The Era-leader., 1911-03-23

Is expected that this action will not
only supply the present urgent need
for more small apartments, but also
stop the persistent increase in rents.
Vienna has for the past three
years suffered from a veritable fam
Inc in apartments, especially in the
cheaper districts. The city has been
growing at the rate of 100000 persons
a year and building operations have
not kept pace with this increase. High
prices of land, high prices of building
materials of all kinds and higher
vagessfor labor all combined to stop
the erection of new houses. The land
lords took advantage of these condi-
tions to raise the rents, especially OF
the cheaper flats, and the wage earn
ers have suffered greatly.
In Budapest the situation is even
worse than in Vienna. Since the union
Of the two cities Of Ofen and Pest in
1872 the population Of the Hungarian
capital has Increased by leaps and
bounds, completely outgrowing the
housing accommodation. New build
ings were erected only In a limited
area and these were mostly high
class houses. For the last ten years
a general commercial depression has
put a stop to building work. Unable
to find proper house room, the work
ing people have had to make shift
with the most limited quarters until
no city in Europe has come to su6er
so from overcrowding as the capital
of Hungary.
According to the last housing sta.
tistics 52.S per cent. of all the dwell
ings consisted only of one room, and
in these S1,627 apartments lived 347,.
115 persons, almost half of the entire
population of the city. The increas'
ing scarcity of apartments brought a
corresponding increase in rents. Sim
gle-room apartments-that Is, one
room and kitchen-in good quarters
of the city were rented at $50 to $100
year, and in some instances the best
lodgings Of this size brought the land.
lord $3.50 or 5000. Such prices re-
suited in overcrowding rooms to an
extent literally appalling.
It produced also an entirely new de.
velopment in the renting business, the
appearance Of middleman who rents
whole buildings comprised Of many
fats, and then fills them to the limit
with all sorts Of occupants, ,herded to-
gether under indescrible conditions
leaving no hole or corner from attic
to basement empty. Rents are put at
the highest possible figure, payable
weekly, and defaulters are shown mo
consideration, but are evicted without
any notice.
To remedy such evils the city au
thorities decided to build workmen'l
dwellings on large scale, and as Z
beginning 1923 of these have already
been finished. Another 1900 will b<
ready for occupation early in 1911
They have from one to three rooms
with kitchens, etc. The single.roon
dwellings let at $50 year. two rooms
at 500 and three rooms at from $1S(
to 1920. Besides these houses, SO
called barrack buildings have beel
erected in which single.room fiat
may be had for 80 or SO cents a week
In some of the new buildings thi
price will be even lower, about g.
cents a week. At first all these nev
apartments were let to municipal EN-
ployees, but now they are open to all
One of the principal reasons for tn
lack of new houses In Vienna an
\ Budapest Is the enormously high tai
alton of property. In no other city Il
! Europe are taxes as high as in thes
two capitals. In Paris the taxes O
rouse property amount to eight pc
cent. of the rents. In Berlin to 15 pc
cent. and in Vienna to Al per cen
Small wonder that capitalists prefe
to seek other forms Of investmen
The best classes Of house property !
Vienna yield the landlord bare fou
per cent. per annum on his outla!
, which Is hardly enough to tempt man
. persons to build.
And so it has become necessary Il
the Austrian government to raise
!, Pund IN encourage local authorize