New-York tribune., 1919-07-31
Legislative and Reconstruc.
ton Commissions See
Filthy Tenements, Where
Dirt and Disease Prevail
Health Laws Disregarded
258 Horses Housed Near
500 Dark and Insanitary
Homes in a Single Block

Co"H lIteTminaDle STAIRS, committee
Of the State Reconstruction Commits
sion and three members of the Legisla-
tive Committee on Housing went
through East Side slums yesterday
They learned a little of the city's lacks
in the way of giving decent living ac-
commodations to its people.
They went through foreign coun-
try, with children for interpreters
Few Of the grown people could answer
even the simplest questions about
water supply, garbage collection and
heat. But always underfoot was a
sprite of a girl or q gnome-lke boy
who could shrll out from the dark
ness and give the information de
sired. Thus literally the commission
ers and legislators learned from the
mouths of babes the things that none
who have not seen them will believe
They found:
Tenements with forty nine fats,
each with one light room and two
dark ones.
Tcnemcnts built originally with
deep, airy front yards, in which a
half century ago other tenements
were set, cutting off light, air and
comfort
A four-room fiat in which live a
father, mother and eleven children.
The twelfth child is soldier.
Light wells with the window sills
rceking with garbage, thrown from
upper windows by women too driven
by work to carry it .iown seven
fights of stairs and climb them
again.
A stable in the middle of block
where 25s horses taint the. air of
800 apartment tenements.
Dirt, disrepar, disease. crowding,
filthy toilets. lack of water, air and
sunlight, and everything else that
goes to make life healthful or
decent.
In Cherry Hill District
One of these blocks, the investiga-
;ion Of which was conducted by the
Hamilton Street Settlement. is in the
Cherry Hill district. 1t houses 2,714
people, of whom SCI are children under
ave years. It's predominant nationality
is Italian. Mixed with these are Irish,
7ews, Spaniards, Americans and five
Lithuanians.
The survey shows all but three
houses in the block are in need of re-
pairs. Under the heading toilets" the
report notes that in two houses the
only toilets are in the yard Only two
houses are marked 80. X" in this
respect.
Practically every apartment has dark
rooms. There is only one "new law
apartment in this entire block--that
is, only one apartment conforms with
the minimum standard for health anc
sanitation laid down by law in 1901
1t is estimated that it will be 100 year.
before the last Of the old tenement
VIII have disappeared from natura
causes, such as fire, tum0ling down O.
abandonment by tenants.
The majority of the apartments con
sist of two and three rooms. of which
one faces court and the other
are dark. They have no windows
and are lighted and ventilate,
only through a poor opening into the
room which faces the court. In thes,
inside blind rooms as many as five peo
pie sleep, and it is no exception to fin,
three and four occupying one bed.
The total number OF apartments I
SOB, of which 606 are rented. Tn
lowest rent is SIS month for an apart
for one room is Sis. Three e'snens rooms rem rem
for from S6 to SIT: six rooms, from
SlS to $25. and one nine-room apart
ment is quoted at S35.
In Henry Street District
Another block visited was surveve
by the Henry Street Settlement.
houses total of 1928 persons, O
which All are children under five year
and 81 are boarders. Jews are in tn
majority, numbering 1853. Mingle
With these are few Italians. Pole.
Russians, Lithuanians and Irish l.
all there are 544 apartments occu
pied, containing 1890 rooms. Sevent
apartments, totailing 217 rooms ar
vacant, making a total in the bloc
OF GA apartments containing 2,1O
rooms.
The reason for the unusual numbe
OF vacancies in this block is that
number of tie houses are absolutel
uninhabitable. The fats found vacar
are mostly in the ar on the 1roun
floor. at the bottom f air shafts te
feet wide. They are about as ligf
as pockets, and many rooms have n
outside ventilation a. all, even that al
forded by the ten foot shaft One er
tire wing is built ose up against
stable, without even the ten foot spac
required by law.
Taking as basie the assumptio
that in every family there should b
one room not used sor slee ping, and
maximum OF two people sleeping j
each bedroom, 1876 apartments in th
block are seriously over-crowded. TIL
families consisting of more than fs
people are found 70 be sleeping fou
and five in one room, sometimes 8
many in one bed.
Only one tenement house IN thi
block provides bath tubs.
Tenants Are Suspicious
Only thirteen houses in this bloc
have dumb walters, which means thu
tenants in all the other houses mu,
carry their garbage sometimes as man
as seven fights of stairs, to the ga
bage cans in yards or Railways.
The predominant occupation la ga,
snent work-pressers, tailors, etc
among the Jewish population.
In the attempt TO find the relatio
between rent and income Investigate,
experienced much difficulty Man
tenants refused TO tell how much the
made. The average seems to be abo,
$50 a month for each family. The min
mum wage earned by the man Of tn
family was $50 a month. In the,
cases the wife is found TO earn fro
$40 20 $50 a month by sewing at hon
for factories. Many children he