Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-15
EXHIBITS SHOW
I WORK Of JERSEY
D.
CHARITY WORKERS
Captain Charles J. Allen Also
Outlines Achievements of
8 Tenement Commission.
Special to the Newark star.

conference of charities and corrections
were held today in the First NJ. L
Church here.
"A, new record for attendance was
made at this mornings session, which
%opened at 10 o'clock. The exhibit In the
SUNDAY school room, which was com
pleted Yesterday, is the most interest
ing presented at any conference of. this
Hharacter held in New Jersey.
fThe growth of the public play
grounds movement is strikingly shown
BY the displays made by the Play
grounds Association of America and
the Newark and Camden Boards OF
Playground Commissioners
The New Jersey Tenement House
commission has an interesting set of
photographs showing the evils of the
tenement districts, which its inspectors
have corrected, An extensive exhibit
of child labor in the South Jersey glass
factories elected some caustic comment
from visitors from that section who are
hlnterested in the glass-making industry.
They claim that these pictures agg
ate and give a false impression Of the
sprevalence of ignorance and viciousness
thpiCti5 ~ tiAit"OStd u the SldSS lac
tories. 1t is asserted by the glass man
ufacturers that the business cannot be
carried on successfully without juvenile
s&help, and that the education and morals
of the lads are as well looked after as
in other business enterprises where
juvenile labor is employed,
Preventive Work in Small Commune
ties was the subject of this mornings
session, with Mrs II. ii. Dawson in the
chair. The papers read and discussed
We're as follows: Some Problems Con-
fronting Small Communities Miss
Adelaide A. Burlington; 1.-THE Civic III
OF Madison discussion; Health Code"
Selskar NJ. Gum, health officer.
Five-minute talks were made by rep
resentatives of three towns-Fleming-
ton, Mrs, i. y. Allen; E%nglewood, Mrs
j. Hugh Peters. Madison. Mrs. w. r.
Baker. Town Planning and Housing
in Small Communities" was discussed
by Benjamin C. Marsh. executive secre-
tary of the committee on congestion of
population in New York.
SSeyeral interesting addresses were
made during the day.
Captain Aliens Address.
Captain Charles j. Allen, secretary of
the State Tenement House Commits
sion, was one of the principal speakers.
He said:
In approaching the subject assigned
10 me, "Tenements in Small Commune
ties must confess to a feeling OF re-
greet that the committee saw fit to
limit me to that class of tenements. l
would much prefer to speak of the
general tenement condition throughout
the State. as affording a better oppor-
tpnity to illustrate the work of the
Tenement House Department In the six
years of its existence. Perhaps the
will permit me to briefly pre-
sent a few facts concerning the work
of the department in general, inciud-
ling the smaller communities Thu
o9Penement House Department was or
gained May l, 1904. under an act passed
.ahy the Legislature March "a, 1904, so
That the department has been in ex-
,3stence nearly six years. In that time
sfthe department has supervised the con-
.astruction of 5,202 tenement houses, the
asfggregate cost of which is $47,S90 900.
=, The new law tenements. erected dur
ling the six years of the departments
Aexistence. furnish accommodations for
II 80, 304 families. or 1865, $50 persons. using
1.-the directory method of computation,
= five persons to each family.
Is"That means that under the super
.~ovision of the department living places
Shhve been provided for that number OF
persons, in we'll constructed, well
lighted apartments, properly protected
= against the spread of fire, each room
With a window opening directly to the
ssouter air. no room with less than sew
.;enty square feet of floor area. with sink
and running water directly within each
apartment. will proper facilities in
each apartment, all halls and stairs
Sgproperly lighted by day and night and
salt ceilings not less than nine feet high,
ofrom the finished floor to the finished
* ceiling.
So@"It has heen said that there is no
necessity of supervision over tenement
houses in the smaller municipalities,
the argument being that this class of
municipalities is not likely to be con-
.afronted with a tenement problem, such
IS is found in the larger cities. That
53This view is erroneous is shown by the
sfact that there is not a city or township
atin the State where the department has
SVworked which has not q w~ell-developed
f,stenement section. constantly growing
aand sure to continue i'm growth. 1t Is
2tAYith the smaller municipality that the
department has the greater trouble in
bringing about compliance with the
alaw in the erection of the new tene-
.ments. The plans for buildings in such
sections are usually prepared by the
contractor. whose knowledge of the re-
anuirements of the tenement house law
efs rot very extensive. Generally such
plans are far from meeting the re-
nuirements of the law and then when
The department insists on a revision
tho plans. the demand is frequently
-net nv a letter from n lawyer. who
gravely explains that the law was not
~~intended for such places as the munich
rality in instance. but for the larger
cities. where the population is more
.gconsested.
49, Law
~ I'm many of the smaller municipal-
Aities tenement house construction is
Frequently undertaken without the
! slightest regard for the law and In
such places the inspectors frequently
find a new tenement house in course of
reconstruction, perhaps well on toward
pnapletion. for which no plans have
g1been filed with the department as re-
CURED nv law. In such cases il is more
than difficult to force the owner to a
compliance with the law. and in more