NEW YORKS' SEAMY SIDE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 130, 23 May 1908, Page 4

NEW YORKS' SEAMY SIDE.

Till-: Ul' TKNKMKXT I,ll'K. ' Tin' «l»rv ami tiliamc of A nn-riiiin civili-ation 'have been, alike illustrated ill the l>=<-t week. The arrival of the ilect on the l'aeilie coast is an adne\eiiu ilt livel' which the people of Hie I mini Slates are entitled to rejoice, .the exhibitioii of the terrible congestion in the Hals of this city, uiwiied hv •>»u,inor Unfiles iu the Natural History Mil-emu is enough to make Socialists ol t |,o-e who have a Sl .rak of syiujia hy left hv coiinuon liunianilj. I . XI this exhibition oil Saturday with -Mi. North, director of the census, and could hardlv helieve possible the conditions there illustrated hy wax modeU of families who sleep by night and wor. hv dav. lu many eases the actual on t.'.nls Of the rooms had beentransplanted from tile tenements, lhore was a «indo\vle»3 room which looked moic kc. ;t Chinaman's opium den la bcilea •• ruuin.s like this sti-l left and occupied in various parts oE *sew VorU.' The re were models of tenement block* containing 2,781 persons and only M ch>et-. and not one hath. Ot l.ohb room-, AIL were dark, and had no ventilation to the outer air, and g<'Ui»g their light and air Iron. a dark and narrow airshaft. This is not one ol \lie worst features of tin' city. Swvli„*r >h.)|>.-» hv day and night were lute illustrated bad ill uncleaulme-s and wretchedness as th.'se in the Ka>t Kud * nth man present, " i.i one teuture ut j.oor and and persecuted ot all nation* have -been looking a> a haven of ri*t and liU-rty and unlimited po-ibilitie-," l'he reverse side of thi-rt-ali-tic picture' of the evils of niacin,; people in New York in a limited , may la* noted iu tin* inclinable a'n heroic work being done, not by one bu. hv liflv different organisations dealing \wth tin- problems involved. It would take columns lo describe the misery depicted at this exhibition, and to give an adequate idea of what has been ac-ciimpli-hed and U in progrc:--. by b-gi-lalive ;iud oilier means, lor t ln* eradication ol' Mie-e oviis. The thought haoften occurred to me: Can Ihe -nod work ever keep pace with the detnoial- ! i-alion of such conge-lion. which \< spreading About I'IMUHM new inuni■•rani- settled in New \ork last year. Mr. North told me. that at the present rate of growth there might be a jmpulati'.n of 7.1100,000 iu 1»20. -Many blocks in Manhattan have a density Of over 1.000 persons to the acre. Over lily, hlo-'ks each have a population of 11,000 10 I.ohO, Vet there are more than JuO.nno acres in New Vork which aver1, -- than four inhabitant- to the ;,--r•... Tenement honse-bnihlini: laws. |il:i t-l oiitid- lor children, aided di4ribui ion oho .lewi-h Mn-i'-ty having • i-(|| lieu j/Civiiis to farming . ;uid entail cities and improved trail-it faeilities haV;- j-ivni a measure ~f ndief. I l '' i'lexin/ problems these:, I,ni j,i ihe iM-neral lo Iho v'l.ih ;i i e f;«-in- people here. j ~,, b'-iiiL' e.i l ll' -l 1 and. I hope. .11- ti,- i, y_i appl- 'i v. i! h. N'-W \i-ni r[ ,i ji . j </111' leii 1 ol I .o'id' >n I nio's.