(U.S. CENSUS FIGURES--)]
[Illustration: ONE OF THE CONGESTED DISTRICTS.]
Apart from this lack, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Health in relation to
existing houses other than tenements, has under state law much the
same general authority and obligations as in other cities. Its duty is
to have nuisances abated and conditions dangerous to health removed.
Specific provisions, however, affecting the proper maintenance of
one-and two-family dwellings are almost entirely lacking, although
these are found in Pittsburgh in much greater numbers than the tenement
houses, and as shown in recent investigations, are greatly in need of
regulation. The state laws contain practically no requirements for
them except in regard to the cleaning of privy-vaults and to plumbing.
There is no city sanitary code. A general state health law of 1895
gives the director of the Department of Public Safety in conjunction
with the Bureau of Health, power to prescribe rules and regulations
for enforcing the provisions of the act, but the power has never been
exercised to frame sanitary requirements for dwelling houses. Dark,
damp cellar rooms, wholly under ground, one "town pump" serving as
the sole water supply for thirteen houses; water-closets in dark
unventilated holes under sidewalks, are examples of conditions found in
Pittsburgh, and not definitely prohibited except in tenement houses.
An ordinance to prevent cellar occupancy and to provide for the
cleaning up of unsanitary conditions in houses other than tenements was
introduced in councils the past year by the Chamber of Commerce, but it
failed to pass. Such absence of requirements tends seriously to block
the sanitary improvement of the smaller houses. Specific mandatory
provisions make for uniform, fair treatment, requiring as much of one
house owner as of another. They give efficient health authorities a
stronger case in dealing with offenders and make it more difficult for
inefficient ones to evade their responsibilities. A code is needed.
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... PROSPECTUS ...
=THE TENEMENT IMPROVEMENT COMPANY,=
Modeled after the Octavia Hill Association of Philadelphia,
was formed for the betterment of the housing of the poor of
Pittsburgh, for the following reasons:
First. There is no tenement house commissioner in Pittsburgh.
Second. Laws relating to the water supply, sewerage, garbage
collecting, overcrowding and use of houses for immoral
purposes, are either not in existence or not enforced:
Third. There are within a radius of twenty-five miles of
Pittsburgh 35,000 Slavs, 4,000 Bohemians, 30,000 Poles, 10,000
Croatians, 8,000 Ruthenians, 1,000 Russians, 2,000 Servians,
35,000 Italians: these low-class foreigners must of necessity
overcrowd the already congested districts.
Fourth. Conditions such as these make for moral and physical
contagion, intemperance, pauperism, crime, anarchy and the
destruction of the home.
Fifth. This city is already aroused to the necessity of
caring for the children before they become criminals, but
these efforts are of little value unless strengthened by the
influence of decent and respectable homes.
Sixth. Pittsburgh, in proportion to its wealth and prosperity,
has done nothing to improve the housing conditions of the very
poor.
=The Purpose of the Company= is to buy, build or remodel
tenements in the worst localities, put them in sanitary
condition, install tenants of moral character at the same rents
paid before and have weekly visits of inspection made by women
rent collectors. The Company will agree to manage, on these
same lines, tenement houses for property holders on commission.
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