1 tile facility afforded by our electric street
! car lines for rapid and cheap tranSporta-
( ton. make IL possible 10 provide individual
| homes for our Industrial classes. This has
been done heretofore to considerable
1 extent, but greed for gain has apparent
ly, to 4 large extent, controlled those who
have built such houses, rather than a
philanthropic interest i'll the sanitary and
moral well-being OF those who were e
occupy them. The result has been that the
alleys of the city contain a large popula
I ton, house in narrow brick or frame
houses, not provided with hydrant water
OF sewer connections and racing each
other in narrow alleys, under conditions
which, to a large extent, neutraliZe tbs
advanta ges of the individuai-we cannoi
call them Individual homes.
In the new houses of the Sanitary I'm
provement Company the Importance of the
Individual home is fully keptin view. These
two story dwellings, in fact. contain two
complete and independent homes. each
with a separate front entrance, each with
q back yard, cellar, and exit to the a ley
in rear. TIE floors between the first and
second stories are deadened 50 that an or