The Detroit times., 1911-05-04
|hOUsING BOARD IS
WORKING HARD ON
Bis PROBLEM
Cleaning Up Tenements and Devising
Plans for Furnishing Sanitary
Homes for the Poor Is
Giant Task.
Surveys Made Of Three Districts on
the East Side Reveal Deplorable
Conditions.

Detroit, which has become Famous
the world over as city OF homes
a. well as a great industrial center
now faces q problem that comes 70
every rapidly growing city sooner OF
later-the housing question. Until q
very few years ago. this city was
practically free OF tenements Of the
type found In large cities like New
York and Boston, but with its rapid
almost abnormal growth, and the in
fiux OF immigrants In large number,
condition has arisen that calls for
prompt and efficient remedy II De
froit.s reputation az a city OF homes
II TO be sustained. ..
It was with this idea that the De
troit Housing commission was organ
lied last September by number Of
prominent citizens who had the best
interests OF the city and It's people
at heart, and Il was made an adjunct
OF the Detroit Board Of Commerce
Working very quietly, the commits
sion. through It's general secretary.
Luther e. Lovejoy. and the Efforts OF
Individual members, has accomplished
more than the public has any con-
ception of and is only fairly started
From a membership of IL In the be-
Ginning, the enrolment has increased
10 100 and Is growing. The work, In
the meantime, has been carried Tor
ward on a systematic basis, and the
commission is already at work on
definite plan for relieving, In meas
IRE Mt least, some OF the deplorable
conditions found to exist among De
troit's poor. The details have not
been worked out, and, therefore, can
not be made known at this time, but,
az outlined by Rabbi Franklin re-
Gently, the plan contemplates the or
ganization OF company TO build san
itary homes for the poor and rent
them at low rates.
The program Of work mapped out
by Secretary Lovejoy contemplated
first OF all, a quiet but minute and
comprehensive investigation OF local
housing conditions, a study OF local
housing laws and regulations and
comparison OF these laws and regula.
tions with those Of other cities; a
campaign Of publicity, showing both
the evil conditions existing aSd the
lack OF legal regulations and OF lay
enforcement to correct them; an ef'
fort to secure better housing laws,
and, lastly, definite plan for their
enforcement and for defense
against adverse interests. On such
plan as this similar movements
have succeeded In other cities, and
there IL reason to believe 1t will work
out successfully here.
Thus far. Secretary bovejoy has
made three surveys of tenement dis
tricts, all on the east side, detailed
reports OF which we're submitted 20
the board, Of directors OF the housing
commission In the last meeting. The
surveys included the two blocks
bounded by Beanbien, st. Antoine,
Fort and Larned-sts., and the block
bounded by Hastings, Riyard, Column
bia and Montcalm-sts. or 1913 back
yards inspected, only 80 were found
in good condition. OF the remainder,
rs were either wet or damp, 81 were
dirty or filthy and IS contained rub
bish. or 1904 rooms inspected, 1873
were dark or gloomy, 243 were dirty
or filthy and $50, more than 80 per
cent, were in bad repair. The SAM.
tary conditions, In the majority of
cases, were extremely bad. OF $50
kitchen sinks found, for instance, 29
had no trap In the waste pipe and
tenants were thus exposed TO the
deadly fumes Of sewer gas. In the
1904 rooms, 1,241 persons are housed.
One OF the greatest evils revealed,
a. previously indicated in The Times,
! Was the crowding of buildings on lots,
I with the result that the fire peril Is
excessive. The proportion of un.
I lighted and unventilated bedrooms
found by Mr., Lovejoy In these three
blocks was unusually large. The
number Of items of defective housing
recorded In q total OF 1853 separate
premises inspected, up to the time OF
the last meeting, was 2,60S.
Under the heading, What we are
6oing now" In Secretary Lovejoy 8
roport appears the following:
4. Inspecting selected districts.
Investigating fragrant viola
lions OF safe housing.
3 Studying the rooming house
problem.
+ Cooperating with the board
OF health and the police de-
partment In correcting I'M