New-York tribune., 1903-03-06
MAYOR LOW OPPOSES ALL
Gty's Representative 1T Albany
.---- Told to Fight Them.

Mayor Low told q visiting delegation yester-
day et the City Hall that he was opposed to all
the tenement house bills now before the legis-
iature.
II may say" said Mr.. Low. that this ad-
rninistration is opposed TO every one or thern'
and Mr. Whitman. the city's representative at
Albany has been instructed to oppose them.
The Mayor said that Commissioner ROBERT W.
pe Forest. of the Tenement House Commission
who was considering the proposed changes
Would endeavoT TO have the proposed laws Ihoui-
Ied snd properly amended.
The Mayor declared that il the laws were TO
pe changed they should be changed only for the
- heeternent Of existing conditions. He won
rounds Of applause when he declared that he
vas with the protestants in their opposition.
The Council Chamber was crowded with the
rsprt rt5entatiyes of various organizations, cluoS
and nroperty owners interested in proposed
rev tenement house iaw, on which the mayor
gave q hearing Many of them were women.
Henry W. Levinson, representing the Down
town Ethical Club. and who told the Mayor that
he had fiyed for nineteen years in tenement
house said that he not only represented TINS
cIuh but three hundred thousand tenement
house dweIiers who could not attend the hear
:ins. and Who il they could said he' would
food the chamber and building
y have seen the workings or the ola 1ehe
r7ent House law. The present law fs the nrst
~ forty wears Of struggle but II is not perfect
We onroee the contemplated legislation because
Il IS prospective setback,
Mr. RIurnberE. of the East Side City Clun' oe-
clere5 that there were ten bills before the egls'
lsture proposing changes in the Tenement houSe
Law and that three hundred thousand names
had been obtained by East Side organizations IN
oproSition to such changes. .,...5
Josenh Bsrondess, the labor leaoer, oeSlSIou
that the East Side tenement house conoluuIiee
were deplorab!e. There were 44,Ste lelieItIeiLe
houses in Manhattan and The Bronx pooia2 poLta
e1Uinped for light and air There were 3o4,Vpp
rooms in these that had no windows IN one
tenement house in NoTfolk-st- he knew OF I"eH-
fv-nine cases OF consumption. Adults were not
alone affected, but children as We'll he . Mouu
4be tenement house dweIlers Of light and air
Ylared in q museum where he could be gazed
81 nv people who would be surprised that such
an animal could exist
In the block bounded by Canal. Forsyth Bay
srS and Chrystie SITS, thirty-Tline tenement
houses with 1,5SS rooms, in which lived [tc1
rerEons In this block there not a. single
bathroom. although the total rental to the land
lords S113,e64 In this block within one
[ear were reported 81 cases of tuberculosis, Is
Of diphtheris and 665 applications for charitable
relief All through that block there were only
q 5-room. lo5 4-room la Groom and 2e3 =
rosnl apartments.
against the proposed amendments. The Rev. Mr..
Parks on behalf of the Rev. DR.. Rainsford, OF
ST Georges Episcopal Church, said DR.. Rains
ford was una bic to attend the hearing. but that
ne was unsIterabIy opposed to the proposed
changes.
The Mayor in commenting the fight Of the
tenement house dWellers for light and
sir. said: There is an old saying, Who would be
free will himself strike the blow"