The Washington times., 1914-12-05
LESSONS ON SLUMS
TAKEN FROM LONDON
CANADIAN Expert Urges Women
to Grapple Alley Problem in
Capital.

England's experience in housing hel
people. and how these reforms might bt
applied to Washington were discussed
before the weekly gathering of the Dis
trict Federation of Women's Clubs al
the Public Library this morning by
Thomas Adams, civic adviser to the con-
servation commission of Canada
Transformation has been in prog
ress in England for the last twenty
five years, said Mr.. Adams, and the gov.
ernmcnt has been steadily getting rio
OF the slums and substituting sanitary
homes for working people. AS mem,
Der OF the local government board o.
Great Britain, Mr.. Adams has peer
closely identified with the work.
Mr. Adams declared during his address
that he particularly approves of appeal
ing 10 ORGANIZATIONS OF women inbring.
ing about housing reforms such as arr
desired in the National Capital. The
problem in Washington, he says. Is very
different from, but not more difficult oil
solution. than the same problem Eng
land has been called upon to meet.
While Washington Is not ordinarily
regarded as an Industrial center, ne
holds that. in the last analysis, the
National Capital Is as much an IN
dustrisl city as Pittsburgh, the dill
ference being that in the Pennsy,vna.
MIA city steel Is manufactured, while
here q great law and statute factory
operates, requiring as much. II not
more, mental and physical efficiency
from employees as is demanded OF &C
tual factory hands.
So he called upon the members OF
the Federation of Women's Clubs to
| recognize the Importance OF the TASK
declaring that in his opinion they
have great part to play IN the
double barreled social problem which
the eradication Of alley Sums In this
city presents. He said:
There must be a simultaneous
campaign on the part OF the wom-
en- Of Washington to remedy the
existing slum evils. and at the same
time to provide against the growth
of other slunTs In the future.
Nor must you loose sight OF the
fact that alley jewellers and resi-
dents of slums, IL left too long to
the dives and novels they inhabit,
become habltuated to their sur
surroundings. and that unless some
steps are taken to prevent them
from sinking again to the level OF
insanitary living from which dis
possession has driven them, you are
merely laying the foundation for
heritage of future difficulty.
80. in the merely pulling down OF
slum houses will not be found the
solution. II you merely destroy
Stun dwellings or prohibit their oc-
cupancy, and do not provide sani-
tary houses to take their places. you
only create slums in other parts OF
the city.
Then again, IL a certain number
of people are dispossessed from their
dwellings. their migration is only go
ing to produce an overcrowding
somewhere else.
The prescribing OF alleys as a place
OF residence also results only in the
destruction OF a certain amount of
property, and makes unavailable a
considerable amount OF space. In the
beginning II would be better to erect
suitable houses in the present slum
districts OF the city.
After these immediate conditions
have been remed!ed, there Is a way
in which small residential or gar
den communities in the suburbs can
be stimulated-improve the transpor-
tation of the city SO that the work
ing man who lives in the suburbs
will not be isolated, or will not
consume a great deal of time going
too and from his work.
U,lY