Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-12
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Some New Angles on the Landlord
and Tenant Question, with Faults
Of Both Parties Pointed Out
by SARAH ID. LOWRIE

THE president of hospital board was
i laughing rather ruefully over n letter
that he had received from the undergraduate
nurses complaining Of the sma llncss OF thelr
bedrooms and the mcager provision maze ior
them to receive visitors.
lie had Just returned from visit to MS
son and daughter. both at big. notable Doard-
ing schools. -
The boy slept in n cubiclc-n screened on
part of dormitory-iust large enough 10
accommodate his bed. one chair ana Chest
Of drawers. Part Of his duty was TO Keep
this room clean and the bed made
The girls room was somewhat larger, but
she shared II with another girl. and ms the
school required uniforms OF the slmpleSt
type. all the other dress belongings OF the
girls were kept in lockers In general store
room, to which the owners had access only
by special permission The girsb school rc-
qurcd no housework from the pupils. but
the hours when they might 500 visitors were
restricted to certain days of the week, ana
even then required special PERMISSION
In appointments and general living pro
visions the schools had less to offer outsid"
the library. scboolrooms, chapel assembly
hall and masters reception rooms than inc
hospital.
In one case the parents were paying for
the tuition of the scholars nt minimum OF
$1,000 n year each and accepting the plain
ness of the fare and the mCaEcrnrSs OF the
living conditions and the general helpful
simplicity of the daily program ms. whole
some and healthy and in keeping with con
ccntratcd study and good drill. In the other
ease the nurses wer" paying nothing Tor
their schooling. but being supported. and
were paid enough to coV"r their expenses
for uniforms. meals out. etc. Thcy were
being fitted to earn on their graduation any
whcr" from $50 to So week and insured
certain pcrquisitcs ns nlumnn" "t IN" hos
rital school. care when III being not the
A., NlnI InI fln
president Of what his son and daughter were
accepting as part of the game of being
educated.
T THOUGHT of that incident. which was
l. still fresh in my mind, when ! listened
to n long and fierce invrCtive against land
lords from n woman who has done much to
agitate for better laws in Pcnnsylvanla con
trolling tenement houses and for rented
houses in general No doubt If any land
lord attempted to establish system of
cubClc sleeping quarters such ns arc used IN
many of the up to- date boys schools in this
country and in England he would he pro-
tested out of the business. yet the ventiln-
tion and the morale 0f the long d0rmitOry
divided by partitions six feet high into
minute single rooms is better and tho air
is better and the economy Of fio0r space and
Of light is better than If those rooms wcr"
each twice Ms large and completed up to the
ceiling.
There is an outcry about lack of dccpnry
when more than ono family has to share n
common lavatory. hut sleeping cars and
boarding schools are not the only well paid
public utilities where this is the rule.
A FRIEND of mine has some dozen ancient
n little stone cottages ON the outskirts of
the town which she inherited with the sur
rounding farm from her grandfather. The
houses have no plumbing. and for water
pump between each two, their walls bulge
and their yard steps sag. tho farm-owing
10 the cncroachng Cty-iS no longer cult.
vntablp. tho old country roads have turned
TO clay bitches and tn" city streets have not
vet been paved that far.
These houses tranSgrcSS several of the
city housing laws in more than one par
ticulnr. Any ardent refOrmer could reln'"
n story that would make the owner drOop
her head for taking money for such sinks
Of disCuSr' But what are the facts on her
side? The tenants are the same tenants that
have uncomplainingIy paid the small rental
for the last twenty years and more. rental
that nets the owner on III" assessment about
= per cent. Moreover in III" last years Of
prosperity. with no coercion nnd no raising
Of the rent. thpS" renters are gradually pur-
chasing the houses on worry easy install
mpnt plan.
Meanwhile the gradual approach Of tn"
city has as Yet only played hNV0" with the
property. Taxes were raised. with no vHlu"
10 show for the raise. Sewers were dug and
the owner charged. with no possibility as yet
for sewer connections. Gas mains and
water mains were carried through and
charged for with rs yet no possibility of
gas or Of water hring available for the ten
ants. Indeed. the digging for the mains
made two If the old water wells run dry
which neceN>itarrd nrt"sian wolls-un rX
pcnsc Of larger output than the combined
rentals Of the houses brought in. If tho
property is sold now the tenants will be no
better off if il is held until the city artu-
ally places water and gas and n trolley line
within rcAch, houses adequate for the pres
cnt renters would he inadequate for more
convenient and hcn"" more "Xpensv" con
dltiOn~.
TNIIERE j. no question now Of the landlord
exploiting tho poor. \ > per cent profit
on an investment j. not exploitation. and
there never was any question Of get
rich -uuiCk' scheme. II is II question Of
waiting for better times for the owner :;
meanwhile the renters like the tumbling
down little places much and recognize
their eventual value we'll that they, too.
nr" holding ON. and whcr" they can scrap"
tho money mouth by month ,h"y ar" buying
them in Vet n picture Of this property
would be- Au "EXhihit A. in n lecture ON
Tho owls Of bud housing
7 HAPPENED to mention some time ago
i in mis- column house in nm old aud
diraptdntcd part ~ he city that was onr Of
fv" ON n court house without plumbing
nr0pcr lighting or air Spa"r--whero n sick
man | know lay dying Of tuberculosis
pniuted out that those tenants could have
sued their landlord, or thHt the city could
make him fulfl the conditions laid down by
law Nv friend whom ! visited in that court
sent mo word thar II was true they could