The daily worker., 1933-07-04
81 FAMILIES HAD
NO INCOME, MANY
LACK FURNITURE
Evictions Growing as
Unemployed Army
Is Increased

NEW YORK-Nearly hall. or 46.5
5sr cent Of the family breadwinners
y nine typical blocks selected at
tandom from wage earners' districts
h New York City were found TO be
.otaIly unemployed, survey Just
made public reveals. The study, en-
hracinr 419 families in &30 apart
ments in SO tenements. was made Tor
rhe Labor Research Association by
members of the Pen and Hammer
organization under the direction OF
lillian Zahn Of the research staff OF
the Encyclopedia OF the Soclai
Sciences. Upper and lower East and
West Side blocks, those OF Negroes III
Harlem and Latin-American quar-
tiers were investigated.
Some s5 households reported no
income at all, while wage reductions
up to so per cent we're found in
the less than one-tlfth OF totai
households in which all breadWln-
ners were employed.
Crowded Homes
Seine Sc householders admitted
having to cash or surrender lnsur-
ance policies, while AZ were forced to
pawn valuables, such as iewelry and
clothing, in order to pay rent ano
buy food. In IS households from one
70 five dodgers had been taken in
with the greatest proportion in the
Harlem block occupied by Negroes.
Less than one-third of the 400
spartments investigated reported rent
reductions since 1929, the decreases
RANGING from 81 to 50 a month
Seven families, on the other hand
told of recent increases Of 81 a month
to pay for minor installations such
as water and baths.
Slum Houses 100 Years Old
OF the So tenement houses studied
S2.5 per cent proved to be OF the Ole
law type, built before 1901. Many
Of thrse buildings we're from GO to
100 years ole.
More than 100 slum parcels, par
ticularly in the lower East Side, are
owned by estates of such prominent
inillionairss as the Astors, GoeletS
and the Wendells. A big property
holder a.so is Congressman Hamilto n
Fish. Jr., who achieved notoriety fol
his red batting activities. These ap-
sentee landlords. interested only IN
Extracting profit from tenants, make
little effort at furnishing improve
nents. Thus almost one-fourth oi
the apartments studied were with
4 out baths while in 46.2 per cent the
hath was located in the kitchen wash
tub.
Cite Typical Cases
Pitiful tales were recorded by in
vestigators. The rooms of one unem-
ployed Irish American teamster with
four children were found to be bare
of ffurniture-taken back few week;
earlier by the company for non-
payment. The father, unemployed
for more than three years, was ex-
, pected to feed, clothe and house SIX
persons on the $40 a month from the
city relief job. Faced with the alter
native of buying food, or paying elee-
trio, gas, coal and rent bills, he chose
the former. The family faced evic-
ton in three days.
Still another family, whose tota
income averaged SO, including 6
daughters IS week as millinery
finisher was ineligible for relief
Two children of school age were
forced to remain at home for lack Of
shoes. The parents occupied the sole
bed in the apartment, four of the
children used day bed-which the
family expected to lose any time fol
non-payment--and C~ee other chill
dren slept on the floor with old
quilting and rags as covers.