The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-02-24
TENEMENT HOUSE
OWNERS BROUGHT.
TO BAR Of JUSTICE
Several to Answer Charges in
the First District
Court.
INSPECTORS PRESENT TO
PRESS ALL CHARGES
Cases Are Made After Two
Years. Delay, Due to
Technicalities.

OWiicTs OIL several enemenIS dp-
peared early today in the First Dis
trict Court with lawyers and witnesses
to answer complaints made by the
Tenement House Commission of alleged
violations of provisions of the tenement
house law. In some of the suits called
by Judge Malcolm MacLear today the
charge was that the owners allowed
more than three families in a building
without having procured from the local
office of the commission a certificate,
and in other cases 1t was alleged that
sanitary provisions had been neglected.
Tenement house inspectors who were
In the court rooms said they were
pleased because cases were to be tried,
for trials had been for upward Of two
years delayed Dy technical objections
raised by lawyers for the accused. The
maximum penalty for a violation of the
law is 800, and the minimum s25. The
Encouragement wrote to one lawyer
that the rule Is to enforce the payment
of at least $25 and costs in every case
In which a conviction is secured on the
case out of court.
1t will be a surprise to owners and
occupants of fashionable apartment
houses that the law makes such build
ings ~"tenements,'' for the law reads
that any building occupied by three
or more families is a tenement. One
complaint of violation has been made
against the owner of a toney apartment
house in a fashionable section. and the
State commission has 1t under con-
sideration.
In the corridors and Hobbies of the
basement OF the City Hall, outside the
First District Court room, men and
women Chartered today in several Ian
guages about the tenement suits.
When the case against Rudolph Helm,
against whom a charge was made that
the closets in the six-family tenement,
54S Fifteenth venue, did not ave a
waterproof hose, his lawyer. Edward
S. Leary, informed Judge MacLear hat
the case would probably be settled with
out a trial. Another case a been set
tied by the payment of a minimum
penalty and costs of court. Three
other cases were postponed today by
request of lawyers.
The complaint against a man
named Klein will be heard by the court
today" a tenement house official re-
marked to a reporter. "Of seven New
ark cases we have ready for trial the
owners have apartment houses for
three or six or more familiess and all
the buildings are located west of High
street. We have very little trouble
with owners of up-to-date apartment
houses that were built under the super
vision of architects who know the pro-
visions re fha tanorpopf ha,,Ca 10 vi
and comply with them. Our main
trouble is with those who build cheap
buildings, to be occupied by from six
families upward at low rental. When
these structures are inspected it is
found that provisions of the tenement
house law have been neglected, es-
pecially those relating to sanitary re-
quirements, and that some owners
have not got a certificate that the
building was inspected and was all
right.
"Tbe Tenement House Commission
has complaints of violations Of the
law ready for trial In courts in other
New Jersey cities, and in this
city complaints are now coming in
from tenants about poor sanitary ar
rangements and of other violations OF
the law. Owners who keep their
buildings in good condition are sup
porters of the law and want to see tho
provisions strictly enforced. When
we secure convictions and some own
ers have to pay the cash penalty our
work will be assisted, for owners will
pay more attention to their tenements,
or, if they prefer to call them so, apart
ment houses"
Board secretary Present.
Captain Charles j. Allen, secretary
OF the State Board of Tenement House
Supervision, vas in court when the
case of Adolph Klein came up for trial
The defendant was charged with hav;
ing changed the dwelling house 15s
William street from a two-family house
to a Importantly one. making a "tene-
ment," without complying with the
provisions of the tenement house Law
requiring that plans be filed before
such alterations in a building are
made.
The prosecution called several wit.
nesses who testified that when they
lived in the building IT was occupied
by only two families, but former Judge
Skinner, for the defendant, drew from
one of the witnesses that he lived fol
several years next to the William
street house and that at n time he
knew 1t was occupied by three families
but knew nothing of the conditions