New-York tribune., 1921-11-27
City Flats
Wonderful In
English Eyes
Have Many Advantages Over
Those of London; High
Rentals Bring Convent
ences Making Work Easy

New York apartments appear much
better to English eyes than ours. Con-
demnation is generally the reward for
all types from native New Workers.
This, that and other things, common
place to apartment dwellcrs here, are
wonderful conveniences in the opinion
of English visitors, who say they con-
tribute to easy housekeeping and free
dom from the tyrannies of housemaids.
Muriel Harris, an Englishyoman, who
has spent some time in New York
apartment houses, gave her observa-
tions of flats and fiat life in a recent
article in 'The Manchester Guardian"
She said:
Rents in New York seem prcposter-
Gus at first sight. 1t is, for instance,
difficult to find the necessary four
room fiat at rent less than f14 to
$40 month, unfurnished," she con-
tipues. At the present value of the
pound sterling here that means in
round numbers about $50 to $50.
"In the better parts, or rather the
more fashionable parts-for New York
is curiously capricious about streets,
which to the foreigner seem no better
then any others--e40 month for the
same accomm odation is nothing un-
usual
Young professional people have
taken frankly to the sfums, and there
is the common sight of one or two
decent looking houses in street,
which are only to be reached by fall
ing over Jewish or Italian or Syrian
sbabies all along the pavement. And
now the slums are becoming so fash
ionable that their rents also are reach
ing high figures. With a housing
shortage all over the world, the mar
row, CONSTRUCTED island of Manhat-
tan suffers perhaps most greatly,
since, if space is to be found, houses
can spread only upward.
Thanks to Miss Housemaid
"At the same time the expense is not
quite so terrifying as would appear at
first sight If you are prepared to do
all your own workout on no other
conditions-living in New York can be
compassed quite reasonably. The con-
veniences which are included in the
high rents make this possible. The
whole problem is, indeed, something of
circle. The difficulty of obtaining
servants has led to very many con-
veniences; the difficulty of paying serv-
ants has led to more, and the
two together have eventuated in a diff
ferent distribution of labor, which is
on the whole not very much more
troublesome than running house with
inefficient service.
The New York fiat inhabited by the
person of moderate means includes
free heating and perpetual hot water.
Landlords try continually to curtail
these services, but legally they are
bound to provide them. telephone
.is a matter of course. not luxury.
There is no fiat without a good bath
room. Kitchens have been cut down
in many cases to what are called
kitchenettes. There is also something
to be said for the kitchenette in that
you simply stand in the middle of it
and reach out for all the things you
want The kitchenette consists gen.
orally of good gas stove-all the
newer kinds have the oven high up,
so that you do not need to stoop to
put things in-an ice safe, a large
cupboard for china and other things.
with another cupboard underneath, the
top of which forms table, and white
china sink. The kitchen has in ad-
dition two stantionary washtubs, with
hot and cold water laid on, the tops of
which can again be used as table.
Cleaner Than London
"The chief problem of the kitchenette
is the juxtaposition of the gas stove
and the ice safe. which, like the mis-
sionaries and the cannibals, should be
separated where possible, but very
often are nothing of the sort. The
continual use of ice, which in the sum
mer at least is absolutely necessary
01H o.