Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-16
LEGISLATION FOR
IMPROVED HOUSING
STRONGLY FAVORED
Senator Ware Pledges Sup
port to Measure That Will
Relieve Condition of the
Poor.

/
Legislation for better homes for tho
tenement poor win have the backing OF
Senator Edwin II. Ware, who today said
he would support any measure that might
/ be introduced in the next Legislature
| pertaining to housing. Should the MEM
I bers of Councils Finance Committee re-
| fuse to grant appropriations for the new
| Division of Housing and Sanitation. II
was learned today, another housing
| measure will be introduced.
Civic workers who fought to have tho
present department created are planning
to introduce another measure which, II
passed. will give dwellers In the filthy,
windowless, bathtubless, unventilated
and bricltless tenements some relief.
The act which created the present dlvi-
sion had the support OF Senator Ware,
as we'll as Senator McNichol. Senator
Ware said today that in view of the un-
certainty of the new Division OF Hous-
ing and Sanitation ever being placed in
actual operation something ought TO be
done.
IA great deal of the opposition to the
act which created the new Division of
Housing and Sanitation" said Senator
Ware, comes from property owners who
are of the third class. mean the man
who has little house, owns money. has
a mortgage on It and has to pay taxes
and other bills in order. not to lose his
house. This man is opposed to the net
because of the many clauses and drastic
rulings.
"If the present act Is too drastic, some-
thing must be done for our poor. / feel
certain that when the next Legislature
convenes one of the first matters taken
up will be the homes of our poor There
is no doubt that new act will be in
troduced which will be fair to the little
property owner as we'll as the women,
men and children who live in some OF the
broken-dow tenements.
"I am for better homes and you can't
make that too strong I believe In fair
play to both sides. When the Legisla-
ture meets and n legislator introduces
measure for lettering conditions ] will
support it, and will also do everything
in my power to bring some relief to those
who have been pictured as living In
dirty and unventilated tenements. The
next Legislature will positively not ignore
the present tenements."
The consensus of opinion among certain
Republican Organization men was that IL
nothing was done for the tenement poor
during the next session Of the Legislature
IL would hurt the Organization during the
coming nayoralty election. To continue
to ignore the poor it was agreed every
where, would hurt the candidacy OF every
candidate running for Offices on the Re-
publican ticket
INDoRsED BY c. ]. RHoADS.
Charles ]. Rhoads, president OF the
Federal Reserve Bank and a prominent
member of the Philadelphia Housing
Commission, today indorsed the EVENING
LEpoER's stand for better homes in the
congested quarter.
Some of the houses in which persons
live" said Mr.. Rhoads, ARE in dis
graceful shape. The houses ought TO be
reconstructed. There is no question in
my mind that a great deal of the sick
ness and death toll in the congested quar-
ter is due chiefly to the present living
conditions.
There should be windows in every
house. Not one window, but several of
them. There are thousands OF little girls
and boys in Philadelphia today who are
living in houses which are surrounded by
dirt and filth. Filth and bad environment
do not help the child. II the children
had a courtyard where they could play
with their little friends I believe there
would be less juvenile delinquency. 1 be- |
lieve the EVENING LEDGER deserves great |
praise for showing the effects on the hui |
fnan system as a result of the present |
tenement house evils.
Since the EVENING LEDGER began to |
show the effects of the present housing |
conditions many persons have become in
terested in the subject. Our lawmakers |
must stop. and consider this important |
problem. This Is not matter which can |
be discussed or dismissed in a few min |
utes. Our future citizens who live in |
the tenements must not be ignored. / |
trust that the men I'm whose power II Is |
TO bring about a relief will take the initia-
tive and do something for Philadelphia's |
poor who mustn't be forgotten"