The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-18
Tenement House Commits
siOner Finds No Room for
Population Increase.
COMPLAINTS POURING IN
Governors Committee Gets
Letters From All Over
City Accusing Landlords.

day a closed conference at the Hall OF
Records. with Abram I. Elkus presiding.
but the only statement given out after
ward consisted of some extremely dis
couraging figures contributed to the dis
cussion by Tenement House Commits
sioner Mann, statistics the deduction
from which was that the 100000 babies
scheduled to arrive tout Of the every
where into the here" Of New York dur
ing the coming twelve months had better
stay right back in the everywhere be-
cause the percentage of vacant apart
ments is dropping rapidly with loud.
melancholy thumps. and nobody Is build
ing any more.
II the intimation contained In one Of
the complaints from tenants which were
fed out from time to time to the group
Of reporters who waited outside the con-
ference room has anything in IT, babies
will stop coming to a city where there
are no places to live In and the rents
climb higher without ceasing. mo
wonder" says the complainant, woman
living on the West Side. mo wonder
women refuse to bring children into the
world TO simply drag them UP to man
hood and womanhood.
IT am a mother" she adds, "of two
little girls which need my attention at
Ing both my husband and 1 must work.
And now to think I arm notified of a SO
per cent increase in the rent Of my fiat.
which Is beyond our means, and means
that we must take something from the
food items, from which the little ones
will suffer, or that we must move into
less desirable rooms. The Government
should take hand in this.
One CLEAN OF Hope.
One CLEAN of hope filtered out from
the conference room. Walter L. Stabler,
controller of the Metropolitan Life In
surance Company. was one of the con-
ferees, and in mentioning this fact to re-
porters Mrs. Henry Moskowitz of the
Reconstruction Commission also men
toned that the housing committee has a
definite plan for relief. and that the large
| commercial organizations, hnanciers and
business men are to be called in confer
ence and asked to indorse and further
this plan. which calls for Immediate
building. As the Metropolitan Life was
UP to a few years ago one of the largest
lenders OF money to builders, and as it's
action In reducing such loans and d.
verting its funds during the war to other
purposes has had a distinct effect on the
housing situation. Mr.. Stabler's presence
in connection with Mrs. Moskowitzs
I.
Mr.. Elkus opened the conference with
! some remarks on the rent profiteering
bills now before the Legislature. Com
missioner Mann presented the results OF
| the survey made by the Tenement House
Department In 1861 and of the 1919
survey just completed.
| I'm 1916" he said. 1.-The percentage Of
vacancies was $50, in 1917 II dropped to
s.S6. and 1t has gone on dropping ever
o
| In the city which come under the tene-
ment house law. with a total Of 963.144
apartments, but 1880 of these buildings
are old law tenements, and the vacant
| apartments are almost entirely in old
| law tenements on the lower East Side
and practically UNIT for occupation.
From January to April of tho
year only eight new building plans were
filed in Manhattan. and a significant
thing Is that they are all for very high
class apartments. The eight houses to
be erected are to contain 225 apartments,
with one, two and three baths, and the
cost OF the eight will be S2,S75,0OO. Not
| much relief for the moderate renter in
| these. Brooklyn In the same time filed
plans for fifty new buildings to cost
l.s13.5o0 and to contain In all s04
| APARTMENTS. The Bronx fled plans for
fourteen houses. to contain $50 apart
| y,
| filed plans for four new buildings, the
| cost OF which is estimated at $4,000"
Many Complaints Heard.
| Many letters from tenants were read
and considered. composite photograph
| OF which would have for its melancholy
lineamcnts successive raises In rents
during The last two years. another raise
coming May 1. no repairs, no hot water.
steam heat shut or April I regardless Of
the cold weather and very unsatisfac-
tory all winter; tenants all dissa tisfied,
| agents insolent, and q maze Of lessees
through which II was generally impossi-
BILE to find the owner and responsible
landlord.
| Il am notified that my rent will be
raised - on account OF the high price Of
COAL" writes one man from the upper
West Side. II can't see what coal has
to do with It, for get no heat and no
hot water I can't get anything done in
this house."
Another Upper West Side resident re-
ports that his tent has been increased
| by $3.50 a month since last October
and another raise is threatened.
My rent" says another West Slider,
up to June, 1913, was $25 a month for
four rooms. 1t was raised So In June. Sc
| In October and SO January /. We had
| heat just one day since April /. No
cleaning. no repairs, no satisfaction from
| the lessee. and we can't find out who the
| landlord is"
The tales from the East Side are
I equally sad. One communication re-
ports twenty-five houses fallen into de-
cay. but still occupied, and the rents
| assiduously collected by an officer of the
bankrupt realty company which manages
the houses. An upper East Side tenant
| says the rents have been increased THU
| ty-three per cent in the apartment house
| where he lives-"an increase in pronts
of $4,000 since 1915" he writes. "for a
| house Of thirty apartments" Most of
the complainants sign their names and
addresses as evidence of good faith, but
/ some do not. The fear OF being dis
possessed by revengeful landlords is 80
great that they beg TO remain incognito
| still, the burden OF most letters is that
they simply can't go on paying such
rents. please come to the rescue and
help the tenants who can't stand the
raises" is the universal chorus.
Gov. Smiths committee wasn't the
only one considering the rent crisis. The
Mayors committee on rent profiteering,
away at the same problem all yesterday.
| Two hundred letters were received, and
a number of tenants were heard person.
! ally, and the burden of all complaints
was the same.
SENATE BACKS RENT INQUIRY.
| Anti-PronteeringB Bill Expected to