The New Day In Housing

THE NEW DAY IN HOUSING - 1928 - LOUIS HEATON PINK was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. L He was educated at St. Lawrence University. His interest in public affairs began in high school when he was on a cupwinning debating team with Charles F. Kerrigan, now Assistant Mayor of New York. He lived for a year in an East Side tenement, then for two years at University Settlement while studying law. From 1909 to I 912 he was Headworker of the United Neighborhood Guild, now the Peoples Institute. The first public office he held was that of President of the Brooklyn Disciplining Training School, a city institution for delinquent boys. He has also been a member of the Board of Education of New York City, a member of the Mayors Committee on Taxation, irector of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Committee on Education. He earns his living in the practice of law and is also a member of the New York State Housing Board, to which he was appointed by Governor Alfred E. Smith, a member of the New York Child Labor Committee, is on the Board of Directors of the Peoples Institute of Brooklyn and President of the Brooklyn Federation of Community Centers, President of the Upanin Club which built and operates a fifty cent hotel for workmen, and is President of the Hotel Company. He is also Chairman of the Committee organizing Brooklyn Garden Apartments, model tenements under the new state law. Mr. Pink has occasionally contributed articles to some of the leading magazines. The New Day in Housing is the first work of his to be published in book form. Introduction The lack of wholesome and proper housing for moderate income families is the most thoroughly investigated social condition with which weare attempting to deal. In New York City we began inquiring into this subject almost one hundred years ago. As recently as 1925 we were still inves- tigating. All of these studies disclosed the undisputed fact that the building of homes for wage earners has been looked upon in the past as an enterprise conducted like any other business in which the element of speculative profit is the compelling force. The progress that has been made in the last few years, the gains which this book records are attribut- able to the growing conviction that the building of homes for wage earners is a matter of vital public interest and should not be left to the chances of speculative business. But until this movement has grown to much greater proportions it will be impossible to rebuild the congested tenement areas of our great cities which continue throughout the years to be a menace to the health and morals of the country. Ordinary commercial trends in the construction industry hold out little hope. Immediately after the war cities ahd towns in all parts of the country were confronted by an acute and distressful shortage of homes. Since that time there has been more building than ever before in the countrys history. But the facts prove clearly that this great volume of con- viii Introduction struction 6as done very little to supply modern, sanitary housing for the great mass of our less well-off citizens. What could be of more vital concern to all public spirited citizens than the subject of decent, adequate housing Chil- dren are still being brought up in dark, ill-ventilated, over- crowded, unsafe tenement houses and these structures are to be found not only in New York City but in many of the citiesand small communities as well...