The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-24
TENEMENT CONDITIONS.
VOLUNTEER INVESTIGATORS
 FIND THEM BAD.

New Haven in General Wen Built but
 Portions Compare UnfavOrabIy win
 Larger cities-Members of Tenement
 House COmmittee-PrOminent steu
 Interesting Themselves in the Work
 For number Of years people work. ing in the poorer sections of the eitv have noticed the increasing tendency to overcrowd lots and buildings. wffb the result that many. especially among the recent immigrants. are obliged to I've in quarters which have insufcient light, air and ventilation. No exact figures were obtained on the subject until 1902. when the Lowell House as sociation, a social settlement located at l5S Franklin street, undertook to rnasrA a careful investigation such as had already been made in New York. c.hi- cago, and other large cities of o,,r country.
 The area chosen for this Investigation was section of the Third ward lv;nr between Congress avenue. Ten,y,ls street, Broad street and Cedar street. This investigation, though undertaken by acorps of volunteers, was made with the knowledge and approval of Mayor Studley and pr. Wright, the health of ficer of New Haven, and the resnlta illustrated by photographs, and contain, ing a number of carefully arranged statistical tables, i'll over twenty pages 1905. -''sss'- -''
 The condition of things disclosed by this report showed that although New Haven is well provided with parks and open squares, and is generally well built, 1t had already developed in cer- tain sections conditions which connafa unfavorably with those existing In larger cities. The danger sof shutting out light and air, not only to the rest dents of the poorer sections of the oifv but to the community at large, has been made clear by the increased attention given by physicians to the study of tuberculosis, and it has become evident to many people that steps should at once be taken before it is too late to prevent things from getting worse, and to at once check the growth of condi- tions which undermine health and rnor~ ality. The outcome of this feeling is the creation of a tenement house com mittee consisting of the following mem bers: MT. Max Adler, Professor W. s. Bailey, MT. R. R. Fancher, superintend- ent of the fire department; Professor Irving Fisher, Professor Henry w. Far nam. S. w. Hart, Wilson H. Lee, Oliver T. Osborne, s. o. Preston, agent Of the Organized Charities association, Pro- lessor J. c. Schwab, F. c. Bretzfelder and Dr. Frank W. Wright, health off fices.
 The conditions which have been dis covered are not peculiar to New Ha- ven. The same tendencies have led to the creation of a tenement house com mittee in Hartford. and the matter has been the subject of legislation for years in New York, in London, and in many cities of Europe. It is the plan of the committee to try to profit by the ex- perience of other places, and to work for measures which shall prevent in tho future the construction of tenement houses with dark and badly lighted rooms, or with air shafts which. while intended to supply ventilation, are in fact often the means of spreading dis ease and fire
 It will be noticed that, though the committee is a volunteer committee, it is so constituted as to represent agen- cies which are keenly interested in the prosperity of the community, the Chamber of Commerce, the health de partment, the Organized Charities, fire and life insurance, the medical profes- sion and economical science. The com mittee has organized by electing Mir. Wilson H. Lee, presidento of the Cham Der of Commerce, chairman; Professor w. S Bailey, of Yale university. sec retary, and Professor H. w. Farnarrls treasurer.