New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-13
Committee of Fourteen
Says Dozens of Resorts
Were Closed in Year
NECESSARY EVIL"
BELIEF PASSING
Hotel Men Are CenSured
for Support of Bills in
Legislature

A review of the last years work in
fighting vice in New York City is con-
tanned in the annual report OF the Com
mittee of Fourteen for 1916, made pub
lie yesterday. The closing Of dozens
of resorts, the conviction of hundreds
of habitual offenders. and the support
of new laws tending TO diminish COM
mercialized vice in this city, are among
the achievements recounted.
The report states that Brooklyn has
less commercialized vice than the aver
age American city Of 100000 popula-
ton. This. the report says, is because
Brooklyn is essentially a city Of homes
and has not even the transient popula-
ton of small city.
The greatest vice problem in The
Bronx, the report states, is that Of
dancing resorts and road houses, espe-
cially in the neighborhood of Bronx
Park. Although there is little disorder
at these places, opportunity is given
there, the report says, for young girls
to meet undesirable men. The most
dangerous of these places was closed
through the cooperation Of the brewers.
10 IHu nhdsbdBc LNit
Probably the most important anti
rico measure placed on the statute
books through the efforts of the COM
mittee was an ordinance empowering
the city TO license massage operators
and parlors. This ordinance was final
" passed and approved by the Mayor
only last November, but has not yet
gone into effect.
The report censures severely the
Greater New York Hotel Mems Asso-
citation for its sponsorship of four bills
introduced in the Legislature, and
fought bitterly by the Committee OF
Fourteen. Two of these bills provided
that the Police Commissioner should
not place officers in or about premises
until there had been a conviction. The
other bills provided for the granting
of jury trials TO defendants in disor-
DERBY resort cases where property
rights or tho forfeiture of licenses
were involved. The passage OF these
bills would have, in the committees
opinion. resulted in an "open town"
The bills were introduced in the As
sembly by Assemblyman Everett, OF 81.
Lawrence County. The report states,
that a public exposure of the record
OF lOODylSt LOT LHe DllIS vi GHV uay
set for hearing prevented the bills
being reported. The report SAYS 1t
is understood another effort will be
made to pass these bills this year.
Rapid Change in Viewpoint
The report attributes the failure Of
grand iures to indict many defendants
in disordefly house cases largely TO the
belief of the jurors that prostitution
is a necessary evil" The jurors lack
knowledge, it is said, "of the rapid
change in the attitude of social stu
dents" toward that belief Addresses
made before the Association of Grand
Jurors by DR.. FleXner and DR.. John p.
Peters. chairman of the Committee Of
Fourteen, it is said, are expected to
do much toward reducing the number
OF failures to indict in the future.
The report gives high praise to the
Women's Court as an aid in the sup
preston of vice and the saving of its
women victims.
"On the basis Of an intimate knowl-
edge extending now over many years
saws the report, eve believe this court
TO be most effective in suppressing
commercalized vice and in saving many
women