Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-16

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oaANOJ VI bh0 hOooth6 oAboaeAOh hA
Harrisburg proposed by the Cham
ber OF Commerce will result in tire
bringing to light of conditions CT
living within sight of the State Capt.
tol dome which will surprise good
many people whose knowledge of
the city wherein they live is re-
stricted to half a dozen streets ahd
as many state highways leading out
of the municipal gates. There were
doubtless quite a few residents of
Harrisburg, who got the idea that
when the state wiped out the sec
tion of the Eighth ward which fig
ured extensively in police court and
which had stagnated awaiting the
day when the capitol park had to
be extended that the worst section
of the city would be eliminated.
North and South alley and various
buildings in the portion which used
to be known as de ward" had g.
notoriety that extended beyond the
city limits. In some respects con-
ditions were simply moved further
north into the Seventh ward and
North Seventh street, the part that
used to be known years ago as
Pennsylvania Avenue" replaced
East State street as the thorouEn-
fare that never sleeps. And it afso
! began to furnish examples of con-
gested living. Sibletown is a sec
ton OF Harrisburg which has been
some time called the piano box
tract" because boards taken from
piano boxes were found useful for
building of shacks. The portion of
Sibletown known as Brooklyn" be-
cause years ago it was beyond the
Herr street creek and canal bridges,
and the locality known in police par
lance as ANT Hill Terrace" will still
furnish some opportunities for study
by the Harrisburg sociologist even
If Lochiel and the old nail works
district have been changed materially
by removal of old established iron
works and the denizens of "Cinder'
and Furnace" rows have been scat
tered to the four corners of the city
and become memories like the
Seven Bleeders'' and the "Cinder
Bank Sliders."
It is interesting in this connection
TO note that several of the most pro-
gressive of the third class cities have
undertaken special studies of hous-
ing conditions impelled by the scar
| city of homes and the miserable ac-
commodations offered for skilled
workmen who flock to these towns
because of the war industries. Ches-
| ter, for instance, when confronted
with a situation worse than our own
| organized several companies and
proceeded to build houses, getting
\ the jump on the rest of the state.
| There is scarcely a. city of any size
which is not troubled about how to
house it's new residents and in Johns
| town the city fathers have taken up
| the matter and asked citizens to
give all the help possible. Ex-Sen-
! ator George t. Weingartner, of New
Castle, who is well known here, has
been making the inquiry for the
people of his city and reported to
the Board of Trade of New Castle,
which saw what was coming months
ago, that from 500 to 1000 families
| are living in two or three rooms be-
| cause they could not get homes.
| Quoting his report the New Castle
News says: MANY of these fam
lilies have their furniture stored. In
| fact every storehouse in the city is
| filled. Houses that are needed are
four, five and six rooms. There have
been practically none built for rent
ing purposes of late years owing to
| low rents In a majority of cases
| owners have been unable to realize
six per cent. on their investments
and the result is the present house
shortage. While it is estimated that
| there are nearly 200 houses under
| construction at the present time
they are being built for sale or for
homes by the owners of the lots"
|
| The newspapers of the state tell
of many interesting movements be-
| ing undertaken on a county basis and
| of various municipal advances.
Bethlehem, which was formed of the
two boroughs, is moving along half
a dozen lines under the stimulus of
Mayor Arch Johnston and will set a
| pretty hot pace for the other cities
of the state soon. York has added
to that remarkable diversity of small
| industries for which it has been
/ famous and is pushing its house
building as rapidly as the materials
| permit. Easton, which has had an in
dustrial development such as this
part of the state scarcely realizes,
| has spent thousands of dollars to
improve living and housing condi-
| tionS, while many smaller places
have taken their problems into daily
life and smoved to better them. An
| interesting move in Schuylkill county
| is the formation of county cham
ber of commerce to bring the coal
Icounty's numerous boroughs and big
| townships closer together.
Demolition of the old Capitol con-
servatory appears to hold a tremen-
] dous interest for the unofficial COM
| mittee which sits daily in Capitol
| Park The workmen engaged in
wrecking the place have about fifty
watchers all day long. And they ere
not all children or nurse girls. eth
| er.