The sun., 1919-06-08

The old law are either 'dumbbells or
tenements with dark interior courts.
London and other European cities
have taken big areas of tenements.
RACED them and replaced them with mod
ern buildings. They have done SO on a
big scale. making no attempt to repair
them or fx them up.
I'm the Chelsea district some years
ago two or three blocks of tenements
were torn down to make way for the
Pennsylvania Railroad improvements.
No attempt whatever was made 10 re-
place these buildings. Since the new
law was enacted. between Fourteenth
and Forty-second streets only thirty or
thirty-five apartments have been built.
and the only kind that have been erected
were put up by philanthroplsts.
I'VE have three-quarters OF all our
apartments below the standard. and
there are many who believe they cannot
be replaced because the values OF the
lands have gone SO high.
Two Alternatives offered.
There are two alternatives. First,
the city or the State, under the author
ity of laws to be enacted. can tear them
down and replace them. 1t may not
pay financially to do this. but It will pay
in health. 1t Is the community THAI has
to bear the expense. and the question
is being asked. Isn't 1t better 10 pay be-
fore the injury is done?
Second. an attempt can be made to
remodel blocks OF these tenements, SO
that light and air can be admitted and
better living conditions brought about.
The vacant apartments we found in
our survey of typical tenement house
blocks showed that those places are dark
and people cannot live in them. What
is going to be dono with these old houses.
houses which people are refusing 10 live
in because OF the intolerable living con-
ditions they find in them? We are do
ing our best to discover what ought to be
done. II we find that they can be re-
modelled we will make Recommended
lions along those lines II this cannot
be done we will strongly urge In favor
of getting rid of them."'
Robert Kohn. the architect who had
charge of building homes for the United
States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet
Corporation--the bill amounted to $780,
600. 000-is one of tho advisory council
on housing for the Reconstruction Com
mission. Among the schemes which are
being considered for the programme of
recommendations In case OF treatment of
bld tenements Is the plan of the Octavla
Hill Association in Philadelphia. This
plan calls for the tearing down OF GER
tain old houses and remodelling others
Mr.. Kohn has gone on record as de-
claring that even the new law as re-
lating to the construction OF tenements
is not altogether what its designers ex-
pected it would be,
where It's weakness Lies.
Its weakness lies in the obvious fact
that II Is not constructive housing
law, that It Is restrictive in a great
measure as against progress In housing
designs" Mr.. Kohn said some time ago.
1T Ia a law which specifies too definitely
what shall be done. instead of limiting
itself absolutely to a statement of what
is TO be accomplished in the way of
light and air and sanitary conveniences
II IL possibly true that its passage
was a great achievement. perhaps the
best law that could have been secured
at that time, but II made no provision
for progress in tenement design"
II is dollars to doughnuts that the
Reconstruction Commission. in formu-
lating recommendations to Gov. Smith
relative to remedies for the housing sit
uation, viii have some suggestions TO
make in regard TO Improvements IN
new law apartment building as we'll
Continued on Ftfth Pdoa