New-York tribune., 1922-12-11
Census Report
To Help Drive
Against Disease
Inner City's 1928 Acres
Will Comfortably Accom-
modate Population of 9
Million, Investigators Find

An analytical report on the New
/ York City census that is expected 70
/ be OF much value In health, transpor-
tatior, educational, industrial, political
and welfare campaigns has just been
/ issued by the New York 1920 Census
I Committee The report contains 9l2
pages and was edited by DR.. Walter
I LaIdlaw. The committee based its re-
port on a new plan Of dividing the city
4 into 9.427 forty-three acre tracts. in
( stead of following the Federal census
, scheme Of classification By Assembly
districts.
suppose" explained DR.. Laidlaw,
"that campaign was being planned to
curb tuberculosis or cancer. The use
OF the tables could discover in what
areas the disease was most common
in proportion 90 population, where
progress had been the greatest and the
death rate the highest. SO il would
be an casv matter to concentrate cor
reetive efforts In the districts aheetcu.
'The same reasoning holds true in
approaching other problems. II the
oity was considering a number OF new
schools, the tables would indicate just
where they were most needed. II
would also be equally easy TO deter
mine where new Fairgrounds and other
recreation facilities were required.
ain undertaking 20 solve the housing
problem or some question OF American
ization work the tables once rlote
would make the whole subject clear.
We are also able 70 compute for any
chnrch iust how efficient its work Tor
its neighborhood has been and what
tbe prospects are IN any given terri
.orv 10 ACQUIRE a clientele. we re-
e.,tlv have been useful in advising
sbout church expenditures OF moro
tban half million dollars
Arothey phnse of the report - eN
,,cssd 40 assist in laying down lines
Tor future city planning. Since lslV'
~. voiufne states, "our SUBURBAN popu
istion has grown by fifteen people N
every 1000, compared with the inner
city's loss OF the same numDor. AZ
side the city, on its rim, the insless.e
has been 203 per cent, compare WI"
an increase Of 10 per cent n me een
Ter. Growth has naturally follo"cu
Tho new transit lines. The system
helps 20 clarity the eitys transit TO-
Tho committee has also collected
from ''The City Record" Of 1922, by
sanitarv districts, the tax-eXemptionl
Iists OF New York. In time this VIII
form a nucleus for a ncighoorhooo
a.rectory . of all public and private
9vencies for education, housing, re-
,.gion. recreation, voluntary ana inu-
ricipnl aid to immigrants. deiinquentS'
detectives and dependents, according
to d.. Laidlsw. 81, y.
In an area OF 3ls square miles. DR..
Iajdisw points out. New York now has
n population nearing 6.OOO.oOO' ana
something must be done for more cop'-
Portable housing in the future. -.
IL tho rate Of growth OF lSly-zV
should be kept up, b. 2o2O New YORK
proper would have p population o.
IA. 408.O4S; "circled" New York, whie.n
includes territory nineteen miles IN
ali directions, the distance from City
Hall 20 Tottenvillc. s. l., 2i.5lO,lle.
"There arc ,2b3 acres in the CITY,
and OOO.O 900 population rs about an
tbc inner city could comfortably man
tain" DR.. iaidlaw says. "Haii o. tne
acreage might be required for parks;
business structures, playgrounds anu
s4reets. and IL we assume an avcrage
nonulation OF 100 to the aere for the
other half, We will have nearly lo'VVV'-
00c.
III we place the population per acre
on q level slightly under the 10y mars
!. viii iust about work out 20 the uIl-
mate human goal OF 100000. we
would be much better ON II IL eou.e
restrict its population to an aNereke
nearer City 10 an acre.