Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-01

4 water
That there are fire escapes
While Councils continues TO ignore APP
propriations for the new Division of
Housing and Sanitation, New York has
fred theShrst gun in the campaign for
better housing conditions in that city.
To enlighten residents OF the ghetto
and other congested sections of Greater
New York that landlords must maintain
sanitary dwellings, unique educational
campaign has been adopted. Printed cir
culars are being distributed today block
by block, house by house and from door
to door. The circulars. which are printed
in Yiddish, Italian, Russian, Hungarian,
French, Swedish. Polish and other langu-
ages, are being handed to the women.
1t is planned to distribute more than
a million circulars bearing advice on
how to rent a nat in n typical tenement.
Women inspectors have been detailed to
do this work. 1t is also the plan Of
Tenement House Commissioner Murphy,
of New York, to get the circulars into
the hands OF school children.
Association OF New York disclosed that
SI2,S92.SsO is lost by the working people
of Philadelphia and other cities yearly
through sickness. chiefly due to living in
filthy and insanitary tenements.
LACK OF SEWERS CAUSES TYPHOID
Director George w. Norris, of tho De-
partment of Docks and Ferries, who iS
president of the Philadelphia Housing
Commission. pointed out today that the
high typhoid rate among the $1,000 people
In the neglected river district is due to
the lack of sewers, which makes vaults
and surface drainage unavoidable.
Director Norris, who for years has
been an advocate of better housing con-
ditions, and who is among the represen-
tative men OF Philadelphia who are urg-
Ing Councils to grant the appropriations
for the division of housing and santa
ton, today brought out the following
striking facts:
1T might be added that when the sew
eTs have been built and the vaults Rbol-
ished Philadelphia will not be very much
ahead II her substitute is the outdoor
q, closet so common in the poorer districts.
These outdoor closets are inconvenIent OF
access, lacking in privacy; and in the
winter when they freeze. as they do, they
are nuisance"
Information reaching the Philadelphia
Housing Commission shows that munich
pallties all over the country are rapidly
falling into line in favor of better hous-
Ing conditions
CHANGES IN OTHER CITIES.
In many cities, where politics for a
while prevented measures favorlng bet
ter housing conditions being enforced,
conditions have changed. Social work.
ers in this city said today that unless
Councils granted the required approprla-
ton. this city would go down into his
tory as one of the few cities in the
country that sanctioned diving vaults"
Siberian cells" Giving graves" death
vaults" tenement caves" and cellar
rOoms"-names that have been given to
insanitary dwellings in the congested
quarters Of Philadelphia
The act creating a Division OF Housing
and Sanitation was passed more than a
year ago by the Legislature and signed
by Governor pener. Every EFFORT to have
Councils grant an appropriation has
failed. The appeal for the enforcement
of the act has been made by more than
30 civic agencies OF Philadelphia The
fate OF the act now rests in the hands
of the Committee on Finance OF Coun-
ellis, of which John p. Connolly is chair
man. Select Councilman Charles Seger,
of the Tth Ward, In which hundreds OF
insanitary homes are located, has already
expressed himself as being against the
new housing laws. He says the new laws
are too drastic; that Is. too hard on land
lords.
New York is not the only city which is
getting ahead OF Philadelphia for better
houses for It's residents. Portland, Ore.
is among the cities which has awakened
10 the fact that past neglect has, as al
ways happens. given It some very bad
housing. Public-spirited citizens in
Portland. led by Father o'Hara, who for
the past two years have been trying TO
make Portland see the facts. havs cue
ossded in interesting the municipality In
granting appropriations.
In Orange, N. j.. an Investigation Is
being made OF It's housing conditions.
Several organizations. including the
Health Department and the Associated
Charities, are cooperating
In New Haven, Conn, the latest step
IN lettering housing conditions Is 10
mako night inspections of not only tene-
ments. but also Of lodging. houses.
Mayor Hunt. OF Cincinnati. Is working
70 establish new era In that city for
housing. Cincinnati has a larger proper
ton Of tenement houses than any other
city In the Middle West. One reason Tor
this Is the sami-oirele OF high, steep
hills which hem in the older sections OF
the city along the river and checked sx-
pension In the days OF horse cars.