The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-27


position in the city government Of that
municipality, called az the Office and en-
deavored to secure the approval of the
board for plan that had been rejected.
The visitor stated that the Pennsylvania
Railroad embankment was over the line
Of his clients property about six feet.
and that were it not for that encroach-
ment his client would really have the re-
quired yard space back of the proposed
building. The lawyer was informed that
the plan would have to show the neces-
sary space between the house and the
embankment, and next day he called the
officers Of the board on the telephone to
explain that the high elevation bank of
the railroad had been moved back during
the night and that the Hot owned by his
The inspector sent to the place few
days later was unable to find any evi-
dence of the removal of the railroad
structure, so the board concluded that
the lawyer had been misinformed.
In the concluding chapter of the report
the board states that there have been
occasions during the year when it was
physical impossibliity for the inspectors
to thoroughly oversee all the new build
ings under their charge.
"On the average" the report says.
"each inspector has had to supervise
new construction work valued at 81, ,500,-
000 representing a large number of
buildings more or less scattered over the
territory assigned him. The result has
been that frequently twenty-five or thirty
buildings required inspection on the same
day, which in some cases was found inn
possible, while in other instances it has
resulted in the work being done under
too great pressure to be just to the in
spector. who is held strictly accountable
for the accuracyof his work.
''The indications are that the next
season will bring considerable increase
in the number of new buildings over the
record of last year. The present force
of inspectors is entirely inadequate to
property handle the great amount of new
building work now in sight. An increase
in the number of new buildings proper
tionate to that of last year would mean
that the entire force would be required
on shat class Of work alone. in conse-
quence of Which the Improvement or ex-
isting tenements and their continued in
spection would have to stop.
In view of the great growth of the
department, the hoard wishes to urge the
necessity for an increase of at least ten
in the number of inspectors. This would
permit the present force. all of whom
have been trained to the work, to give
their entire attention to new buildings,
and would enable the board to push more
vigorously the improvement of conditions
in existing tenements, whiehspart of the
work does not now receive the attention
it requires. The improvement of eondi-
tions in the 10000 tenement houses of
the State is one of the most important
features of the work of the department,
and TOO great stress cannot be placed on
the necessity for constant supervision of
this calss of houses. The greater part
of the old tenements throughout the
State have been in existence for many
years and are subject to constant de-
terioration The indisposition of the
owners to expend any money for the i'm
provement of these houses and the erad-
ication of the worst features of tene-
ment-house life emphasizes the fact that
unless there is strict supervision by the
State these structures soon become a
source of danger, not only to their imme-
diate inhabitants. but to the entire com
munity and to the general public
1T is the earnest and unanimous de-
sire of the State Board of Tenement
house Supervision to see that the law
under which it operates is fully and eff
fectively enforced. The board believes
that the law as it exists today is sufIi-
GENTLY comprehensive in its provisions to
meet the demands of tenement-house re
form in this State. Much good has all
ready been accomplished. but with a
larger force of men at its disposal, much
more satisfactory results can be shown.
New Jersey took leading position in
enacting the first tenement-house law
that affected an entire State. The State
should now go on in the work until it has
become as noted for its model tenements
sas for its good schools and good roads"
FARRINGTONs TO DANCE