The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-29
FIGHT TO STOP
OVERCROWDING
HOUSE PROBLEM NOT PECULIAR
TO NEW YORK TENEMENT
LEGISLATION OF PAST YEAR
WORK or NATIONAL HOUSING
ASSOCIATION.

The tenement house problem is tn
greatest problem the city Of Indian
apolis faces. said Judge Collins 3
New York last winter when a numbe
of landlords were brought before hir
charged with responsibility for over
crowding and insanitary living con
ditions. A few years ago the people Q
Indianapolis or of any other American
city. except New York, would have in
dignantly denied such an assertion
Today In nearly every municipality
small as well as large. there lis a
least a group of thoughtful citizen
who have begun to ask whether tn
housing problem is really a local is
sue of which New York has a monop
oily.
During the past the interest of these
inquirers has been stimulated and
their hands strengthened by tht
National Housing association, whose
purpose Is the Improvement of hous-
ing conditions, both urban and subur-
ban. in every practicable way, bring
ing home to each community the i'm
portance OF good housing conditions
and the consequences of bad ones. In
order to carry out this purpose 1t Of
fers to aid in the organization of local
housing commissions or committees
to assist in the enactment and en-
forcement of laws that viii prevent
the erection OF unfit types of dwell
ings and encourage the erection and
maintenance of proper ones, to act as
a clearing house of information, and to
furnish advice and suggestions to all
who are interested.
This is a task which demanded to
be done. Pres. Robert w. deForest
last month in opening the First
National Conference on Housing In
America, which marked the end of
the National associations first year
of work, told the delegates, who rep
resented sixty three cities from Bos-
ton on the east to Honolulu on the
west and from Hamilton, Ont on the
north to Dallas on the south, that the
New York tenement house commit
tee had received so many inquiries
and requests for aid that 1t became
necessary to create a special organiza-
tion to take care of them
The proof that this demand really
existed was furnished during the past
year--the conference with its 124 rep
resentatives of municipal health de-
partments, housing committees, cham
bers of commerce, civic leagues and
philanthropic societies was, from this
point of view, only ratification meet
ing. During those twelve months the
association had been called on by
fifty-five cities. 1t had aided in or
ganizing housing commissions and
committees or in putting them on an
effective working basis in middle
western cities, such as Detroit, and
eastern ones such as Albany 1t has
aided in drafting legislation for
columbus, and Cleveland, for Albany,
for California, Indiana, Kentucky and
Connecticut. 1t has aided in secur-
ing amendments to codes in other
places. 1t has strengthened the New
Jersey Tenement House commission
by showing the need for more inspec-
tors, which have been provided. It
has trained two city officials and one
executive officer of a voluntary as
sociation for the rk which it had
induced those cities and that associa-
tion to take up. Tt had conducted two
School Of Philanthropy and had given
special training to those students who
showed a marked inclination for the
work. 1t had sent it's secretary and
field secretary to twenty three cities,
to some of them several times, to adj
dress meetings on the subject Of hous-
ing, to direct preliminary investiga-
tions and arouse general interest. to
advise regarding local problems, to
consult with officials and voluntary
organizations.
In addition 1t has carried on a con-
tinuous campaign Of education. One
of the speakers at the conference de-
clared that the trouble is people do
not look around to see what is going
on about them. They are ignorant
not only OF how the other half in a
distant section of the city live, but
even of how their neighbors in the
next block, or in nearby alley houses
live. They have eyes which see not.
Disease bearing flies from a privy
across the alley or from a manure
pile a block off wing their way direct
to the good citizens dinner table and
his baby's milk bottle though he has
never watched their flight. For, old
sayings to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, what you don't know does hurt
you. 1t is only when one does know
and prevents, that he is secure. And
that he may know, know both the
cause of his ills and the methods of
preventing them the National Housing
association is waging its campaign of
education. It's series of articles in The
aR A.
twenty cities, large and small, east
and west, the material II has supplied
to other magazines and to newspapers,
and the series Of phamplets dealing
with the more general phases Of the
problem are teaching many eyes to
see facts to which before they had
been blind.
But having begun to see, it is then
nigh time to act. That section may be
productive Of results Lawrence WELLER.
the secretary Of the association, has
prepared a housing programme. In
dividuals acting alone can seldom sac
complish much for community better
ment So the first step is the forma-
ton OF a citizens committee which
shall make an intelligent investigation
of existing conditions With facts
as a basis this committee may then
expect to secure needed legislation.
But then, unlike many citizens COM
mittees organized correct social
evils, It shall not go out of existence;
instead 1t shall stay on the job to see
that its legislation IL enforced. Many
d law has been put on the statute
books as a saIve to outraged citizen
ship. And that is the end OF II. This
committee Is to see that the law Ii
both on the books and in the minds OF
49, ...rr.ranr. .nfSac2n1a Arna AZ L. - 80