The Jersey City news., 1901-07-19
MODEL Tenement
Mrs. Benson Wants to Get
Contractors Interested
In Building Them.
JUNCTION WAITING ROOM
Kaiser's Saloon Will Prob
ably Have a Shelter Be-
fore Very Long.

| Although very little is heard at present
of the Woman's Club Town Improvement
Department, its members, particularly
Mrs. Franklin Whitney, Chairman, and
Mrs. Hudspeth-Benson, have been work
ing earnestly. Neither Mrs. Whitney nor
Mrs. Benson, however, has been able 10
do as much active work as usual. Mrs
Whitney is in poor health and Mrs. Ben
son has been confined TO her home for
the past two months with a sprained
knee. Therefore, City Hall has seen little
of the Town Improvement woman lately.
AT present Mrs. Benson is out of town,
and Mrs. Whitney has the field all to her
self.
Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Benson, how
ever, have met from time to time and
planned line of campaign. One of the
first tnings they hope to see accomplished
is the shelter for trolley passengers to be
placed round Kaiser's saloon at the juno
ton This work was started by Mrs.
Benson and Mrs. Whitney two wears ago.
and in the spring it gave brilliant prom
ise of success Through the efforts of
these women an agreement was brought
about between Mr.. Kaiser and the Trac-
ton Company, and plans for a shelter to
north and east sides of the saloon We're
drawn up. The shed was to have been
well lighted by electricity and glass
roof was suggested Underneath the
sidewalk was to have been asphalted, and
the shed was to have extended well out
over the curbstone. Later it was thought
that glass roof, while it would give ire
advantage of light, would be unbearabiy
,,1o
a wooden roof just below the Second story
windows of Kaiser's, with good slant
to the street This, however, will darken
Kaiser's saloon. and he has Withdrawn
his consent pending an agreement with
the Trolley Company for lighting his sa-
loon.
Mrs Whitney has recently seen Mr.
Young of the trolley company in regard to
the matter and he gives her every hope
that such an agreement will be made
and the long worked for shelter erected.
One thing is certain, both Mrs Whitney
and Mrs. Benson will keep at it with that
characteristic energy which created Little
Italy Park.
The next move to be made by the Town
Improvement is for model tenements-
Mrs Benson has been studying up the
matter for some time. She knows all
about the model tenement system, having
visited these institutions in New YORK
and Brooklyn. She has discovered that
a model tenement with every modern con-
venience, such as ash chute, hot and colo
water, and baths, in fact everything en-
joyed by the rich, save, perhaps, the
Marvin safe built in the wall, may be
rented at from S1.S0 to 81 per week, and
the landlord still make a good profit.
At present Mrs Benson is out of town,
but Mrs. Whitney is carrying out the
work on her lines. The plan is as out
lined by Mrs Whitney this morning, to
get some of the land owners and contrac-
tors interested in the project-interested
enough to erect such a tenement. mrs.
Benson is particularly anxious to have
such a building erected in the vicinity OF
Little Italy Park, and she is even now
hot on the track of one or two contrac-
tore who seem promising.
For the present the Woman's Club has
let the matter of changing the park
name to Mary Benson Park drop. AS
Mrs. Benson is practically head of the
Town Improvement Department. of course
it would never do for that branch OF the
club to agitate the matter, and the Iown
Improvement is the only department
which does not take summer vacation
during the summer. 1t is probable, how
ever, that the matter will oe renewed
when the club reopens in the fall.
The department is not as vigiant this
summer in the matter of street cleaning
as it has been during the past two sum
.mers, because complaints have not been
sent il. as profusely. But, then. the
weather has been too hot to complain OF
aught else, and Mrs. Benson's inability to
get around as a personal inspector has
been a great drawback. There are not
as many real workers on the Town I'M
provement this year and the brunt OF the
work falls on Mrs. Benson and Mrs Whit
ney-Mrs Whitney alone, now that Mrs.
Benson is away.