The Washington times., 1901-08-19
ELIMINATING THE SLUMS.
New York Follows English Cities
in This Undertaking.
Work Carried on by Commissions
vested With Authority to Remove
Tenements and Erect in Their
Stead Modern Apartment Houses.

Stead Modern Apartment Houses.
NEW YORK. Aug. 1S-English cities
have a wholesale way of solving some of
the serious civic problems wholly I'M
| known to cities on this side of the At
lantic. The handling of the housing prob
lem is one of them. The latest move
ment of any magnitude is that now under
consideration by the city of Liverpool.
The plan contemplates the destruction OF
1880 houses in the Stun district. which
have been pronounced unsanitary and a
menace to public health, and the erection
of f.SOe new ones in their place, at an ex-
pense of s6,25O,eo0. OF the 1900 houses to
| be demolished only about one-tenth have
been constructed since 1872. The balance
were built prior to that date, and 10 per
cent OF these are unfit for human habita-
| ton.
Parliament grants large powers to COM
| missions which are appointed either by
! that or a local authority, TO determine
what course is to be pursued in the de-
| struction of unsanitary houses and the
securing of the sites for new ones,
II the owner is reasonable in his de-
| mands for remuneration for property de-
stroyed and for site appropriated. his price
| is generally allowed without dispute, but
| If he is at all inclined to play the gouge
game his case is given to the courts.
which usually treat him with scant con-
sideration. 1t is estimated that s2,6i5. 600
will be paid for the sites and for the prices
allowed on the houses which are to be
| destroyed.
The commission which has the matter
in charge has considered all the ques-
lions involved, including the determine
4 of he
| begin. and how long period of time will
| be allowed for the contamination OF the
scheme. Seven years will be required to
construct the 1890 new houses to take she
| place of the larger number to be destroy
ed. The commission has arranged TO have
| them built at the rate of about 100 year,
and a corresponding amount of work in
the destruction of unsanitary houses will
be carried on at the same time. The
| total cost for the erection OF the new
houses will amount to $3,6O9.000.
| The houses to be destroyed are of the
| most unsanitary character, most of them
having been built prior to 1872, when the
laws of ventilation were totally disre-
garded. and when people were packed into
small space without regard to their
health.
Nearly LOCO persons will be unhoused
during the first years operations. and IL
the commission had not bestowed wise
forethought on the matter these people
would be put to unnecessary hardship in
finding new homes But the commission
has provided. in nearby sections of the
city, a sufficient number of sites for the
erection of model tenenents, where the
people will be accommodated as rapidly
as they are obliged to leave their old
quarters.
In this way the work can be carried on
through the period of seven years with
out bringing unnecessary trouble to any
of the people who are dispossessed by the
operations of the Housing Commission
In the time specified a total of 1900 per-
sons will be newly housed, a number suf-
ficient to form a good-szed American
city.
In addition to this gigantic scheme the
Housing Commission Is carrying on build
ing operations in the suburbs of the city
and endeayoring to induce as many of
the dispOssessed people as are willing to
take up their abode in the model tene-
ments constructed in these localities.
which are rented at a fair rental. Most
of them are unable to accept the offer,
because they are too poor to pay the car
fare necessary to take them to and from
their work every day, and it is too far
removed to think of walking. Some of
them, however. are able to accept the |
liberal terms allowed for the convenient |
and modern accommodations. and, a |
direct result, the commission expects to |
reduce the death rate of the city at least |
5 per cent, as it maintains that the NOR |
tality among children will be so much less |
in these favorable and more sanitary sur
roundings that 1t cannot fail to lower the |
death rate to that extent
The funds for this immense undertaking |
must be procured from the sale of bond |
issues. all of which has been duly author |
lied by the proper authorities. The COM |
mission has decided to have the payment |
Of the loans extend over a period of sixty |
years. The life of the buildings has been |
estimated at twice that number. or 10 |
years. In the case of the land acquired |
for building purposes, 1t has been deter |
mined II look upon this as an asset al |
ways available, and no provision for the |
repayment Of the amount borrowed for !
tine purchase of land will be required.
The estimated cost of demolition work, |
as planned by the commission, represents /
a payment for intert stand sinking fund |
of something like SS0.ol0 per annun. while |
for the housing work, after allowing /
for the rents received. the cost represents !
the annual payment of about ST. 600.
The taxpayers, or ratepayers. as they |
are called in England. are not 50 numer-
GUS in cities in this country, as the |
small property owners are few and far
between. the bulk of property being own
ed by men of large means. While the /
English taxpayer is by no means as do /
cile as he should be at all times, when
the assuming of expense for public i'm
provements is involved. yet he is much |
more amenable to reason than the aver
age taxpayer on this side of the water.
The large body of taxpayers Of Liver
pool represented by a judiciously select
ed committee from the Associated Rate
payers of London, has duly weighed the
involved in the cleaning out
of certain portions of slum land which
this great housing scheme involves and, |
therefore they have heartily commended
the work of the commission, although it
means an added burden to them in the
shape of increased taxes for long period
of years
With regard to the cost to the rate-pay-
ers of the work yet to be done by the
assuming that a period of
sixty years only was obtained within
which to repay the amount borrowed and
that the cost of demolition
that the estimated cost of rebuilding was
81. $1,000 the annual charge for the loan
would amount to about S325 900. From this
sum would be deducted the net rents to
be received, which would amount to about
sl25.000 per annum, leaving a net annual
charge on the ratepayers of about 800 900.
Among the larger cities in the United
States New York has taken the most adj
house conditions. Its position is thor
oughly defined in the Tenement House
law, enacted at the last session of the
New York Legislature. Its provisions in |
their scope and relative value compare
most favorably with any which are in use |
N Great Britain or other foreign coun- |
tries. but where Americans fall behind is |
N the execution OF these large plans