New-York tribune., 1900-12-02
TENEMENT HOUSE REFORM
PART OF CHARITY ORGANIZATION So
CIETYS REPORT DEVOTED TO
THAT SUBJECT.

The annual report of the Charity Organization
Society has just been published Aside from the
more formal portions of the report such its list
OF contributors its statistical analyses etc. the
port contains about sixty pages of interesting IL
formation regarding the charitable activities Of
this community in the year ending June 80. 1900
foremost among these is placed the movement for
tenement house reform. The report refers to the
appointment of the Tenement House Commission
as the most important event affecting the welfare
OF the poor of this community within the year.
On this point the report says among other things.
Without attempting to forestau the results of the
i iHSsIgatlon now in progress by the State Commits
The dark, narrow and unventiiated airshaft and
@ Ile ddrk railways are a menace to health and to
morals The airshaft should be increased in width
or replaced by large courts of entirely different
shape: The Railways should be kept light and
uecent, and II necessary TO this end should be in
pected and supervised in the interests of the ten
II the single 25-foot lot does not lend itself
10 profitable building subject these conditions il
to the community afford reasonable projection 10
those who live in the tenements than to keep open
tnlS particular form of investment. Whether
ment houses should be licensed; whether taxes
should be RENTED on houses which meet certain
prescribed conditions; whether tenements should be
per petrllted at all in regions in which they have not
greater extent than at present. and many other
similar questions, must be left to the Commission
port - " az ' 10 A'
An account is given of the defeat of the bill for
the distribution of free coal of the passage Of the
Id" IOI tHe erection or State hospital Tor IN
cipient cases of tuberculosis of the decision by the
Court of Appeals that the State Board of Charities
has no jurisdiction private charitable institu-
tons not receiving public funds and of the changes
ir the distribution of public funds private char
liable institutions. One somewhat surprising result
OF the rules adopted is considerable increase in
the amounts paid to hospitals.
The work Of the Committee on Dependent Chill
oren IN preventing the breaking up of families by
providing private assistance at home, when there
would otherwise be necessity for the commitment
OF children, is described in full in the report This
work is sometimes understood involving an at
tack upon the existing system of caring for de-
pendent children in institutions. The principle for
which the society contends is that there should be
discrimination in the treatment of applications for
the commitment of children. Experience has shown
that there many instances in which the break
ing up of the family be prevented by providing
assistance from organized agencies from private
individuals who be brought to take an interest
in the families concerned.
The relief obtained by the society in the year
under review $l7500, besides which about $4,000
was earned by men and women employed in the
woodward and workroOms. The relief disburSed by
societies and individuals directly to benedciaries
upon the request of the society is included in
the above statement. but only the amounts which
were disbursed by the society as intermediary.