San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-21
A CITY OF HOMELESS


New York City. the usual cry of distress
is heard from the jewellers in the great
American metropolis, OF eXorbitant rents
and scarcity OF housings.
For many years, this has been a con-
stantly growing menace to existence in
New York City 1t might interest the
public to know that out of the millions
OF people in tic big city, with more than
1,21S,340 homes IL 1920, just about II
per cent own the dwellings in which
they live.
In other words. home ownership has
become next to impossible for the bulk
of the population OF the big city. They
must rent; they have no alternative
Just now the press contains stories OF
entire families undericd because of the
necessity OF meeting rentals and paving
Tor fuel; OF mothers actually starving
themselves 10 care for their children and
10 pay the rentals necessary to protect
them from the elements; OF thousands
OF families being eyicted by landlords
because OF inability to meet the increases
in rentals.
All OF these touching stories would in
dictate that the New York landlord is
monster in human form were the true
facts not known. Fortunately there is
a brighter side to it than appears in
recital of the hardships of the tenants
although their plight is real enough and
sad enough. Landlords in New York
are no worse than landlords in anv other
large city. They merely are advancing
rentals to pay advancing taxes, advanc-
ing labor charges, advancing material
prices and other expenses. They have
no option either. They are caught in
the same net as the tenants. They
would gladly lower rentals but they can
not do so and meet the Obligations that
are part Of the rental business.
During the first nine months Of 1923,
eviction cases in New York were brought
against $4,000 families, most of them
poor people and the majority OF them
in tenement or cheap apartment houses.
Practically all were due to inability TO
paw rental advances.
In order to secure what we would call
reasonable rents, New Yorker has to
travel So 60 or IS miles to suburban
residential districts. That sort of New
Yorker must arise early in the morning
to catch train into the city and he
usually arrives home late at night. He
Is living a most uninyiting existence
Entire districts formerly occupied by
families have become so high in price that
ordinary workers can not live there.
Others have been converted into ''room-
ing houses with one room bringing
about the same rental as used to be
charged for an entire apartment. The
families that once lived there have
been forced out and swept away, many
miles away. by the tide OF high rentals
and increased cost of living. 1t is a
serious problem in New York City and
also in other large ccntcrs OF population,
This should be a point carefully con-
sidered by residents Of San Antonio
By comparison with New York City, we
are village. But San Antonio is grow
ing rapidly and while we probably never
will be able to compare our population
with the American metropolis, we are
today emerging into a respcctablv-sizcd
city. Gone Is the clo,c-in home as once
We know ii. The bulk OF the homes
built here in the last two years have
been from two TO folu miles from the
city's business district Yet it is pos
sible for every family, no matter how
small the income, to own a home here.
The hardships and sacrifices incident TO