New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-20
"REHOUSING" IN LONDON.
BETTER HOMES FOR THE POOR, But
RENTS TOO HIGH FOR THEM TO PAY.
rom The Saturday Review

From The Saturday Review
There lies in Shorodtch an of fifteen acres
until lately covered with habitatons Enft for the
Of human creatures OF higher condition than
Ainu. In many Of tho places anything of the
nature of sanitary appliance did not exist. and
in the places where such thing might be found
It was mere reservoir Of peStil"ncc Even thirty
seven years ago the condition Of this neigh
trade new spaper Many rooms which were in
reality cellars damp and poisonouS and n wfFe
were crowded with poor vicious creatures of the
dirtiest, most neGCctful and most neglected sort
Tho whole population was the worst In London,
and. Notwithstanding ph.ianthropc cncrt. colld
scarcely hope TO grow better in such spot The
plan OF the streets ana courts; ana thcr situation
relative to the main thorouGhfarcs Of the district
gave the place singular advantages as residence
criminals Of the most hopeless sort made the active
BULK or b 5ne pSG bn an ana
London the Nichol-more widely spoken of as THE
Asatia OF forhiddins record 1t was plain that
given a responsible authority charged with metro
for speedy handling. Bothnal Green /: no health
resort nor Is Ii sparsely populated Indeed the
Nicho the number TO the acre was 3S. The death
rate of the place. again ALLOWING. as one must
for the cutting off of these carried TO nilrmare.
to die) four times that Of the rest OF London
a simple fac that by itself. should set officials
More. the miserable dens. let cut In separate rooms
brought s!nfully extortonatc rents--a matter that
should have attracted. and did attract the notice
OF County Councillors unfriendly TO landlords as q
class. To be perfectly fair, however. It may be
well to interiect here warning that tho nominal
of rooms in very bad quarters is a sum very
different in amount from that actually u"ttcG by
III" landlord. True. he spends very litte his
property: but difficulty OF collection and irregular
Nv Of payment reduce his profits that grind the
poor as he may he H. uncOmmonIy fortunate " he
can pouch much moro than clear half Of his
stated rent. taking tho year through. In fact the
landlords rents OF some few houses In the Nicho
were quite moderate the tenants playing middle
men and making large profits by letting out the
single rooms at current rates. Bit this apart the
fact remains that far TOO much was charged Tor
houscroom or 2 very inlS'rnDl" eort.
The state Of affairs cal,d for thorough meas
ures and II IS credtahle TO tho County Council
that II did not hesitate to do the proper thing. II
was no 90 az for tiukerng. and the complete clear
nnco OF the entire area was begun. In course ~
years. too. It finished To the ignorant on
locker the works seemed % move very slowly. The
demolition OF the Old houses In successive small
arcnJ and tho speedy erection OF new such
spaces as fell vacant plainly the wise course
Il much misery and worse ovcrcrowding than be-
fore wcrc to be avoided. and this was the course
which the Council appears 20 have directed But
In practice large patches lay vacant for many
weary months. md even now though II must be II
year since the Last Of the old dens fell. a very
inrgc space remains uncovered. This. however, Is
due 10 hidden and unavaldlblc causes. The new
houses large number OF thcm have been built
I'm wide streets Of exre' nj plan. convcrSrg on an
open space. The buildings aie of tho high Pea
body" description. az was inevitable IN no eircun
stances and they are furnish d with many most
excellent improvements. The unprorrssional OBJ
server car find FAULT with them. unless II bc
that the window are trinc smaller than they
sonaI cyc NAV wen b" deceived Members az me
County Council who addressed tn"!r constituents
before the work was begun promised hat The thing
should he done .rli. and their promise has been
tunity TO abuse the landlords OF the district ana TO
corismn thc.- e%to:.loaate rents and they wero