Evening star., 1897-01-12

provided by the benevolent or speculative ,e
landlord, can tell what life In blocks Is
where the population In low class.
''Sinks and drains are stopped, yaras pro,
yided TO-. exercise must be closed because
of rnishehayior: . . wash houses or
staircases become the nightly haunt OF the
vicious, the Sunday gambling places Oh
boys; the yell of the drunkard ecnoes
through the hollow passages. the stairs
are blocked by dirty children. and tne ne
of any decent hard-working family pe
comes intolerable. feopie oesoie .ie
brutal In large numbers who are geh.le
when they are in smallers groups ana know
one another, . For. after all. the
bone the 1ife.' does not depend on the
number of appliances. go
1T h.,rd n workingman once say, with
some coarseness but with much truth,
Gentlemen think II they put water cicses
to every room they have MADE nome y.
IT. and the remark often recurs 10 me, IoI
tho element of truth there Is in 1t. ana there
IS more decency In many tiny little cottage
in Southwark, shabby as II may ce: more
family life in many one room ie' W
family than in many popuious olock
Hence the enormous Importance
of keeping a large number OF smal n@ouses @
wherever it be possible. for the petter
training of the rowdy; and the p'd plotscttun irai
plore well-meaning landlords to pause pe
fore they clear away small houses ana
erect blocks with any idea OF benenting
the poorer class OF people.
Recommendations Submitted.
"your committee heartily indorses the
sentiments expressed by this distinguished
authority and believes that 1t Is not only
In the interest of morality and public
health chat the smaller houses should be
retained in the heart Of the city. but also
from an economic point of view. in order
that the laborers may be nearer their work
and their opportunities for securing work
In order to remedy, remove and prevent
the evils connected with the subject OF
housing of the poor. as revealed by the
preliminary examination, your committee
submits the following recommendation:
Il. The speedy conversion OF all alleys
containing sufficient number OF human
habitations into small streets and places.
"A law now exists authorizing the open
ing widening and extending of alleys when
the Commissioners or health officer deem
ii necessary, Or when more than one-hah
the owners of the property so decide, but
as to the costs, whether each block shall
pay for the benefits derived by Improving
the condition of the property. or whether
the cost shall be betrayed by the District,
has not been decided: but the principle,
whether assessment for benefits is consti-
tutionai or not. Is involved In the highway
extension case now pending before the
United States Supreme Court.
..2 When impra cticable to extend or cut
through the blind alleys from north to
south or from east to west. and to widen
them at least to thirty feet, they should be
Condemned as unfit for human nanltauon.
The law enacted in 1892 forbidding the
erection Of dwellings in alleys less than
forty feet is 4 most commendable one
Reasonable Sanitary Standard.
IS. All alleys and alley houses should be
subjected to q searching official investiga-
ton; the houses should come up to rea-
scnable sanitary standard. and dwellings
unfit for human habitations should be con-
demned: proper pavements. branch sewers
and water should be supplied. In order to
carry out the law providing for the proper
drainage of lots, and thus lead to the aban.
donment OF box priyfes and the unlawful
disposal of human excreta. Special atten-
tion should he given to the cleanliness. re-
mo, srf garbage and ashes. The inhab-
ttants alleys. as very properly sald ny
tion and the means which are at hand to
guide and assist the rich and Intelligent,
iced even better facilities for sanitation
and decent living than are claimed by the
privileged classes. The privileged classes
will be neat and moral. 1t is to be supposed.
without such aid; while the poor man.
bound to the treadmill OF daily toll. re-
ouires all the agencies that can be pro-
vided to help him toward cleanliness and
~. The attention of capitalists should be
drawn to the fact that no class OF realty
pays as well as alley property in this city.
and that there Is a splendid field for In
yestment in the building Of sanitary and
comfortable alley houses On ouSiness anu
humanitarian basis The committee be-
iievee that no city affords a better oppor-
tunity, on account of the size Of squares.
for the cony ersion Of alleys into minor
streets, and as the improvement would
naturally influence favorably the value or
desirability Of every lot In the same square
1t should meet with no opposition.
"a The committee refers with pardonable
pride to the fact that the systematic in
vestigation of 'slums' in this city was In
itiated by the Civic Center. and has since
engrossed the attention Of q number of
public-sririted bodies. and In order to unity
and solidlfy all efforts in the same direc-
ton we finally recommend that the Civic
Center extend an invitation to the central
relief committee, the board OF Associated
Charities. the board Of trade, the Womans
Antbropological Society and the health Of
fcef for a conference Of their respective
committees and joint consideration OF
the question and the measures necessary
to open Up the blind alleys and render
sluras' In the national capital impossible"