The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-11-13
WOMEN TO PROTEST
AGAINST |NSAN|TARY
HOUSING CONDITIONS
Owners of RiverdaIe Houses
F1ayed By Members of
d. A. K.
CLEANUP NECESSARY
Jordan Wants Names of Neg
ligent Property Holders
Widely Advertised.
CLEANUP NECESSARY

Property owners. who live on the
ed by insanitary conditions in River
dale were declared responsible for the
sore spot of the city by the represen-
tatives of the D. A. r., Commercial
club and other organizations who met
in the auditorium of the high school
yesterday afternoon to consider the
housing question:
Speakers were unanimous in saying
that the people must be awakened to
the conditions which exist and the
property owners must be made to rem
edy them. The tenants, in most casesfs
1t was pointed out wanted to be clean
and live with some degree of COM
fort, but could not do so.
Property owners refused to drain
the cellers, plaster the walls, supply
city water and make other improve
ments for the comfort of their renters,
it was pointed out Yet they boast,
said Mrs. Harry Dalby, that higher
per cent of interest accrues from in
vestments in Riverdale than in any
other part of the city.
Publicity as Remedy.
Publicity was decided upon as the
most effective method of informing
the citizens of conditions Represen-
tatives of the D. A. r. were instruct
ed by Mrs. James Judson, who pre-
sided, to tabulate data which had been
gathered, for presentation before an
other meeting later in the year. In
the meantime, each person pledged to
do as much personal work as possible
in calling the attention Of the health
authorities and the property holders to
the filth of Riverdale.
Mrs. Judson said the d. A. r. was
a patriotic organization, devoted to de-
veloping a better citizenship, in ex-
planning the society's reason for TAX
ing up the conditions. Attention had
been called to Riverdale during the
garden contests conducted last sum-
mer with the purpose or putting more
flags in the neighborhood. Housing
conditions were so dep1orab1e that
they were driven to action.
1T is wrong to have any part of the
city we can not be proud of" said
Secretary Jordan of the Commercial
club. City officials are not often
called on to make improvements in
Riverdale, because many of the citi-
zens do not know the conditions"
Morton Lake and Park has called
attention TO that sore spot which has
been allowed to tester in our city"
Cleanup is Necessary.
Mr. Jordan said he believed Morton
Lake and PARK was the remedy, and
one of the steps was to- advertise the
names of property owneS who had re-
peateuly refused to do thugs for their
tenants. He said Riverdale must be
cleaned up.
Mrs. Elizabeth Gambler, city mis-
sionary, outlined cases which she had
h~ hn nf
girls who go wrong live IN such homes
as are found in Riverdale She told
of taking a girl from the streets, dress
ing her respectfully and of the change
that had been made in her life. Three
women had been hired to cut cord
wood. because they would work cheap
er than men. Their father stayed at
home and did the housework. In an
other family the husband said he was
not able to work. The wife also said
so. She did washings for a living, car
rying water from Glen Miller park,
three blocks away. At night she did
her own housework and washing.
Bond Describes Houses.
DIR. Bond described home harbor
ing a case of tuberculosis, in which
washlngs from the best homes of the
city are hung up to dry.
Otner speakers toIu OF easements III
which filthy water stood the year
round. of sewers leaking In cellars
and cisterns without adequate cover
ings, houses without water and con-
ditions which made health and COM
fort impossible.
The work OF the health department
was explained by DR. T. Henry Davis,
and H L, Haywood cited the provis-
ions of the building code, Others who
told of conditions in Riverdale were
Miss Nina Moorman, Mrs. Middleton
Mrs Jennie Yaryan. Miss Mary
Stubbs, Mrs. Addington. Mrs. Frank
Land. Mrs. Paul Comstock.
The meeting endorsed the efforts of
the Domestic Science association to
bring visiting nurse to the city as
one of the effective means of educat-
ing the tenants.