Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-19
EXORD|TANT RENTS
PAID TO LANDLORDS
BY POOR OF CITY
Secretary to Associated Charities
Reports That Proftccring -
Not a Thing of the Past.
MANY CASES ARE CITED

Tn hcr report made Tuesday to the
A.soc;atrd Charities, at tho monthly
board meeting held at the Hotel du tont,
Il Ethelda Mulin, the secretary, told OF
rond;tions under which some OF the poorer
families OF the city are living that show
that rent profitccring is not thing of the
mast. DESPITE all the publicity that has
becn gwen to charges in connection with
The practice, and the Investigations Of the
mayor's committee and other orgnn,za-
tions in the effort to bring about some re-
lief.
The report Of the secretary shows that
rents arc paid by some OF the families and
individuals who are being assisted by the
Associated Charities that arc beyond the
palc of reason for the character of the
places rented.
The report of the secretary follows:
Changing standards of living and the
increased cost so much discussed in these
davs. have largely contributed towards
changing the nature of our service to the
nubl,c. The trend of all family rcliei
work was toward adequate financial aid
for the families. This would doubtless
have come about gradually rs the prob
lems presented themselves, had not the
influenza epidemic of 1918 brought to us so
many dependent families. A few OF these
have solved their own problems by re-
marriage: more have settled down 70 the
task of caring for their families until the
oldest child can assume snare OIL Tue
burden.
The increase in number of pensions
over that of three years ago Will prove
interesting. The report of your general
secretary for February, 1917, reads
This organization is today carrying live
,ensions, aggregating an expenditure oil
about 500 month. Today our pen
lions number 81. involving monthly ex-
1enditure of about $3.50 As the children
N these families grow older, requiring
more food and clothing, this budget must
,ecessarily increase. For If we require ct
.hese mothers certain standard OF living
80 must make it possible for them to
maintain this standard. Food, milk,
.uel and clothing is our responsibility and
we strive TO meet ii falrly-but housing Is
a proposition which is without our lur's-
diction.
a few statistics will prove to you the
full meaning of this. Out of the 10 taInliles
in our current file. only eight are living IN
houses which could be termed good Is
fair; the remaining A are reported IN
various degrees of undesIrability from
poor" TO "filthy," horrible, "unspeak-
able and deadly Rentals range from
$50 to SIS. the latter an unfurnished room
in the Polish quarter. Overerowding has
become necessary because IT Is impossible
10 pav the rent for whole house.
Let me cite few examples: A Polish
family of mother, father and four children
arc occupying three rooms for which they
pav Sls month, unfurn,shed.
4 woman, two boys, girl and baby
occupy one furnished room At - week
An old eolored woman is living with
her granddaughter IN room at the bead
Of a dark stairway. As there Is no hall 1t IS
necessary for other roomers to use this IS q
thoroughfare, so destroying any semblance
of privacy. For the privilege of occupying
this shelter, they pay 81 month.
In cabin under Eleventh street bridge,
a woman with her three children rs exist
ing Her situation reminds one OF the
shipwrecked mariner, for there, on the
very edge of the creek, she must walk fully
a block TO get water, This hovel rents for
S5 a month. And these are American
people.
On side street, not six blocks from our
Office. Mrs. r., her three children and two
dodgers occupy a hve-room house. he
roof could scarcely be called protection
from the weather, and during rainy sea-
sons it becomes necessary to abandon the
kitchen The landlord refuses to do any
repair work, although he receives regular
" his SIS rental.
Two Italian families are sharing the
comforts of a six-room house, the total
rent amounting to SIS a month. Only
two rooms in the house are really habit
able, although the IL children of the com
bined families make it necessary to over
flow into the rest of the house which Is
damp and dark.
There are many Others equally as bad,
and few that are better, and there seems
no way to improve the situation. Even
at an increase in rent, nothing better Is
available, and no tenant has sufficient
temerity TO ask for even necessary repairs.
But on the other hand, even If we disrc-
gard entirely the illness which is certain
to result from such miserable housing, we
cannot expect to plant in the minds of our
future citizens any respect for night living