CHAPTER V.

HOUSING AND LIVING CONDITIONS.

Rent in its relation to standard of living-Boarders and lodgers-Size of apartments occupied-Size of households studied-Congestion-[Text Tables 39 to 51 and General Tables 20 to 31].

RENT IN ITS RELATION TO STANDARD OF LIVING.

The rent payments of the households whose heads are employed in the manufacture of collars and cuffs are significant in their bearing upon standards of living, chiefly because of the congestion within the households of certain races, due to crowding the apartments in order to reduce the per capita rent. The table first presented in this connection shows, according to general nativity and race of head of household, the average monthly rent paid per apartment, per room, and per person.

TABLE 39.-Average rent per month, by general nativity and race of head of household.

The foregoing table shows the average rent per month per apartment to be $11.26, the rent per room $2.04, while the average rent per person is $2.97. Persons native-born of native father report a slightly higher average rent per apartment per month than do persons native-born of foreign father, foreign-born showing a considerably smaller monthly rental than either of those just mentioned.

Persons native-born of native father also report the highest monthly rental per room, followed by foreign-born and native-born of foreign father, in the order named. Native-born of native father show a considerably higher rent per person per month than either nativeborn of foreign father or foreign-born, who follow as named. Of the group classed as native-born of foreign father, Germans report a higher average rental per apartment, per room, and per person than do the Irish. Of the foreign-born races, Germans show the highest monthly rental per apartment and Armenians the lowest. Germans also show the highest average rent per room per month and Armenians the lowest, while Irish and English show the highest average rent per person per month and Armenians the lowest.

The range in monthly rents for apartments is set forth in the following table, which shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the percentage of households paying each specified rent per month per apartment:

TABLE 40.—Per cent of households paying each specified rent per month per apartment, by general nativity and race of head of household.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more households reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

The total number of households in the greater proportion of cases pay less than $12.50 per month per apartment. A relatively large proportion, 32.4 per cent, of the households pay less than $10 a month per apartment. As a rule, the foreign-born have the largest proportion of households paying less than each specified amount, 75.5 per cent paying under $12.50, consequently the relatively low rent per apartment is more general among the foreign-born than any other class. The greater proportion of the Armenian households pay under $10 a month per apartment; 35.5 per cent pay less than $7.50. The remaining races in the greater proportion of cases pay under $12.50 per month per apartment.

The table next presented shows, by general nativity and race of head of household, the percentage of households paying each specified rent per month per room.

TABLE 41.-Per cent of households paying each specified rent per month per room, by general nativity and race of head of household.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more households reporting. The totals, however are for all races.]

The above table shows 37.8 per cent of households paying under $2 rent per room per month, 94.1 per cent under $3, and 100 per cent paying under $4. Native-born of native father report the highest percentage paying under $2. Foreign-born show the greatest proportion paying under $3. Of the foreign-born races, Armenians show a very much higher percentage paying under $2 than the other races given, English showing the smallest percentage paying under that amount. Armenian and English households show 100 per cent paying under $3, German and Irish households showing considerably smaller proportions.

The real situation relative to congestion is set forth in the following table, which indicates the extent of crowding within the households by showing, according to general nativity and race of head of household, the percentage of households paying each specified rent per month per person:

TABLE 42.-Per cent of households paying each specified rent per month per person, by general nativity and race of head of household.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 20 or more households reporting. The totals, however are for all races.]

The preceding table shows a very small proportion of households paying under $1 rent per person per month, 19.4 per cent paying under $2, 40.1 per cent under $3, and 63.5 per cent under $4 rent per month per person. Native-born of native father report a somewhat higher percentage of households as paying under $1 per person per month than do the foreign-born, there being no households native-born of foreign father which pay under that amount. Foreign-born show the highest percentage, paying under $2, followed by native-born of foreign father and native-born of native father in considerably smaller proportions. The foreign-born also report the highest percentage of households paying under $3 per month per person, closely followed by those classed as native-born of foreign father, those native-born of native father showing a very much lower percentage paying under that amount. Native-born of foreign father report the highest percentage as paying under $4, followed by foreign-born and native-born of native father, the latter showing slightly less than 50 per cent. Among the foreign-born, German households alone show a certain proportion paying under $1 rent per month per person. Armenians show the highest per cent of households paying under $2, under $3, and under $4, Germans having the lowest per cent paying under $2, Irish the lowest under $3, and English the lowest per cent of households paying under $4 per month per person.

BOARDERS AND LODGERS.

The practice of the wives of employees of the collar and cuff manufacturing industry in taking boarders or lodgers into the home in order to supplement the earnings of the husbands has been discussed in a preceding chapter. The extent of this practice and its bearing upon living conditions are considered in the two following tables, the first of which shows the number and percentage of households keeping boarders or lodgers, by general nativity and race of head of household. TABLE 43.-Number and per cent of households keeping boarders or lodgers, by general nativity and race of head of household.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[Information relating to boarders or lodgers covers only immediate time of taking schedule and not the entire year. Boarders are persons who receive both board and lodging.]

The foregoing table shows that of the total number of households studied 7.6 per cent keep boarders or lodgers. Native-born of native father show a higher percentage of households keeping boarders or lodgers than either native-born of foreign father or foreign-born, who follow in the order mentioned in somewhat small proportions. Of the foreign-born races Armenians show the highest percentage of households, and Irish no households, keeping boarders or lodgers.

In the following table the average number of boarders or lodgers per household is shown, according to general nativity and race of head of household. The averages are based (1) on the total number of households, and (2) on the number of households keeping boarders or lodgers.

TABLE 44.-Average number of boarders or lodgers per household, by general nativity and race of head of household.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[Information relating to boarders or lodgers covers only immediate time of taking schedule and not the entire year. Boarders are persons who receive both board and lodging.]

The preceding table shows the average number of boarders or lodgers per household to be 0.08 as based on the total number of households, and 1.10 as based on the number of households keeping boarders or lodgers. The groups native-born of native father and native-born of foreign father, with the same proportions, both show a somewhat higher average than the total foreign-born when comparisons are based on the total number of households. Of the foreign-born races Armenians report the highest average number of boarders or lodgers per household and Germans the lowest.