The Detroit times., 1913-05-29
RABBI FRANKLIN
WOULD RENTS
BY COMMISSION
Body To Act As intermediary
Between Landlord and
Tenant Needed
DISCUSSES PROBLEMS OF
HOUSING CITY WORKERS
Many Distinguished Speakers at
TOday's Session of Char
tiles Conference

ANN ARBOR, Mich, May 2S.-
Housing and recreation in city. town
and village, were the problems at TO-
days session OF the annual state con-
ference of charities and corrections.
To Rabbi Leo NJ. Franklin, OF the
Temple Beth Eel, Detroit, was assigned
the subject OF Housing as a funda'
mental social problem" Rabbi Frank
lin took the position that with the So
luton of the housing problem In the
large cities, all other social problems
would be greatly minimized He also
suggested a solution.
There are three sorts of activities
that must be entered upon to combat
this pOor-housing evil" Rabbi Frank
lin said First, we must have more
houses. II is perfectly ridiculous in
city like Detroit, for instance, to
urge the destruction OF the old. dilapi-
dated and inadequate shacks that are
now called houses, for thousands OF
people. while yet other thousands are
practically without any shelter.
The building OF many new homes
Is absolutely essential to the solution
OF the problem. This may be accom-
plished by persuading large employers
OF labor to erect houses for their own
working men, preferably in such a
way that the latter may eventually
acquire them as their own: by inter
esting capitalists to go into the build
ing OF workingmen's homes upon a
large scale, and finally by the activl-
ties of semi-philanthropic building
clubs, such as the Octavia Hill assO-
citation. OF Philadelphia, and the City
a. Suburban Homes societies of Chi
cage and elsewhere.
in the second place rental agencies
should be established, perhaps also
along philanthropic lines, which
should act as Intermediates between
the landlord and the tenant 1t should
be the function of such agencies to
establish certain standards OF living
conditions for both landlord and ten
ant. They should take from the land
lords shoulders the burden of secur.
ing tenants, collecting rents, etc, and
to the tenant they should be able to
give reasonable assurance that the
house which he rents will be kept up
TO a reasonable standard OF safety,
cleanliness and repair
And finally, there must be adequate
legislation affecting the building code
OF cities, and a commission whose
business II shall be to see that the
requirements of the code are fully
lived up to both in the erection OF
houses and, what is frequently of even
greater importance, In the re-construc
ton of old ones.
Il realize that the program thus
laid down is rather ambitions one,
but hope--and | firmly believe--that
II the mere sentiment OF Humanitarian
ism and fair play will not bring IT
about, then the less worthy consider
alton of self-preservation will compel
lis to work for its fulfillment."
Rev. Caroline Bartlett Crane. OF
alamaZoo, dealt with the same prob
lem IN its relation 10 the smaller cities
and towns.
Other speakers on today's program
were Mayor ID. &. Sauer, of Jackson;
George A. Bellsay, head resident OF
fire house, Cleveland: Charles N.
Mills, OF Grand Rapids, and Mayor
Brand WhitlOck. of Toledo.
At yesterday afternoons session Or.
Guy l.. Kiefer. of Detroit. told the
delegates that the time was not far
OF when the state would establish
training schools for public health
nurses. He praised highly the work
of the nurses in Detroit.