New-York tribune., 1901-10-20
DEFENDS HOUSE LAW.
LAWRENCE WELLER SHOWS HOW
ALTERATIONS CAN BE MADE
WITHOUT HEAVY EX-
PENSE

An organized movement is being made by few
persons who have habitually opposed all efforts at
tenement house reform in the past make the
| new Tenement House law unpopular with tenement
| house owners by telling them that they will be
compelled to tear their houses to pieces and pract-
cally reconstruct them, at expense of thousands
OF dollars. in order comply with the new Law.
Parts of open letter from the secretary OF the
| late Tenement House Commission. exposing the
| misstatements that are being made and showing
how slight the alterations that required,
printed further
That the owners of the old rookeries, with their
dark, unventilated rooms. should object to spend
ing few dollars to make their houses fit for hu-
man habitation is not surprising. The same howl
went up from them years ago, when they were re-
quired by the Board of Health to cut in few win
dows in their buildings.
For forty years New-York has been de-
nandng that these old tenement houses should be
made a little more fit for human beings, and now
that they about to be made so 1t is not likely
that the community will permit an iota Of the new
law to be relaxed.
Leading physicians who testified before the Ten
ement House Commission said that these dark.
unventiated rooms was attributable the fact that
pulmonary tuberculosis has become practically
epidemic" in city. eight thousand deaths from
this disease occurring here each year. and there
being twenty thousand cases Of the disease in
well developed form.
1t is reported that attempt is being made to
influence the political parties by threatening to
defeat for reelection any Senator Assemblyman
such s0 atternnt Will fa is foregone concIusion
The letter in question IS addressed by Lawrence
WELLER TO the Editor of The Real Estate Record
and Guide" The writer says
have read with considerable interest an edi-
torial in The Record and Guide OF October
titled "Ante-New Law Tenements." and a number
~ b + ~ fbe e5, Tanene1t Houss m Sotp
old buildings and buildings that it
time call the attention of builders. real
estate owners and operators to the real facts
they exist
Mr.. Venler goes on 10 say that there is no pro-
vision Of the Tenement House act which requires
the owner OF a existing tenement house 10
make alterations in his building for even mod
arshaft in his building IL he does not desire 70 do
/ so. The writer continues:
! What the law does require In regard TO GER
tain types OF now existing ST tenement houses Is =. a
| az tenement houses in this CITY Cand almost en-
| tirely in Manhattan in which there number
except thai Witch comes from another room or
| from the public hallway Of the house This class
! First-Those houses which are four rooms deep
4 rooms and two rear rooms secure light and air
from the street and yard. and IN which there are
/ dark and unventileted.
He shows that the changes that would have 20
! be made in this type OF building simple being
nothing more than the removal Of the present
rooms and s15ttuag IN 5he p5ce | Par9ns m IN
! which there Is q movable sash window the window
half Of II made TO open.
HOW TO MAKE CHANGES
In regard the type OF tenement house where
| there six rooms in line each side OF the
| building twelve rooms a 1oor). Mr.. Veiiler says
! there are many different ways 20 make the neces-
| sary changes so as 70 comply with the PROVISIONS
tnUes:
| In the first place the four rooms adjoining the
! front and rear rooms can be made TO comply with
partitions between the rooms in question and the
| outer rooms After this has been done. howeNer'
/ rooms each floor which must be, according 70
and Renaon ADO This may be dome dome in several
Ffrst-If the bedroom in question happens 20 be
different property which contains at least twenty
five square feet in area, window may be cut into
the wall OF the in question opening upon this
airshaft and the law WI thus be COMPLIED WI(9
Similarly II the room In question happens 10 adjolH
aFqb 3 bs ana may the ee aW G1y w ' b
( complied with. In some cases this viii be per
IN other cases, of course this will not be feasible
Second--N neTe the IHeIiu , suebfIl IA tlt @ IS1
thing Tor the owner to do IS to take down the PaT-
BUILDING AN AIRsHAFT
Third-The third method by which the law can
be complied with Is the construction Of an airshaf Il
! in those buildings which now have no airshatt
least by Ga feet and such shaft would have TO
be hreproof and be provided with door at the bot
/ in tenement house Of this type would be would
| in each building but would certainly rot be the
! ridiculous amount quoted By the opponents Of the
/ law The putting IL OF Rirshaft viii. OF course
involve the giving up OF at least two rooms each
I floor. and Is q method that. should think. would
( not be generally employed
} Rooms in existing tenement houses which have
; a window opening the street yard,
court or shaft OF not less than twenty-five feet
} square IN area not required TO have six hun
dred cubic feet of air or sixty square feet Of
! floor area
/ IN any tenement house shall be 30 overcrowded
that there shall be afforded less than four hundIcd
cubic feet Of air 10 each adult and TWO hundred
cubic feet Of air 10 each child under twelve years
} of age Occupying such room, and apartment in
! any tenement house shall be SO overcrowded that
there shall be afforded in the living and bed
| rooms combined Of said apartment house less than
six hundred cubic feet of to each individual
| occupying such apartment suite Of rooms"
Mr. WELLER mentions some other alterations that
be made.
SOUTHERN COTTON MARKETS.
,s.--bt- r-o+.on o,,te+. rnfddng Low