New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-20
The Hotel Cecil,
London.

quite right Every possible Improvement has been
applied to the new dwellings, until one mgn,i d cx
ment among the palatiai appliances apout hIi nm,
doubtful how 70 use hen Lnerr are even sPef ,ha
Old Nicho who ever possessed Il bcyce-unless by
WAY OF fG ga Sebo ' might wen sit in bewder-
ment in these new rooms but ne does not because
he is not there Sr the Go a 1ea on Ih
gas-moters and bicycle houses; being thorough, II
on to md the NeSo family
get some sor! of shelter for three and siypenSe
swept away, the Nichol family may pay the Coun.
ell six shnss week. HaS Or t sgSnSinoc% KNOWS
Fivc-and- ninepence and six shillings week are
charged for two-room tencments. and ssyen-and-
must be paid for with the County Council the
nominal rent and the actual payments are the
daily nnance OF the very poorest OF London knows
that such & az s these ARE for mat asr S
fact. the tenants of the new buildings viii, and
s sSpe GGe c lsS to the wrcchcs dspOssesscd
1t is, without doubt an excellent thing to give ~"
comes OF the problem that the whole scheme was wa,
to solve? Round about the orleina old Mich: NlchGl
ed enough. As they were they might. in the bulk.
have been tolerated. and no doubt would nave I'M
Sefb% orScd
to these acquainted with the spot IT Is = marvel
no matter at what cost of ovcrcrowding. These
districts without were already overfuil and now
T IS m n2 hc 8dG has beom !" mcr
moved on; and Il sum OF f30)O)0 has been spent
by tho County Council in competition with Inc
Artisans Dwellings Companies. - .,
Ii is said OF course. that cost must be consid-
cred and that such expensive tonemcntS cannot be
lot at lower rents with due regard 10 commercial
principles But the County Council has not always
been ovcrpartcular in this respect and II 1t really
be bent on first experiment In economy. there
should be no great difficulty In finding another
and profitable subject II WAS matter OF
simple necessity that ovcrorowded and unwhole-
some neghborhood should be clcansed. and the in
habitants reodged in decent dwellings. The de-
cent dwellings have been built but the people have
been driven into worse ovorcrowdiny than be-
fore Yet the County Council Is perfectly satisfied.
Ii IL admitted without question that the displaced
people have not been provided for but nobody
So ms 10 think X matters
1t Is a fact that the old hrec-ands!x-pcnny tcne-
mtnt consisted of but one room, whereas the new
siX-shilling habtation has two; But what OF that?
nd-siXpence represented the extreme OF the
tenants ront-paying capacity, and YOU could GET
no more out OF him II YOU offered him BuckIns-
ham Palace. 1t Is not considered moral" | be-
Anybody who really knows the actual life OF a
poor family in this country knows what nonsense
can be talked on this matter; but that consIdera-
ton may be set aside: The position Is this: The
London County Council takes n poor wretch by the
collar and turns him and his family into the streets.
IL says: You shall no longer live In this slualld
shall be fitted with patent venulators and bi-
cycle-shed and there will be two living rooms in
stead OF one, which would be immoral But lest
you should abrse these privileges will keep you
of the promises by doubling your rent. and / will
get me u decent tenant. who could easily nnd "A
homo elsewhere, u 80 minded As fer YOU you
ily and between you make the place twice ~ bad
az this drive YOU from; ana you may be "a In
moral as YOU please-somewhere else"
so that when some future county Council AT
last turns 10 demolish another Nicho hard by the
site OF tho old one. many may be moved to ask II
this rent-Tstsng were sound finance, after all