New-York tribune., 1919-04-26
Will Be Held in Rooms of
Board of Estimate at
l:3O p. M, and Mayor
Will Be Presiding Officer
May Appeal to Governor
Dodge Bill Permitting Con-
version of 4-story Build
ings Favored for Relief

A mass meeting to discuss the advis-
ability Of requesting Governor Smith
to reconvene the Legislature to con-
slider housing legislation will be held
at 1880 p. m. April so, in the rooms Of
the Board Of Estimate. Mayor Hylan
will preside.
Discussion, it was announced by
Chairman Hirsch, Of the Mayors COM
mittee on rent protiteering, will centre
about the so-called Dodge bill, which
died in committee at the last legisla-
tive session. The purpose Of the mea-
sure is to amend the tenement house
law to permit conversion of old style
four story dwellings, sixty feet long,
into four apartments. A similar meas
urc, known as the Burlingame bill,
affecting three story dwellings not
over forty-seven feet long, became a
law.
Tenement House Commissioner Frank
Mann, in a statement yesterday, said;
"lf advantage is taken by house owners
of the Burlingame act it will mean at
most only 5000 additional apartments.
If the Dodge bill had been enacted,
with such amendments as were sug
gestcd at the Senate committee hearing
by this department. it would have given
more substantial relief in the present
crisis by adding possibly $4,000 apart
mcnts.
He Would Recommend 1t
"Thc alteration permitted by the
Dodge bill could have been made with
out detriment to housing conditions. I
would recommend as a method of solv-
ing the problem of immediate relief
that if q special session of the Legis-
lature is called the advantages of en-
acting the Dodge measure be called to
the Governors attention."
Lawson Purdy, general director of
the Charity Organization Society, in a
statement to The Tribune said the
Dodge bill would not afford the relief
desired and its enactment might be
dangerous to public health and well
fare.
at is impossible to alter the old
four story dwellings 90 by 60 feet into
apartments under the provisions Of the
Dodge bill and still assure tenants the
light and air necessary for their we'll
being" he said "With the three-story
47-foot buildings provided for in the
Burllngame act, most of which are in
brooklyn, it could be done. With that
length the danger that dark unventi-
lated spaces in the middle of the apart
ment might be used as sleeping and
living rooms is reduced
"Undcr the Dodge law the longer
apartments with one dark room Git is
a dark room, although called an
alcove) might be safe in good neigh
borhoods for small families who have
q proper knowledge of sanitation and
hygiene.
Ncighborhoods Change
"Howcvcr, those neighborhoods NAV
not remain good, and to open such
apartments to ignorant and crowded
families would be sowing germs the
tenement house law was made TO ex-
terminate
Such apartments would be valuable
TO builders only in neighbour oods like |
W ashngton Square and Gramcrcv
Park, where large rents could be OBJ
tained They are eXtravagant, and to
provide heat and janitor service for
hem would be costly in comparison to
The returns in the poorer neighbor-
hoods
"biosf Of The old dwellings now arc
beint used rs lodging and BOARDING
housca- Is such they house many
time more people than they would If /
cor erted into apartments
10 fte protection provisions of
he Dodge blll ala not satisfy Mr
lann. as he admitted al Albany. So
~ 10 I Know. 9hly three dwellings,
haYe bfen tmGdellsd under betnilssl0H
gwen ~ iha Hntllugama iaW, and ~ -
very dGHbiful II the UGdpe bin s4nuld
induce landlords ~ eBend money an
dwellings Wbieb ~ eoGrss
Of ayonis and land yaIuas Njl eyantu-
lIlY have 10 eOmn down anAMAN.D