The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-11-12
MAYORS
MEET WITH
INSPECTORS
Officials of Calumet Region
Cities Are Told They
Must Remedy Tenement
House Conditions by Fed
eral Orders.

Mayors OF Lake county cities.
heads of the police departments,
board OF health officials and building
inspectors. were told this afternoon
by the state board Of health that
filthy housing conditions and European
and darky modes Of living must be
remedied by orders Of the federal gov
ernment. which is Interested in the
health and morals Of the men en-
ployed in the making OF munitions Of
war.
Dr. Hurty. secretary of the state
board Of health; Dr. King his assist
ant, and staff Of inspectors who this
noon completed a three-day tour of
Inspection of Hammond Whiting.
East Chicago Indiana Harbor and
Gary. were in attendance at the meet
ing which was called under instruc-
uons Of the Central war department.
\ report Of the Inspection read by
Or King revealed surprising condi-
tions. indicating not only unsanitary
and immoral living but the existence
of lax law enforcement. In rebuttal.
Mayor Johnson OF Gary told the state
board that the cities Of Gary and
ton n the past three years, and that
it has been impossible to provide the
proper living conditions Mayor small
ley OF Hammond stated that his city
has found the negro question puzzling
owing to the great number of new
additions to the coIored colony which
has not been provided with q district
in which TO live.
Pursuant to the order OF the state
board Of health the inspectors sub
mitted a report to the meeting which
Dr. King read It told Of unsanitary
conditions in the tenement and room
ing houses at the Standard steel car
district in Hammond. Eight men sleep
in two beds. . family Of nine with two
roomers live in two rooms. the report
stated
The rooms and bedding were found
to be filthy The inspectors saw garb-
age in the stairway, kitchen slop strewn
on the ground between the tenement
houses. outside toilets and no side
walks At 533 Fields avenue. Hammond.
ten people live in two rooms and two
cows are maintained, the bathtub being
used as a watering trough. On West
state street eight men live in a roqsn
10x12 feet. and there are day and night
shifts of sleepers. The building is a
fire trap. At 467 Holman street the
inspectors found a colored rooming
house, also a fire trap badly overcrowd-
ed and unsanitary. The Mnligen flats
We're scored.
In East Chicago conditions were as
bad or worse. the report stated. Eleven
men to six beds. fourteen men in one
room and a hog being butchercd on the
kitchen floor. We're some OF the sights.
Thirteen beds in an attic where thirty
men sleep. was an astounding part of
The report.
Gsry's cabarets were mentioned. to-
gether with the bar maids.
The inspectors visited a black cafe
where whites and blacks mix. They
found room where ten men live.
throwing the slops out Of the window.
Every tenement is a constant men
ace TO the public health" stated DR..
King. These conditions exist in direct
violation to the housing laws Of the
state"
L know the report is true" stated
Mayor Johnson we have conditions in
Lake county that do not exist in any
other portion Of the state. The cities
have doubled in population in the last
three years Gary has forty-eight ma
tionalities and her colored population
has doubled in year We have not
the facilities to take care Of these peo-
pie We have a little Italy. a little
Poland. little Hungary and a little
Greece 1t is a task that viii take more
than the state board of health The
state board of health could depopulat te
the city of Gary and what would be the
only way to change conditions innaed-
lately In some cases the property
owners have realized enough on their
shacks 20 replace them with modern
brick apartments But what are we
going to do with the men while they
are tearing down the shacks and re-
building"
Il am told that these men living in
an animal-like way are making 81 and
So a day" stated DR.. Hurty.
That is true" replied Mayor John
son. Il know Of a colored man who
cashed a check for S11O for eleven DAYS
work 1t is not because they aren't
making enough money"
I am surprised at some of the con-
ditions at the Standard" stated Mayor
Smalley. L believe the city author
tiles can improve them there. The
question of the location and disposal
Of the growing colored population is
puzzling The city is ready TO coop
crate and I trust some remedy can be
found
Dr. Hale of East Chicago. stated
that 5000 men go into East Chicago
every morning TO work and that while
there is plenty of vacant property the
owners are not willing to in,nro,-a II