The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-20
Report Of Investigators
Reveals Slip-Shod
Methods Here
FIND SLUM DISTRICT
Consolidation Meeting Will
Be Held at Municipal
Auditorium Monday

uavoIoui iuHuiuliona in the city That
30 should lr augmented hy % conf
drnfial exchange ~ social aEoHSlra.
and 'uIt, .urorttiug with theuo
ORGANIZATIONS there should bo q
chamber Uf commerce indorHo menl
committee, So ihc substance of rco-
concentrations contained lu writ
ton report uu loynl social agencies
prepared recently by Gertrude Vtile
ana Iulla E Wills after an cx-
hlustivc study uf each organization
and Institution already funcrioning
hero or which viii be started u the
plan is adopted.
The report was made to Percy
E MnEoc, chairman of tho social
survey committee appointed BY
Mayor y. -. Evans several weeks
ago. " specifically mentions tho
tulsa County Humane society. Glrls'
Aid ar orRnnlzcd). Family welfare
society ~ orgnnizcd). Salvation
army Public Health association.
childrons homo. Frances willard
home. day nursery Tulsa boys
homo. detention home ar or
Ranizod). county home, juvenile
court especially as to mothers pen
Hlons) and truancy department.
Before setting forth their recon-
mcndationa. tho workers present the
results uf their Investigation of each
social agency. and deal In general
terms with the city "a a whole In its
relation To those who are In unfor-
tunate circumstances that must he
allcviated by those philanthroplcally
inclined.
The unparalleled growth OF Tulsa
In the past five years, tho report
AZ at IaA al. Is.f
housing problem. building has not
kept pace with tho Increase In pop
ulation, and rents have been such
thnt many unfortunhtcs could not
obtain even necessary housing faCili-
ties Contrary 10 supposition, the
Investigators declare. Tulsa has an
unusually large and greatly neglect
20 "slum" district In which large
families are living IN onc-room tents
or shacks and where moral stand
ards are shattered by promiscuous
association OF children OF opposite
sexes
THE city doos not at all give the
impression Of n boom town but Of
n substantial, well built city, with
It's splendid office buildings and It's
astonishing number of miles OF
paved streets" states the report. 1T
IL also tho great original spotlesa
town. The fact that there In no
smoke In the city---as the fuel is
almost wholly natural Ena-- keeps
the buildings all OF brand new
freshness
In contrast To this section Of the
report IL the section which explains
that We have heard Il said several
times that Tulsa has no slums As a.
matter OF fact. Tulsa has an acute
slum problem, In and around tho
city lie ragged spots Of wretched
housings where people live In any
kind OF miserable shelter without
sewers, water supply or garbage col
lection, many people crowded to-
gcthcr In a shack or tent with no
possibility Of decent privacy and
with no sanitary protection. such
places are especially to be noted
around the water works section.
around West First and South
Phoenix, In the Berry Hart addition.
the Frisco addition. about east sixth
and seventh near Kendall, and
above all In tho negro section and
West Tulsa. Whether We wish II or
not, the life OF the city is one, and
tho city cannot afford To have any
hnwholesome spots to tester lest
they polluto the whole body polite"
Thrcc-fourths of the population
OF Tulsa have been here less than 10
years the report states. THAT
means that mos, ~ the people ut
Tulsa have pulled up the roots of
their accustomed lifc To transplant
Themselves here, Such breaking up
or old associations naturally puts "A
strain ON the solidarity ~ family
life unless the family ties are very
true and very strong"
This condition Is largely blamed
by the investigators for tho number
of divorces IN Tulsa county. Fig
uros are used TO show that the pro-
portion Of divorces to marriages IN
the United States In IO,S per cent,
while In Tulsa county the proper
tlun W. 22.6 per cent. In 1919 the
number ut marriage licenses issued
In this county was 1915 and the
number of divorce petitions Loss.
The investigators recommend cs-
tahNshing a court of domestic rcla-
tlons and that both marriage and
divorce laws IA oklahoma be made
more stringent
In the section devoted to county
relief 10 Is pointed out that county
commissioners aye elected for VERY
different purposes than poor relicf
and that this department is mcrvN
"a side issue" with them, 30 ono
ncrsuu has been delegatrd authority
rn investigate cases, ana us result
illo commissioners usually accept
the word OF the applicant az 60 DTS
needs or ,Ucept the recummrnll
ton Of other persons In whom ihu,
have confidence, Most r,Nnf n
given on recommendation uf ,ut
humane agent or the county phys
lciRn.
Relief Is given from vnl. n
formed the Poor ana lusNu. HuH
states the report, "thougn fnF .s r
mlsnomcr, for tho insane arn ..rrd
for from another fund called rn,
lnsRue Asylum fund Th. Poor
and Insane - Is expended ir
county home ~lutenancp. county
physician's salary. hospital ,ar, yl
the poor, ambulance. burip's. s.tn.
books for poor children. and f.'rt
for the poor In their homes. a.u.
oral estimate made by the deputy
county clerk distributed d.. .N
pelScs ahdut as follows CnuN
homo, $4,000; county physician
$500. school hooks, $500. Uuh.
lance and hurials, $4,000, HOSPITALS
$4,000 home relief $1,000. ulkiug
total OF $4,000, Thrrn is n.
record kept OF people whu U....,
rrIief. There ~ no way 10 discover
who are receiving or how WNgN ,,
Cor what length of time and wNa,
sxgpht .f...I.. ..l