The evening world., 1909-01-23
Mlnhattan's Last Sites Are Be-
ing Covered and Masses
Can't Get Away.
WANT MORE SUBWAYS.
Builders Plan to Spend s5o,-
100000 This Year on
Suburban Flats.

ououIo odn uullueTs are planning 10
house over i25cco persons In new hats
to cost nearly s5O,ooc.ooO during 1900
Manhattan nat-builders are exhaust.
Ing their las, available sites. and the
masses Of Aat.dwellers who cannot az.
ford to pay high rents ore being forced
into the nearer suburbs, The overflow
In Manhattan are costing more each
year, thus placing their rents on high
er level.
This Is shown by the building totals OF
the past year Manhattan builders put up
flats to house 1855 families at cost OF
SOS, I01, 500 for construction, while subur-
ban builders produced fats to house
l6, ,469 families at a cost OF 2s,6S5,O00 The
average outlay for each family In the
suburban flats was |l,7i2. while that in
Manhattan was !3,7S
Rents to Go Higher Again.
As Manhattan Is demolishing its old,
cheaper fats continually with the spread
OF business and large public works 1t
Is plain that the average flat rental Is
rising steadily. And this fact proves
that the poorer fami;cs must suffer
hardships from the steady squeeze Of
higher rents unless they are able to
move into the cheaper suburban flats
But the movement TO suburban dis
triCts is restricted, because people can
not reach such localities by existing
rapid transit lines al ive-cent far".
II they pay 10 cents more day that
adds nearly So a month 70 their rent
And most Of the working masses
on small salaries cannot spare an hour
for the trip between home and work.
These two facts have prevented large
part Of them from betternr their con-
dition by a change to suburban homes,
Only a small par, Of the suburban
zone Is open to rapid transit on five
cent fare. This has reduced hathouse
construction in tho suburbs during the
past year 10 a minimum, and II has in
creased construction In the remaining
Manhattan localities where sites are
available.
1t has added heavily to the Bronx
construction along the rapid transit
| lines for a similar reason as in Manhat-
tan-because builders realize that no
new rapid transit lines will offer the
tlat-dwelling masses a chance to escape
In the near future.
Face New Congestion.
That Manhattan Is near its end OF
ilat-house construct on in large volume
Is proven by the fact that the great
bulk of last years building was con-
| fined 10 its far northern part, OF the
2D houses erected containing homes for
1855 families. l63 were north OF one
| Hundred and Tenth street, containing
homes for 1864 families. Those bu II
south OF One Hundred and Tenth street
as rule, replaced old samller houses.
And only Is houses were built south OF
Seventy second street.
! Flat building last year was confined
closely to the immediate needs OF the
shifting and Increasing population Its
speculative elements were eliminated be-
cause spectators were not able to Oor-
row money for such purposes. In this
respect the years construction reveals
how dependent on rapid-translt lines Is
the spread Of home centres for the
masses.
All Of the heavy nat-house construc-
tion In Manhattan was along the Wash
!ngton Heights branch OF the randi
transit subway. And the Bronx bran h
Of the subway demonstrated its decisive
influence in the big gains made there.
The Bronx built fats for GOl3 families,
at cost OF sl2, 2,046,35O in comparison
with 5,O26 families and ss,6o5,O00 during
1907.
Depends on Rapid Transit.
Equally decisive was the rapid tran
sit factor In both Queens and Brook
lyn. During 1901 to 1907 Brooklyn build.
ers were expecting 10 get rapid tran
sit subway which would open large
part OF that borough with a five-cent
fare. They built flats for 1894 families
In 1904 for S,29j in 1905, for %. .G26 in 1905,
for 10 226 in 1901. Last year they had
the after effects OF the panic and the
certainty that they could not EXPECT
any more OF a subway than the one to
the Long Island station at Flat5ush
avenue, which opens Comparatively y
none OF the Brooklyn suburban home
section, and their constructions fell to
6,+I2.
Queens, likewise. was stimulated by
big transit expectations after 1904. when
flats for i9S families were built. The
construct In 1875 was for 3,75S tami-
les In 1906 for 1884 last year FOR ,Ssg
In spite OF a comparatively big slump
in SUBURBAN fiat building last wear the
outlay for the suburban work was
practically the same as that In Man
haitian, and the number OF persons
housed was llG per cent. larger This
years big campaign Of the suburban
districts In the nearer rapid transit
zones. It /. based on the two fact.
that they can borrow plenty of money
fUr thei' operations and that there Is
no more room I'm Manhattan for the
masses who cannot pay high rents