The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-05
Interesting Talk With Sir Sans
tel johnson, Of Nottingham.
Comparison Of Manchester
and Chicago---What s3s5
the Former Has
Done.


Is 900, GO worth of markets, which are d n
large and steadily increasing source Of n
revenue Its department for the scientific
handling and disposal Of refuse is the I
most extensive In the world, and has \
brought about huge manufacturing
plant and farm of 1851 acres the whole
giving employment to an army OF low .sv2
men Its puplicly owned Z. a q, operatedi
excel those of the Scottish metropolis ~ n
some particulars. It has a well organl ~ l.,l
works department, which executes ,utsst most sSM
Whe S9ne Whaa assstaed viii Complies ~
list OF the ten utilities mentioned N the the
popular objects of NATURALIZATION ~ {S
Great Britain. Il ], Y. ... n VI, z
Manchester has expended 5000 o1o "a an a.l
more In erecting quarters for Its laborlng
class. Those first provided and those now Y
under way show in striking contrast the
development which has been made e, along
ltlon titled Oldham Road Tenements.
+ the style Of structure which tho housing
would solve the problem Of providing 1ac-ss
Communications for those Of limited means
Electric transportation had not then (, de- g
syirons OF tho city. 1t was assumed that
he was forever fated to live In tenemens
his life more endurable bent their ener-4
giles toward planning and building the
best OF tenement structures. h ss
OF an optimist to believe that 1t is near
at hand--when every workin gman IN
Manchester. London, New, York Chicagoa
rent Of own q house and a plot Of ground md
he will gaze with amazement at sucll
structures as now front on Oldham Road
and It. the g9GRy pesd wae
central sites. The tenement house Ia tho
worst single feature ina ciyilizatior,
which has been unevenly deeyeloped from
There can no more be a model tene-.
Ement house" than there can be a model
death trap, and tenement house 5is Ist q "
with rent rates of s1.5o a week, payable
In advance, or dubbed an "apar tlnent
house. off Fifth Avenue. with i"suitesHSs
calling for the payment q $1,000 a year ear
When Manchester decided to erect ten
ement houses her officials went about, I, it A.
in no 5half-hearted way. There was a dis 4
5trict in Oldham Road where death reaped
an annual harvest Of from fifty to eight "
to i've there It was#a vile district. and
in 1893 the city RACED the novels Pun NJ
chased the land and proceeded to erect
the vast structure depleted In this articciie
AS III STANDS to-day IL IL auHuOuDLculy S.o@
finest model tenement in Great Brit.
ain, and any criticism may make a IS; OF ~
Is not directed against the building or
It's management, but against the whole
system of municipal tenement planning.
So far as any scheme which contem-
plates housing a thousand more or less V
persons in a limited area can he sue
cess. this one fully meets all requl
ments. Those who formerly lived In (
wretched dens now are tenants in an
edifice which, with the land. represents en-
an expenditure of about $500 The
death rate has fallen from ffty to less ~
than thirty. There Is not q room IN the
| building which does not open directly to
! the street or to nm en- rmous court, anu
there is not a better Sventilat ted gstucture
In the world No room Is less than aIt w !,
los feet square. or about ten by eleven
feet Mos t of the apartments are Of tWo
rooms. and the rent averages II a Vest e s.
rhe building is five stories high ana 2 u LIZ s
court about 100 feet square. e his was
designed for a playground, but lsn y 80
that the children preferred the re'sss
The walls are ofSred brick with stone q,
and terra Gotta trlmmin gs, and the ,archi-.
tectura effect far excels that OF 5the *
erage first-class flat or aparttnenL ou'i
ings in American cities. Everythinis e. ~ y.
reason that money and sanitary science
can render has been done. hut the pui 1..-
ing is not popular. though most OF the
rooms are taken, and IT Is paying m
yestment from hnanclal poiHs.
| There is a distressing sameness anoul
the quarters. When you have ,looke 20 a.
two rooms you have seen all there ls 70
see. There is too much brick ana r n ~ y,
1t bears the aspect Of q prison. ~ u
thousand times better no doubt, than y. me ,e
quarters which were torn 40 WI, ana ~ , u
vastly superior to the habltationt OF TIE .!.
averu ge laborer. no matter what ms co utlss q
trv' 4 hut Manchester will never erect
| another tenement house on 80 eii apotate
a scale ri siS. e..t dtf.}
ferents style OF dwellings TheyS are ny, NY
So ornate, and they are not so eXpensiiNes q.
but ID the opinion of the highest CIV
authorities In the world they r plessi,ss
ltha type Of the future. On the edge q,
1 i,a cjtw the city has purchased several
hundred acres Of land, and on IT ls erecs1
ing cottages which will helrented 70 psi p.,,,
sons OF small means. Each Gottase VI W.
have Its garden and there VIII pc pauI ~
and backgrounds. schools ana ch l urGnScs
and all or the ordinary comforts OF a ~
mai existence This may be too good los
a ma n who simply works for llVlns Az.
1t ia possible that Manchester ana olnsrS'
british cities are assuming more respu,s--
sibillty than normally attaches 70 y M,
ipa governments. SHAH not aIgus ,,a la,s.
hut 1t may be set down as 9. Is IL
nropositlon that crime, poverty and a it.s
eaSa flourish where houses mum Der sthe
more stories, where people are croWdeu
into the smaller areas, and Where 5t II,t
nra denied contact with the soll. I. Inc
great cities OF England ana q Scotla s.t
| have learned this lesson and are proottlt-.
M tsso ~ iht 1904, by Frederick pham
- Adams)