The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-28

ate occurrence of negro occupancy
for the city as a whole, which IS
1874 per cent"
Overcrowding
Overcrowding apparently is not
much of a problem in Wilmington:
The standard used by the real
property survey for determining
adequacy of dwelling unit space IS
one and one-half persons per room.
The average number of persons
per dwelling unit for all occupied
dwellings in Wilmington is 3.8 per-
sons, with negro dwellings showing
a slightly higher average-3.9 per
sons. The only size of = dwelling
group in Wilmington which reports
more than one and one-haf per-
sons per room are the II one-room
units, which average two persons
per room.
The report shows that although
the average number of persons for
all dwelling units, except those OF
one room, does not exceed the
standard of one and one-haf per
sons per room, actually GA units,
or slightly more than Z per cent Of
the city's total report the pres
ence of more than the standard
number of persons per room.
These 644 dwellings house, in
adequate space, 1876 percent Of
all individuals enumerated in the
survey. Here again tenants show
the greatest proportion of over
crowding, with IT'S per cent OF al
persons, as compared with 5.4 pei
cent of those in owner-occupiee
dwellings, living in units W h i C
house more than one and one-hal
persons per room.
"That the different factors which
constitute housing problems tend t.
occur in the same places or in thu
same, structures is further evi
denced by the fact that over SO pc:
cent of the dwellings which ar
overcrowded r also either il
need of major repair or unfit TO
use," the report points out. "Con
I versely, though little more than
per cent of Wilmington's dwelling
} are overcrowded, over II per cen
!, of those in need of major repairs
and II per cent of those unfit fc
use are overcrowded. Overcrowd
ing also occurs more frequently i
low-renting units than others. Owe
% per cent of those units whic
rent for less than S. a month, l
, per cent of those renting for fror
, S. to $40 a month and go per cen
of those renting for from$10to$1
a month are overcrowded, Will
. all other and higher rent group
= show decreasing proportions c
' overcrowding, and in all cases les
than five per cent.
. . "a little less than half of Wi
' mington's occupied dwelling unit
! report the presence of children. @
these units almost IA per cent re
!. port inadequate dwelling space
l while those without children repo1
! only 1.2 per cent o~vercrowdec
! More than a third of the peopl
l enumerated we're under 20 year
of age at the time of the survey
While 1877 per cent of all person
in the enumerated area live unde
crowded conditions, 21.8 per Ger
). of those 20 years old, as compare
e with only 8.5 per cent of those 20 {
4 more years of age, e found
overcrowded homes, and almost
5 fourth of all children under ]
e years of age were similarly sit
. ated. More than half of these pc
r pie living in dwellings which al
l. too small for their groups are u
S der 20 years old; 42.4 per cent
S them are children under Is veal
of age.
cover crowding in itself-that
y the presence of more than n ar
a half persons per room-is n
. the only factor to be considered
examining the adequacy of a dWe]