Salt Lake Telegram | 1921-02-13 | Page 36 | To Protect Health by Housing Survey

TO PROTECT HEALTH BY HOUSING SURVEY Would Dispossess Under Sanitary Laws NEW YOKK, Feb. 12.' To disprove an assertion made In the welfare committee com-mittee of the board of aldermen that there Is no actuoJ housing; shortage In this city the health department will begin a novel survey, fifty in spectors will be sent to as many blocks In various sections of the city to ascertain how many hundreds of persons in them the health department depart-ment would have to dispossess were the health regulations and the sanitary sani-tary code enforced. Health Commissioner Copeland was led to make the survey because Alderman Al-derman August Ferrand of Ilrooklyn. when the mutter of exempting new buildings from taxation was before the committee, said he was not satisfied satis-fied that an emergency existed at this time. Ve expect to cover as much territory terri-tory as possible in a week, said Dr. Copelaod. "We will find out how many apartments there are to a bouse, how many rooms and how many persons occupy these rooms. "Previous surveys have made us acquainted ac-quainted with many of these things, but we want to shoW the farts to those who would cry there Is no overcrowding or have been misled In the matter. I was surprised to hear men who impressed me as being sensible sens-ible aay there is no housing emergency. emer-gency. They point to the advertising advertis-ing columns of the newspapers, and because they see there hundreds of apartments for rent they advance the argument that there Is no need for more houses. I "As a matter of fct there are for pent in this city many very nlcs apartments for $6o00 or $8000 a year. There are none to be obtained from $30. $40 or $'0 a month. I believe myaelf that those who can pay from $6u00 to $i000 a year are comfortably housed, and so far as they are concerned con-cerned there may be no bouinr emor-yenry. emor-yenry. How about the workman, the clerk, the pofrrry paid mechanic or even th small humlne man ? No one should pay more than one-fourth of his income for rent." between March and the b (finning of the year overcrowding has Increased In-creased 7 per cent, according to health department figures. of tbe 133,000 bahjes born here last year, lr. Cope-land Cope-land said. 100,000 were born in crowd -ed tnementw.