The San Francisco call., 1910-03-02

are. by their work to:thc house, are tnf
VICTIMS: of this: oyererowding-
: That consumption is a rare disease in
San Fra nctseo is. an idea drmly held
here. Let those: who hold it take
trip TO: the sTelegraph hfu clinic. to the
city and county hospital. TO the chill
back and limb from the disease gos to
Cooper clinic. to. the <polyclinic, to the
IEniversffy.*of California hospital. Let
them consult the records of the Society
for the. study and Prevention of Tu-
berc tFosls- and the death statistics in
/. the office of the board of health. Per-
shaps. they Will, be then less ardent in
urging Amendment to the5buiIdtng law
tfat will. increase sunIess and. airless
inside rooms: F.:
But who. wi III beneht by this: increase
of SUNLESS airleSs. rooms on small lots?
Not: the tenant who watches his failing
etFildren and his fading wife while he
gives what money he. can get together
otter the exorbftant rent: and his living
are paid 10. the doctor: and druggist
Certainly not the tenant. .::... +
:: The landlord then? + Not often the
landlord. for his tenants are not sat
fsfieef; his Investment IS most. often too
big and he. is. very often forced to be-
one of. his own. tenants.
: Not the citizens. of the city. who have
to*pay ~out.in. taxes. money to care for
the sick and destitute, made sick and
destitute by life sin those sunless. air
less rooms Not those citizens whose
@chiIdrenin schools, streetcars and pub
lfc places con tract disease from those
who live in such breeding places OF
sickness. Not those citizens who pay
Increased Insurance. rates because OF
the, :everbuilding Of the blocks. Not
the: owners of outlying property whose
lots are forced down in price because
overbuifding is allowed in the con-
.gested. districts.
Only one man benefts-the specula-
tor who: buys a lot, puts as many rooms
as he can on 1t. divided into as many
apartments. as hts clever architect can
design. and on which rent ineome
basis. can be figured. On that rent in
come basis a. big mortgage is raised,
passes on to build more disease traps.
He does not realize what a danger he
is creating for the city. If he did. he
would not. do It. 1t is Just because
men do not always realize that they
must give up something for the public
good, that laws are made. And GER
taInly there. is nothing unreasonable in
the demands that Sec. 204-2O6 of the
building laws. make on the lot owner.
49, San Francisco has been proud TO
boast that, since. fire.. wiped out old
Chinatewn, she is "a .+Slumless Town.
She is. but If the: city fathers allow
these amendments pass, she will
have that proud claim no longer. After
the fire and before sthe passage Of the
building law, the: specula tors were not !
idle Let any one who. doubts il visit
the North. Beach section. Let him ex-
amiTle-- with. especial care the block
bounded bya ekearnys Union and Green 3;
with the little streets Lafayette. ana +.
Sonoma. intersecting ng--let him see lot
after lot 10 or 520X57:6 carrying 3 or
4 or even. 6 fiat which cover the entire =
lot space. one dot 14.10x52 carries
three flats in "a three story building
is any proper provision made
for light or .yentiEatlon for inside
rooms. Lei the fnvestigator find the
many other blocks. that differ but little
from this and let him count the num-
Der. of. Romeo Aats:that have gone -up
since the fire..
Can; any one Justify placing six three
room apartments on a lot 25x45 feet?
Which is what has: been done on a ,cer-
tain Powell street lot. Can any one
De surprised. If. from such buildings
comes a constant stream OF sick and
1ytng2 1T was to prevent such things
that to- present law was passed. The
passage of these mendnnents can aid
40 one except the man who wishes 10
make money and cares not how ne gets CO.
Before the fire; the small lots for the
most part carried two story houses
with yards front and back. a reasona-
1ly human use of such lots. To allow
block. after block of these narrow shall
ow; lots in any one section to be built
ID with three or four story apartments
S bad enough but. to allow them to
De built in such a way that they have
10 sufficient free space for air and
light would be a crime.
. To protect the women and chiIden
who haye to live in these flats, to pre-
erxe San Francisco slumless, 60 in
iure that she will be city of working
mems. homes-homes owned by them
eIEes. it is only needfu1 to let the pres
mt law alone; to refuse to consider
rny amendments. to Secs 2O5 and EOS.
This: is a government o&the people.
". the people. for the people, and the
,est Interests of the great mass OF
'ur- citizens cry out against anv
ampering with a law that Guarantees
o. them sufficient sunlight. and ample
resh: air, and to each one his share Of
lealth-