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Farnam, Henry W. Summary of the tenement house investigation of 1902. [United States : s.n., 1902?].
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-' the
Graduate
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Summary of the Tenement House Investigation of 1902
read at the Annual Meeting of Lowell House by
Prof. Henry W. Farnam.
The task falls upon me of giving a brief summary of an investigation
which touches upon an important subject, but regarding which we are not
3'et prepared to make definite proposals. I refer to the subject of dwellings.
This is a topic which is engaging the attention of almost all modern
countries. England and Germany have already developed a large literature
upon the subject. In our country it has been made the subject of investi
by the Federal Department of Labor, by the Massachusetts Bureau
of Labor Statistics, by numerous special boards and commissions in New
York City, by volunteer workers in Chicago, Yonkers, Hartford, and many
minor cities. In New Haven we are fortunately not subjected to the dis
geographical conditions which baffle attempts at improvement in the
city of New York. - We still have many breathing places in the city ; we
have a beautiful park system, and we have room for expansion on three
sides. But New Haven has been of late years the mecca of a great many
immigrants, and they have shown a tendency to crowd unduly certain
quarters of the city. We are consequently' at the beginning of evils which,
if not checked, may become serious.
It was with a view to ascertaining the extent of these evils and finding
out what could be done before we undertook to urge any remedial measures
that the present tenement house investigation was undertaken. The subjeci
had already been excellently presented in a paper by Mrs. James Kingsle}
Blake, who, however, had not undertaken any complete statistics. In
blocking out the work, we had the assistance of Mrs. H. W. Rogers, whe
had been connected with the City Homes Association in Chicago and
secured for us copies of the blank forms which were used in that city.
Inasmuch as the dwellings of the poor in Chicago are to a large exteni
small houses of not more than two or three stories and similar to many oi
those in New Haven, it was thought best to follow its methods rather than
those of New York, where an altogether different type of tenement house
has been developed. Through the kindness of Mr. Stokes the blank forms
were printed, and through the energetic work of Dr. Win B. Bailey a group
of students was secured who were willing to undertake the work of enum
as volunteers during the winter 1901-1902. Messrs. Couch, Brown,
Hart, Worman, Daugherty, Nadoff, White, Embree and Palmer are those
to whom we are indebted for much faithful work. Some of the blocks not
having been quite completed in the spring of 1902, the assistance was
secured through Miss S. S. Whittelsey of Mrs. John Murplvy, Mrs. A. N.
Wheeler, Mrs. Frederick B. Street, Mrs. Henry G. Newton and Mrs. Griggs.
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