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Housing conditions among the Mexican population of Los Angeles
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Housing conditions among the Mexican population of Los Angeles
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Content
r
I
Housing Conditions
among
The Mexican Population
of
Los Angeles
A Thesis
presented to the
Department of Sociology
University of Southerh California
Written by
John Emmanuel Kienle
April 27th, 1912.
CONTE TS
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Extent of Investigation-------~-- ---- -- --
P A R T I
Conditions of Mexicans in Mexico - -
--- ._..,,. __ .,,. --
P A R T II
Pages
- 1-2
-- 3-4
Seven hundred Mexican Homes in Loe Angeles - - - --- 5-16
Location -------Population- .. - ---Rents
Construction-- -----Plumbing
PART II I
Interior of Mexican Homes---- ---- - --
Altar of Worship--- ----------Furniture
Li gh t-r-u•------- ------Fue l
- 17-20
Characteristics of the Mexicans-- - -------- 20-23
Beauty--•------- -Language-----Love .... s of M usic
Lovera of FloweTe-- -Politeness
)
-- ------
The Life of the Mexicans---- -
Food----------------------- -Occupations
Wages--- ---- ------Cloth i ng
--- 23-26
\ t
P A R T IV
Pages
What Los Angeles ie doing to better conditions-- 27-33
City Housing Commission-----Civic Organizations
Religious Institutions-- --- --Churches
Polytechnic High School-- Social orkers
The Daily Papers
P AR T V
Conclusion- - - -------- - ---- ------- ----- 33-37
Causes of Bad Housing--- -Bad Housing among the
Mexicans-- - ,hat the U.S. ov /rnm nt is advocating
he eed of Co-operation from al ourcee.
PART VI
Tables----
&. _____ ._. . ...
-...- ........ .,,_..,,. ..........
..., ._ ____ __
41- '·
Illustrations----------------------------------- 46-5
There are many Mexicans in Los Angeles, who are divided
into different claeeeeo It is the object of the writer to deal
with those Mexicans who are commonly known in Southern California
as "Cholos", "Peons" or common laborers.
Not having lived with these people, eaten beans and
tortillas, slept on the bare floor and roamed hither and thither
in search for work, still as an inspector for the Loa Angeles
Housing _ Commission, my position has enabled me to mingle with
this class of people daily for the past year. Therefore, the
conclusions which I have obta.ined ave not been rash, nor taken
from a single observation as would a reporter, magazine writer
01· visitor, but are based upon nine months of da.ily study and
investigations.
Seven hundred habi ta ti one were taken as a basis w 11ich
are typical of the oth ers in the city. The third, fourth nd
fifth wards were not included since these are in the finest
residential parts of the ci~y. but there are a few houses locat
ed in the fifth ward wl1ich have been invest.igated and added to
the list. Twenty homee in Wilmington a.nd Ivanhoe, which are
amone the outlying districts, were insnected and recorded in
order to show the spread of the Mexicans. There could have
been a possibility of :having taken t : he houses which were lo
cated in the alum section of the city or those of the poorest
construction, or all of one room habitatione for consideration,
,
but the idea was not to have the investigations confined to
on locality or any particular type of construction, but to
cover the vast area dotted with Mexican homes, thus endeavor
ing to select those in each community, which.in my judgment,
were typical of the rest.
2.
There are three classes of Mexicanso The one, hich
is regarded ae the highest in rank, is of the European or
Spanish descent. The next is the Creole, whi ch is an amalga-
mation of the European and the native, and the third is the In-
dios, or pure blooded Indiana. In M exico there is a blending
of peoples - Iberian, Roman, Celtic, Semite, Vandal, Goth and
Moorish - and the "mixed whit€ and aboriginal race from which
the principal human element of the country shade off incefina-
1
bly into the peon class." Thie class is recognized among
the people of Mexico as the lowest type. For ages the peons
have been kept in serfdom, not having a chance to better their
conditions, for the learned Mexicans held a monopoly on the land
from generation to generation. The peons, w .o were unable to
become educated on account of being despised and not having the
means, lived in ignorance. Nevertheless, "this class forms the
great working population in the fields and in the mines, and
2
without them the national industries would be non-existent ...
They are despised by t}1eir native brothers, and while t11e aris
tocratic and distinguished Mexican uses the footpath, the peon
must use the atone paved street. "In the middlfl of tl1e atone
paved street the peons slink along - the footpat}1 is no t for
them - with their pantaloons of cotton manta rolled up to their
1
C.Reginald Enock, Mexico: Ancient and Mod!LU} Civilization., 155.
2
..
•
.. .. ..
" " "
160.
l
knees and their feet unshod or eandaledo•
The rich gentleman,with his hig}1 silk hat nd frock
coat, against the peon with hie poor clothing and sometimes
only half-clad, forms a striking contrast. But the poor Mex
4.
ican las only recently been recogr1ized by his government, wh.ich
ia now giving him an opportunity for advancement. Thus the ex-
,
cellent natural elements and traits of character of this poor
class will be develop d, and when they are, the peon will be in
the race with his overseers who have so long restricted him to
the low standards of living.
From such conditions in Mexico the peons ere glad to
escape when the opportunity presented itself, eape ially to a
nation, the government of w hic stands for "Freedom and Equal
Rights." A certain Mexican woman eaid that the terrible op-
pression byte exican overnment and the aristo cracy in Mex
ico was more than she and her family could endure, and they
were compelled to leave. This womnn has three dauglters and
it was on1y after a severe struggle that she was able to retain
them so that the paltry sum of ten dollars might not be the
cause for permitting any one of the t o become a sl ve.
-----------------------------------
l
C. Reginald Enock, Mexico: Ancient and Modern Civil i zatio l?lo
5.
Most of the Mexicans have come direct to Los Angele s
from Mexico. Some have been here as long as 20 yearso Some
have been living in the same hous for ten years. Others r1ave
been here but a few ·months and,due . to the pr~ ,ent revolution
in Mexico, as many of this poor class of ericans as have the
means, are leaving their homeland.
With a glance at tl e conditions in which these people
have existed in Mexico, we are prepared to understand their
wages and contras t their r1abi te a,nd modes of 1 rin
of vheir native land .
·t those
When we observe the places on t}e map of Los An p,eles
w ich a.re dotted i t ... t e homes of the exicane, it i s readily
discerned t hat they ,re scatt red in nearly all sections of
the city. There is nos ot hie e can call .. M exi can Villa"
or "Little M exico" as there ie among t h e Russians. hich is
termed "Little Russia ... Any visitor k owa immediately v~en
he ie walking throu ., "Little Russia", because of the type of
people he rneeta is ifferent from any other . Their dress,
ue -..,ch , manner h'bit betray treir nationality . In the
second and eigl th wards ie a section where originally many of
re Spa.nia neople settled. This ia stilJ ca.lled "Sonorato ·n ."
Seven ears ago Mias Beeeie D. Stoddard wrot in the art·c1e on
"The Courts of Sonoratown," "Once thee places ere the court-
yards of the adobes in front, and the Ca.liforniane. aa the ori ,-
inal Spanish settler _ ave lwaye called ~ h .aeiv a, hod plenty
of room for rde in nd ac y rd or . d for "
ply of
ig fa .ili .s of c ildren. o the dob in front has e ome
•
6.
tenement for eeveral families, and the court yard has been
honey-combed with shacks. and tents, a.nd nondescript barn
tenemente of one an1 t,o rooms (or perh ps two families may
occupy one room) until one can think of nothing but the
squalor of a Chinese city. You may walk in the middle of a
street and touch two rowa of houses facine each other, or fol
low a winding path bet een ha.bi tationa, tripping over tube
and clothespolee andoutdoor fire-pla es, over dogs and cats
l
and children at play nd the ti 1ier ate just creeping out ."
Al though tl1ere ara many exi cane in tr1 a .,t section, talians,
Slavoniana and Americans are rapidly crowding into that dis
trict, and it appears that gradually the 1exicane in Sonora
town will be outclassed by other natio Alitiee.
There re some localities where from fifty to s ·xty
fazniliee live, wh.o are exclu.sively
1
exicans but these placee
a,re not many. On East Seventh and Utah streets was tr1e larg
est Mexican Settlement in Los Angeles where eighty-three fam
ilies 1 ·ved in their own shacks until February, ineteen liun
dred and Twelve, when they were compelled to move. These ere
not included in the investigation, a.lthough inspectiona fro
house to l1ouee were made and a census taken. Since these ex-
i cane we1·e the archi tecta of t}1eir own homes. it was impoesi
bl e for them to make improvements due to thei meagre earnings,
consequently they were omitted . At th·a riting one-four l
-----·-· ---------------------------------
1
Charities 15: 295-9 Dec. 2nd, 1905.
7.
of them have scattered to differant parts of the city and rented
wherever they could find suitable homeao Another fourth lave
moved a few blocks east, where those who had a few dollars pur
chased lots for two hundred and fifty dollars at the rate of
twenty dollars ae a first payment and seven dollars per month
thereafter. On each lot the new owner permitted two others
to live each paying a rental of two dollars per month, thus
benefitting all concerned and solving a perplexin problem for
many. The other half still remain waiting for Aome unkno m
aid to come, ready to move at a moment's notice.
Seven hundred habitations were investigated. 011t of
these seven l.LUndred, it · a possible to ascertain eome facts nd
arrive at certain conclusions. The first thing to be consider-
ed among t:t1eee seven hundred homes is the location, which as
been partly described in the previous paragraph.
Some of theee homes are in the best location of the
Some are on t e hill-top, shaded by 1 rge pepper trees,
where the cool fresh breeze can always be felt. At the bottom
of the hill and down in the valley are numerous newly-built
bungalows, and here and there can be seen garages and autos
standing in the yards. Some are surrounded by trees of var-
ious species and in the summer many roses and other flowers
bloomed around their rough-hewn homes. At one lace much corn
was planted by one tenant. Joy would beam in his eyes as he
would show this excellent crop. One moonlight evening he was
exceptionally happy as he pained to it saying, "Toda ea mio,
- .
todo es mio,
-
(all s in e , 11 i min ) • His hopes ere
blighted, for befo the harvest he a compell d to move ae
he was employed by the Railroad Company on the section gang.
Some of the houses are like long rows of sheds.
These can scarcely be called homeso They are so arranged
that each family hae two rooms, with partition walle that have
large cracks between tle boards. All the boards are rough,
and in order to make them look more habitable they are white
washed on the inside and painted red on the outside. Thie
makes them resemble so many stalls for cattle instead of homes
for human beings. The flooring consists of the ea. e style of
boards. The cracks are filled in the course of time by the
duet and dirt which accumulates from the sweepings. Such
houses are usually along the rail-road track, built by the
railroad Company for their section hands.
Still, there are those hich are located near the
8.
gas works and the soap factories where neither odor is pleasant.
Most of these houses are little cottages, usually of a better
type than the rail-road class, but always badly in need of paint
More air apace is obtained, ¥hi cl ie very essential. for it is
difficult to conceive which is worse, many fnrniliee living to
gether and fresh air, or few 1·vin together and pol ~nted air .
'l'here are some who live in l ittle two-room co ttages
grouped on the same plot of ground, vhich is located near t :r
Public Play- ,.rounds. Thie i t h e sin ·le cottage i dea for
the family, ~1ich has been carried out byte Loe Ang lea Hous
ing Commission. The houee are cr1eaply constructed but r1e
are strong, and t n i
f 1 • i s • T r1 e es o
great me sur
ibility or }
toward priv
r o t es
y one
1 om j s r e ts
9.
upon each family.
Some live wit in walk ng distance of the heart of the
city. They crowd together and are willing to pay large rent
always thinking that carfare is beyond their means.
When one
wae asked why he did not live further away, lie said that he had
gone way out for another house, and h en asked, "How far have
.
you gone?" he replied, "East
inth and San Pedro, .. whicl
1 s near
the business section of the city.
Out of the seven hundred habitations, one hundred
and firty-six, or twenty per cent. were ound to e one-roo
habi tatione o
In hese habitations live two hundred nn thirty
men, one ·lundred an twelve women, ninety-seven childreno They
cook, eat, eleep, live in the same place eurrounded by the
ea.me walls!
Washing and ironing are excluded because all
washi~g is erformed outside , and ·ro in
tr i s class.
s never seen
ong
Four nun red and t enty-two were two-room ha it ~one.
This was found to be sixty per cent. It is surpria·n~ to note
how many two-room ha.bi tationa there are i the ci ..,y of Los An-
gelee.
With the o e-room and ta-room ha itations a percent-
age of eighty is r ceived.
In the two-room habitations liv
five hundred and five men, three :hundred and ninety- i ve o en.
and five l1undred fifty-six_ children, akin
otal of on
thousand our !' .. undred nd fifty-six persons. Aa. in , there a.1e
more men than women, as as 0110 n in tr e one-room ha it tion C)
10.
This is due to the fact that several men live ae bachelore, hav
ing their families in Mexico or so m e other place, while they
are working l-1ere, endeavoring to accttmulate sufficient funds
for tl'1ei r families' transporta.tion. Others see tl1e poverty
which hovers about the homes of tl1oee who hav e a family, and
do not contemplate ma.trimony but use all t}1ey earn upon t eir
ovtn interests and to the grati1 ication of their dee1re· s. They
become careless, indifferent and they carouse at night.
Often some are eleening off a stupor on the floor of their
room when an inspector enters about three in tl e cfternoon .
'rhe dor i s foul, vh e little bedding w}1ic} e~, possess a
f i 1 thy, and the roorn i a di rty o And still tlese men do not
'
eeem to mind~iving in such con it i ons.
There are fewer three-room habitations and enerally
they are som~what better tan the one and a-room habit tionso
One hundred and ten are tr1ree-room habitation s h ving one hun
dred and twenty-six men, one hundred and eight woA en, nd one
hundred and ei :r ty cl1i ldren. Most of the nen ho live in
three-roo~ habitations have families and usually are of a
claee
1
although t h ere are some who live in one-room shacks w o
are as pleasant and kindhearted as those who live in larger
er
homes. If we include the three-room into our one and t '0-room
habitations we have the percentage raised to ninety-six, hich
leaves four per cen . to live in f our, five an ix-room habi-
ta+ions o As the s·ze of the h se increases from the t o-roo
h ta ions, th percentage decre see. The for - oo
11.
tione of which there were fifteen; were occupied by eighteen
men, aixteen women and twenty-one children.
In the five room
habitations there were eight men, ten women and twenty-seven
children •
. The rent of these habitations was found to be enormous
for the type of conetr.uction. Rent for railroad camps ie al
ways included in the abor. tl1erefore no rent is charged to
hose who ork forte railroad companies and live in their
section carnps.
One of the motives oft e railroads for doing
this is that they desire to keep so e men near the
rds in
case of an emergency call ~ t ni ht .
Beaidea, it is cheaper to
build poorly constr1cted houses for these eop e, than to add
a fe cents to t1e·r wa es.
to the railroad companies.
The difference has een a sa in ,
However, they are beginning to
feel that ith the requirements imposed upon therr by the city
autroritiea, it oul
ave een xceedi _ly bett r ever o
1ave buil t places o shelter fo t ir m n 1 but to ave per
mitted them to use t ir round upon which they could have bu· t
the·r own shacks.
The rent fo r one- oo
five do 11 ra o T}1e averag is } ree do 11 rs per 1 ont • T e
loc~tion hae a . reat deal to do
.,; t :r
rice oft e rent o If
tl:1e property i
n t e in u tri 1 istrict, t
o n r feel ~ 1
1e ust
V
o e se or income on his v 1
.
1ece
of land ~n co aequ e vl C r
-
.L
n p o or 10n to .. .l .
12.
value of the land. The property being near the heart of
1
the city is the cause of hi~h rento People cannot be con-
vinced at ~hP. carfare expense is only a small item compared
to that whicl1 they now pay, if they pay less rent, and live
furt}1er from the center of the city. A man, wornan and three
children were living in two roome hich were in the business
section. The mot er was continually sick, the little girl had
scarlet fever, and sickness rag d throughout thio home, due to
the unwholesome air and congested conditiona · about themo The
rent for these roome as eleven dollars per month, having no
bathing facilities atsoever, nd the toilet ac~ommodatione
on the outside ere used in common with another family. A lit-
tle cottage wa ound for them, which had tree rooms, bath
and private to·1et, for ten ollars per m o } • It was located
where pure fresh air was obtainable, but on account of a dis
tance of twenty-two blocks from work, the people claimed that
they could never afford the carfare. In ot er instancea here
people have moved and have lived in the open fresh air, noting
could induce them to return to their old localities.
The rent oft e two ro om habitations ranged tram two
to ten dollars, averaging five and ne-half dollars per m o nt •
Thie was again due to the location of the property and e~so to
thP quality of construction. Th r~oms renting for ten dollars
were new, had plastered wall and rivate conveniences, except
the yard. The average rent for three rooms as seven doll ,rs;
four rooms, t elv , dollars; five rooms, t elv dol rs an
if y C s; s rooms, ixteen dollars. In som in-
13.
stances there was ground rent for two dol are and fifty cente
to tr1ree dollars for a lot of twenty-five by one hundred feet,
upon which the tenants were allowed to build according to tteir
own designs. Their ideas could not always be put into execu-
tion owing to the lack of :f1 :1ances or skill, because moat of
the time the rnan had to build 1'1is own home hether a carpenter
.
or not. Besides they do not own proper tools, ae was seen
at one time, when a man was sawing with a large ooth ice aaw;
the wife was holding the lura er while t e husband ea ed, and
both smiled when t ey saw tl1at the work was beine observed.
A large percenta e of the iomes are oft e crudest
constructiono Te for - nir e adobe houses have tick alls,
usually white-waahed within and without; trie heavy wood doors
are similar to those on aome factory. The floors are placed
on the ground without a foundation. The houses are generally
undesirable for eleeping or living purposec. There were thirty-
one bri ck habitations and in almost very case they proved to
be more satisfactory than the adobe. The largest percentage
are of wo od construction. Six hundred and twenty houses, or
eighty-eight per cent of the seven hundred. ere wood. The
boards a,re up and doNn, sometimes battened and someti me not .
The cracks, hich are bet•een the boards, re so large th t he
tenants cover the same with ne epapers, old clotl1ea or a eke
so as to keep out the wind and ti1e rain. Fortunately, ~he
climate of Loe Angeles such that t e cold doe not last long
enough to pu thes poor creatures i o ny orae cond i ion
th n th y r • n many of thee
.
8, l ions t e .. r no
ceilings, bu.t the shingle roof, through which can be eeen
daylight in divers places, answers the purpose of ceiling
and roof. The interior is seldom pE1pered, and if it is,
the paper hangs loosely from the ceiling. On the aides
_it is covered with fly-specks, and along the sides of the
14.
door or windows the roaches play hide and seek in day-light.
In many of the wooden structures the wall~ are either ~hit -
,1as}1ed or stained brown. Either woul d be a good germ de
stroyer, yet neither ad ds enough to the interior to make the
ha itation resemble a home. A place was discovered recently
which wae owned b a Mexican . Not knowing anything about the
city laws, he white-washed the barn ad rented it to Mexican
people. No windows were placed in it, not even the feeding
troughs removed, but every two stalls ade a bedroom and kit
chen for one family. Not all the placeo are as crude as
thitJ, but this eho e wr1at would take place if no laws ere
~nacted in this city. However, out of the seven hundred h b-
itations. one hundred and tl irty-seven were found to be in
good condit · on. that is. a.lt oig the conatr ction may have
been cheap anQ crude , still the woodwork i . s ound and the
houses are ~ell built. Thre hundred and sixty-five w•re
fair and one hundred and ninety-seven ere poorly constructed
and were in need of either aint, stain, white- s11i1g or some
other re airs.
The plumbing condition n ed car ful considerati on.
Arnone t eee seven hundre ab i ta.ti one ther ere our undr .d
and t enty-s ven hydr ts, o ~un rd n ea . en fiv J of thee
wee ou do dr . t, (seve - ix ere ou do o } yd r nt , ..,
•
15.
sinks and the otler seventy-six ere indoor hydrants ith
sinks) and only seventy-six were indoor hydrants. If thiA
is averaged a result as follows is obtained:- one outdoor
hydrant for every two families or five people, one outdoor
eink for every foltr famili es or fifteer people, and one indoor
sink for every eight families or thirty-one persona.
Among these inh bitanta are one hundred and eighty
eight toilets and twenty rivy va lts, ,iving n :"tirer ge of
one toilet to every eleven m n, women an children.
Very little provision has been rr.ade for atl in
facil 'tiee. o average can be taken here, for accurate
record ehowa six bath tubs in six of tbose ho es hich were
new and of t he largest +ype, one common tub used by e· e}
families, ".nd or1e shower used y trwenty-six farniliP.8. Thea
were all tl1e b tl1in J facil · tie found rnon h seven hundred
hel.bitat.ions. One of the most ees ntial things toward a nitary
conditions is water and especially the baths How m ch eal-
thier the people fOUld be if t1eir bodies were kept clean.
They would shrink from putting on the sru e dirty clot ing an
consequently , the clowhin would et clea r, tl e atmoep
in tl e rooma would be purer and germs and disease old epar ~
Tl1e drainage about the house i oor. Only hr
yards are paved nd very few h·ve walks. During th
•
rainy
season, the y rde are floo ed • a.nd .l y incon ni enc es
wr1i h fr unkno rm o hos who iive in b tte loc~1.t · o • /here
h round i
Y,
ure r pid rf. ~ n d. lf o
, r'
e
the rains are o·nly of a few weeks duration and aeain, due to
Providence, tr1e poor are kept from added plagues.
16.
Very few of the homes show any signs of beauty. 'ost
of them are shack-looking on the inside the ean1e as the outside.
In making the distinction between good, fair and bad, as ia
shown in the tables, the grading rested upon t}1e condi ti one of
the home in so far ae the power of having a good home was in-
vested in the hands of the tenants. They were not responsible
for the crudenee· s of the interiors, but they were to blame for
the untidy, unsanitary or filthy conditions which ex:eted on
the interior of their premises. Accordingly, there were
more habitations hich ere bad on t e outside but ept in a
good condition on the inside, than those houaes which were
fair or good on the outside but in a bad cond · tion on the in-
side. One little girl said to me. "When people pass b y in
their automobiles, we feel ashamed to have them see us livin 2
in these old shackst--can't you male tlie b oss fix them?"
This little girl was going to one oft public schools, s h e
had come in contact with ot}1er children wh om she admired, who
had nicer homes than she, a.nd sh~ was saddened because she felt
that she could not h ave t l1e pleasur ., of i .. any of her
school-mates to see her hone. I. many instances er
e , ,s-
papers cover the walls it is surprising to see how neatly
•
they are placed~
One oftentimes sees different kinds of all
•
1 7 .
paper used to decorate the same room. The wall paper is of
all colors and sizes, nevertheless i i not beauty hich they
seek, but comfort. The wind blowe through the cracks and the
wall paper answers the purpose of protection drom duet and wind.
Occasionally a few pictures may be seen. In o e
: home a picture of r. liarriman, the candidate for ayor on the
So ialist ticket, waa all that bedecked the walls . Usually
the pictures are clippings from newspapers or some postals.
Almost everywhere cobwebs may be seen, which the women do not
seem to notice. In one room, Tiere there waa no c iling,
re Rrks ere rade re _ardine the cobwebs, ~1en a oman said
that he r1ad o lon _ ndle b... om. bu 1 art ndled broo ,
which stood in tle coTner, would h e reac ed over half oft em .
The walls are black ith co eb , especi lly the corners, ,
e peopl see. to care li tle how m ny or hov lov t y h ng
on tr1e walls . T . :s ·e one f he unsanitary co ditions vhic 1
prevail in ma~y homes. However,· such conditions do no pr -
vt=?il in tl1ose hon1es where the children re becomin ducat ed.
In some of the homes t}ere is . uorner arrang .d for
tieir ltar of worship . In the center hanga a picture of
the fut er of Jesus and the crucifix, belo these in the ce -
ter and to the sides are candles. About seventy-five pr cen ~ •
of the Y.exicane re Catholic n the rest Protestant,so b
nam only, for t the time of ch1trch service they eo to ae •
On Sunday mornin Ja about t e Plaza he eople my e seen
cro ding into th old iseion Church, and y t e sid door,
18.
when no more can enter, they will be seen kneelin on the s i de
walk twenty feet from the door. In so e cases l en they thought
that aid was at hand they would eay that they were Protestants,
for they h ave learned that in Ameri ca more h elp comes through
them than from the rnembere of their own er urch ; ho ·,ever, those
wr10 are Roman Catholic are not afraid to show tl1eir bel i ef in
their l1omee.
In those homes where only men live. the rooms are
quite bare. A mattreea and some quilts or blankets Are on
the floor, a few clot}1es on a box and t r1is is all. Those ho
have families have the beat 1 ornee, nd in spite of the cr1i ldren,
who carry mucl1 dirt in the house, t l1ey manage to surpass t e
habitations of single men.
Electricity was not eeen in any one in treee s een
hundred habitations. Gas was used in thirty-five. In t } e
others kerosene lamps end candles were used. Eighty per cent.
ueed candles. lfow ancient th·s ould seem to ua if e N"ere
compelled continually to use candles; it would be an exper
ience like striking t h e flint rocks in order to produce a spark
so tha.t the fuel could be i gni ted. The people certainly do
not uee candlea because they prefer them to gRs or electric·t,
but candles ar~ u ed because t1e latter cannot e had . In
the matter of fuel, ei hty-five per cent of th~m used ood-
atovee, ten per cent gasoline and five per cen~ gas. orne
of the stoves are made of brick, ut the majority of t h e r
of ·ron and ~re
or drum stov s.
small siz cook ovee, V r }
ter
Their furniture is homemade. Boxes of all descrip
tione and sizes are used. Where they have built t}1eir own
houses, lumber from boxes sometimes serves th~ purpose of sid
ing for their houses. Little wooden boxes cone ti tute a. ki -
chen cabinet, buffet, dresser, kitchen table and other pieces
of furniture. Orange boxes over hich long boards are placed, ,
suffice as a bed. Boxes are used for chairs and when visitors
enter a home where there are not sufficient chairs for every
one, the red bandana handkerchief dusts off the boxes for the
visitors, while the family sit on the floor.
Here and there a curtain ill be seen on the windows.
There wae one Kexiqan home where the ladies of a certain church
placed curtains on t e windows, and later it was ascertained
when the curtains were missing, trat some had been used for
children's underwear. Tl1us in many caeee t}1er are no deco-
rations or ormentations that d si nate the aesthetic tastes o
The Mexican people have been beautifully adorned
by Nature's hand. On account of their coal black hair, dark
eyes, dark complexion and perfect teeth they are considered by
many as "Beautiee." Especially the children are pretty.
They may have dirty hands and faces and be dressed in soiled
clotr1ee, still bea,1ty manifests itself in spite of 11 th se
obetacleeo The ch.ldren are fond of playing outdoors and in
thedirt and duet. On one stormy day, when the ind a blo -
ing the duet so that veryth n for a short dist nc w s lurr d
20.
the Mexican children jumped, hooted, ran and fell down with
their faces in the dusty road, just like wild Indians, aeem
ing to enjoy tl1e wildness of Nature at t11at hour.
The exicane love to converse in the English language.
Not many of the men are able to speak the language and fewer
women than men can do eo. Their language is the SpHnish. ot
the Castilian language which tliey utterly despise to hear, but l
the language oft laborin man, to h ich clas t ey elong.
A visit to a night school ill convince the visitant t11at t11ey
are eager to learn the English language. Sometimes they ill
be seen studying English at home or in the street. Th~ omen
do not learn the language because very few of them can read or
\VT it e. Abo~t one-fourth of the men can read, but few of them
are able to do both. The children acquire the langua.ge re dily ,
especially after they ave attended the public schools. Thoee
parents who hav children who epeak English at home, can ore
easily understand an American than those 1ho seldom hear th
English spoken.
The Mexic~n people are lovers of music. Some of t
inhabitants of shacks where the furniture consists of boxes
and the walls are crude, have phonograph of the finest make .
The Spani .t songs and eel ectione ~11i cr1 re produc d r ra
•
Whe fl phono )raph is ~in~ played n ny
•
ex1can can a · n
If the op·erator sees t t n American is
21 .
in the crowd, the selection "America" is immediat lJ pl .yed in
h onor of t:he ,ri ei tor.
They are fond of flowers. On a wall in Lopez Court
a woman who wished to make eomething of a home for her family,
has planted in a rusty tin pail three old carnations , which
were thrown aside one day by a visitor, and there above the squal
or and dirt which all herlugging of heavy w asht ubs full of water
from tbe occasional tap ill not alleviatP., the three dejected,
half-dead, wholly faded flo ere droop above the unat+ractive
tin cans, brightening, so she prays--tl1e hovel in which s h e ia
bringing up her little oneso
The politeness of the exicans often puts an American
to shame. The best seat is always given to the guest. Th ey
are a hospitab l e people. They insist that the best be given
to the stranger, and among their own they unrelucta.ntly lend a
helping r1an • If one of t ir race is in abaolut ant, t ey
make the need known and when asaistance arrives no t h ought of
accepting anything for thPmselves, no matter ho much they wo ~J
enjoy possessing it, enters their mind. "No. we do not lrn it,
you gi-..,e it to t}at woman ; she is very poor, s e has no huc b nct,••
they l a,ve eai d. And in return, if provi _ eions are received by
the poor one, a.11 are invited to partake, saying, "Come, let us
all
eat, it di not coat anything.
;t
If ther
.
16 ever n
occasion where one of them learns of so eone who has een k ind n
has aided t h em, th y do not keep it the s lv a bu epr ad t }1
good news amon t ir o n. Sometime a their chi dren a r el-
r·ah. Last h r i atma
}
. .
for
J
n c o
1ne om n
n "'er"'
inn n
tl1 , of
.
rl
'
rs l oor y , n e 0 OUv S l y 1e n
elightedo }Iowever. there was another irl of about fourteen
years of age, who had received two dolls from other aourcea and
ad received anotr1er doll at th ·s entertainment, but when ask
ed to give one of her dolls to the gi rl ilio had none, she pos
itively refused.
Many tin cane are found t:r1rown back of houses and
esnecially on another's property. Wherever an empty lot is
next to their quarters, all tin cane, rubbish and garbage are
thrown on that lot. If there are no lots, then large holea
are dug in tl1eir yard and in which al l rubbiah and garbage are
thrown . Out of fifteen em. ty "'ina, "wel"1e were marked "Pork
and Beans". Their food consists of beans and tortillas .
The tortillas is their breado It appears to e an art to
throw the do11gh back and forth from one hand to the otl'1er until
it spreads as would a pancakeo Thie i then whrovm on t
1
e top
of the stove until it is baked. As one of the Mexicans • . . o
was wor ing on the street car tracks.was eating his lunch>
special notice was given as to tr1e contents of his lunch, which
proved to be tortillas rolled up with cold beans .
Some say that they are slow workers , but they are not
slow wh.en we remember that they are human and that th.e work
which t:hey do ia work that would wear out a machi ne. They
are the ones who are a ighty factor in accomplishin the lab __
~r •s YJart f t }1e city. Tl1e American boy wit his h. st ur1
nervous tension cannot compete with the h rd or n~ peon to
m ar e rane e. If t 1e r .ilro d co p ' nie , t . em o 1t
age. ea a d th ~ r · ck companies faun t at the eon i r o
•
93
...., .
met · their requirements, they would not ire a sin le one. On
.
.
one of the streets now eing paved, fifty-three men work, fifty
of t}iem are laborers, two are assi atant foremen a.nd one man,
who is an American, is head foreman. Soon the American fore-
man will not be needed for tl1e Mexican crew, because some 1 ex
ican will understand the whole job and do the work f _ or lees
pay. In one case an en3ineer had a lad orkine wi t}1 him for
one dollar per day, while the en ineer received six. The lad
waa interested in the ~n-i ne and evinced sue deep intereot
that the en ineer instr cted }1ir.1 carefully. For mont}1e they
toiled aide by aide and oftentimes tr1e lad made eug .eetiona to
the engineer that would aatonieh him. One day the en ~ineer
was summoned away unexpectedly and when eked ham le recommend-
ed for his place, he replied: "Tl'1ia little Cholo". The co1-
pany was startled and he said, "Yes, give him t11e en ine, he
knows more about it nowt an I do." Thie demonstrates what
factors are dormant in the mind s of tle peons and wil e awak-
ened, if given the op ~ortunity. Not always will the exi-
cans bet A 1ppressed, rejected race they have een in the
paet years, for like the egro of the South, they ha e b een cruel ly depreaeed in Old 1 ex ·co and now since they h ve th ir free-
dom they will rise to a higher level.
Their wages are small, but they ar ontented .nd
satisfied if they ha e teady employment at ..,wo doll rs er a
•
T. e wa es ran ·e
.:J
from one ol ar to ~hree an half er d y .
Those who ork as section h nda fOI t i lro d
.
r 0 an1ea
have
t }1
lowest , b cauee th y Jl e fre l OU e r t.
•
')4
.., .
Out of the eight hundred and tree men living in the
seven hundred habi ta ti one were found tv.ro musicians, tl1ree cernent
#orkers , one blacksmith, one teamster and one grocer. These
receive the highest wages, an average of two dollars and eigrty-
five cente per day. Seven hundred and ninety-five were labor-
ere at an average of one dollar eigl'1ty-five cents per day.
Women do not wish to l eave their homes in order to earn a com -
penaation because t h ey feel t hat it ia h umiliatin . In acer-
tain plac was a l oom here women could secure . ploy ent . ! he
owner said that h e was a t a loss t aintain help as women
living near the factory ridiculed thoee whom he had employed.
Their clothing ia of the cheapest material. There
is not any need for a ful l -dress suit, but t11ere ay b e for a
civ . lian sit .
The majority of :he men wear overal l s, soft
The worn n ear gingham or
calico, nothing ti :tit-fitting and the children wear any t hin
that can be made to fit them. A hat is rarel y worn by the
women, cloth as a cover·n, for the h ead answers tr1e r,urpos.
N o doubt it is due to th fact that all t he m oney ·s ne ded
for foo and those t inga hic}1 are an absolute neceasi ty.
However, i t may be also due to the fact t11at t e beet iscretion
in buying i s not Rlwaya used. A certain woman had two children
wi •J1out any food for herself and them. No fuel of an art
(and it was a cold, e day) no b eds, n o cover ·n or the ch 1
th t a s y n on
art· lea o dress
e ttreea n vh loor, ~nd y ew : h re
·spl yd oor ju Jm n nd
re
25.
Some of their homes are unsanitary because the inhab-
itante areignoranto They do not know he scientific princi lee
of cleanliness.
or "microbes•.
They rto not understand euch terms as "germs"
They are unconscious that the dirty apron
which wipes the matter from the baby's aore yes, causes ir-
ritation to the eyes and does ore harm than eood • Tl ey do
.
not conceive that scores on t11e baby' a h ead are caused by un
cleanliness and believe that if the cruets of dir are emoved
the baby will die, tat hands or face or any nart oft e boy
should not be washed while feeling ill. It hae be en found
that where children :have had t h e dirt removed from t hei r ea.re•
and from t}1e back of tr1e neck and other pa rte of the body, t:r at
they have felt like different bei ngs and have improved in he 1th.
That which stands foremost as a cleansing force to ake
the city the "Spotless Town" or "A City Wi thOjJ.t a Slum", is the
Housing Commissiono Thie Commiss i on, whic is six ye rs old,
ia a municipal body of seven members, which is atrivin itl1
limi ted funds and facil .tiee to make Loe An ·el~ s ttAn I deal Town".
One expert and three inspectors work every week-day in the
giant tat1k of supplanti ng unsanitary,noisome spots in t l1e re i
dence sections of the poor with tidy court-yards and model tene-
men ts. A day's c.iourney ~i th one of t eae inspectors furni es
interesting roof of t h e great need of the cleans i ~ iork n of
the beneficient results already accomp iened. Tr1e Auccese of
the wor{ eana happier an h ealt1ier children , h oue .wi veA nd
worrers, hich in turn means better c· zena p d
•
ee 1
pro reeo towards 'd nc if . T or i y e . r ..,1 .,
6,
1-Iousing Co!!'.mi es ion has been struggling to advance but could not
do the work it would have desired, owine to the fact that it
did not have the proper support. Having only j1riBdiction
over three habitations on the came grounds, i t has not con-
~rol over all forei nere. Those who live in reeidencee
and dwellings separated by fences and have their own conven
iences are not under the jurisdiction of the Housine Commiasiono
Ther e are many more exicans wl10 live in places r1ere w e in
spectors of the IIous in Comm· sni on ever go, ecau.s e t11ey are
t . ~
_ __ .. _ no 1n r1Q. ~ _ _ e_
0 ~ besi es the workers are cro f e to
take care of .., r1 o u e e- c o 1 _ rt ~n a e not a 1 ~o inanect
.. - - .. - .......... . 1, ... ... ~ . .. . .. ' . ... ...
single habitations. It is estimated tla~ from twenty to
thirty thouaand 1~exica a are in Los AneeJ.es , n yet t}1e act-
ual recor1 from t}e Housi Co rmnis s i o. 'a report of ineteen
Hundred and 1en shows five thousand men, wo en and ch'ldren ,
comprising thirty different nationalities, under thei s 1per-
• •
v1s1on . From this we see ho few are under their aut orityo
Yet the Commission hae demolished two h u ndred nd fifty }1 bi.-
tat· ons I i h ere detriment to any community, as t r1ey ere
breedin place for vice and cri ie; hao demoli ed ane undred
and fifty habitations and vacated f if y, wr1icb were no it for
o cupanc"
It has cau.sed any owners to irnprove t 1eir pro -
erti ea nd here
' t .ne een the means of
anger·ng a landlord ,
it }1ae p oven a blessin to t e ten t. any cae
s '
h er t l
irspector found n oul at hand e , re r ferred to 0 tr1e
d artmente,an h e b
. .
i nt n
n ti
in rec in p ea _
.
t h n av·
•
r r,
e n l - •
There are some orga~ ~zati~ne, ae the Christian a
sion and Industrial Association, th.e Volunteers of America,
the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Salvation Army, Assa iated
Charit ~_ ea and others, who are engaged in charitable an philaJ nf9
thropic work but have not the legal righ.t to improve condi ti one
which will be permanent. These organizations assist in re-
1·eving tne immediate needt but there ·snot the power bac k ing them which is essential in construct · ve and preve. tative
wor •
There ar other or anizatione and churcl1ea w h ich 1ave
been aroused to action by facts pertaining to housin condi-
tions presented to tl1em throug}-1 public addressee. One of them
t he Fellowship Church, assisted in roviding for forty exican
fa-rnili ea riurine ..,he Christmas season an · becoming ent 1ueed in
the work, they decided to retain these forty ha itatione for
home mission work. However, the same families do not remai~
very long in these habitations because the men ?Ork for the
railroad company and are apt to b e moved a,t any time . Another
cl1urch wr1ich hae taken four habitat ions is the Methodist Epis-
Oopal Church South.
They are providing clothing for a fami y
wi tJ:1 eight children, the eldest one is thirteen ears of age .
They are procuring a bed for an old woman, whoae only support
is an allowance from her eon, whicl1 is a doll r per nonth.
Other churches hav~ their apeci l fiel , nd in ad ition to
these and the Char·ty orga izatione, cert ·n i i v ·
ls 0
ha re desired ao . def i nite work, h ve special hemes n art e · r
own residences which they follow closely and conecientioualy.
Polytechnic High School students organi zed a "Junior
Housine Commission". These students visit the foreign quarters.
Thia commission started about Christmas time when everyone waa
in t he sp i rit of giving, but tr1ey havenot grown v,eary in well
doing , but have thei corps of workers who teach the people
h ow to utilize what they have, to give directions in the proper
cooki ng and selections of foods, in eco omical buying of mater
ials and · n mak·ng of garments, and finally the sanitary condi
tions of the houses o The ~ irJ s 1avin recei ed ·.n~ tr 1 t i one
in cookin r,
•
home- nursing and aani t depart ents, have ae 1ng, ry
an opnor · 1r · ty to pu.t to practice tr e knowledge hicl t e
ha acquired. Also t kno ledge of Spa~ i sh
.
l1elpf 1 e e lS very
to t11em. 0 OU t h w V e
r ""
1
1 s i as of "'~ C irls pren. s
a d
+
e parent s
r ,,
l e r i g to J 0 0 the ot er b lf li ea.
""
At the second annual banquet oft e Conferenc oft e
Social Wor ers, the fol owi n resolutio n was ado ted: "to m k
Los An . eles tl1e Camino- C ·
)
-- it ou disease of pov "" y i
' -
eracy , ~liness, vice, crime, corr ption, strif; clean,
beau tiful and joyou -- h er children 1 u r1ine ndplayin -- h er :nen
arid wome:i normal p}1ysi cally, morally, spiri tt1ally--unj te n
l
loyalty a.'1 servi .; e 0
.
e co on ,0 0
..
',J
•
The ayor' An ual epo t of n teen I 1ndred E n
Eleven, "It
.
of great importanc 1.1I l . }1o u
.
says: l 1 0
-
di ions
.
city be kept
.
r ·rst- lass hf 1.pe,
.
1
.
1n o 2r 1n e Cl 1
-
1
'
Iol
?eb r y t
I
191 /.J O
-
29.
view of the large number of immigrants who soon will be pouring
into Soutr1ern California t11rou h the Pan .r! CanR.l. At t he
present . time there ar~ about eight to ten t h ousand poor people
living in the houae-courte and tenements districts in tr1is ci y.
Frequent insnectione as to s anitary con i~ione
. + .
e 1 pera"1ve.
A sufficient number of inspectors should e,proridP-d no that
the city can be divided into districts r all no · h ..,o be cov-
1
ered fre1 u e ntly by t10 e insoeciora."
Publi c· ty in t l1 e d ily n ews a. p1:1re has i ts reetige .
The h eadline in t h e :S:venine Herald, Fe • a. 1 1· J• ias a s fol-
lows: "SANITARY £011 ES O REPLAC IA vKS, PLEA ,•• n
+. e
c.. -
writer ontinued to say: "I,oe An elee needs 1 r er d. d b · er
houses for r1 e m.ny families wl o J ecause e o rt , re
.
.
now livin 1n racks, coo n ..,Q
Rev. Dana w. B rtl ett , 0
t Ro us
.
Co n. ~ · s s i on o At r e declares, t e n :: pres en"', ere 8 a
fear ul overcrowding of roo or lac of e p r n
'
f
-
ili es living
•
houa e. Orders h iven 0 1t in on re een
....,Q
l
one hun red f ·11es ho have uilt e shacks o vacate.
Most o f these people il l los e thei o,vn lit 1 homes n d ,.;1 1
be lnc bl ~o i n h ouses At re ts v :r i cr1 t:r ey il t o
pay. Tt e Iou ing Com~i es i on of this city desires +o old~
compet' tion i n ouse- ottrt pl ans, h 0 st o b e
.
1 e V
. . +
Cl wY •
Tr e .. 1·eve tl t fr-r b 1.., er hose-co rte can e
...._ .... .. ........
1
Mayo George Al er '
-
ll e or \,I ' 1
-
1 , ' .., 3 .
30.
built in thie city if attention ia gi ven to the question of a
definite plan an cheaper material. To this en ' it asks archi-
tecta and builders to come to t h. rooms of the housing commisoion,
city }1all, and secure da.ta as to t,e uilding aN's and ann·tary
1
codes affecting this ~ype of houses."
"Wit}1 t he opening of the canal, it is generally admitt
ed, steamship ratee ill b e m·de irect ta his port that will
be surprisingly low. And we muet prepare for a tremendous rueh
9
What al1all be do ne? Who will look ft rt ese a rR.1 e people?
Wbere sl1all t 1ey be sent? How shall the dangerou~ element be
handled? Iiow sl-1all the innocent and ignorant be kept out of
the hands of tl'1oee wl'10 will e awai tin,. ~hem to preach anarchy
and breed crimes? S}1all t:t1e Stat e a.nd County authorities get
into action and make arrangements for l ooking after the hordee
from foreign lands w ill come for assimilation and ci izen-
ship?
land".
The general anever wO the problem seems to be "To t}e
How to receive the newc omers, how o care for ~ em
and J1ow to arran e to :,et
2
determined."
em or the land ill yet }1ave to be
What is unsanitary hou ing? Unsan i tary 11ou sing ,
accordin~ to Dr. Hodgett s , Secret ry to the Com ni sion of Pub
lic Heal t}1 of the Commission of Conservation of Canad< , ••is ~ at
condition of housing hich in iteelf i unsanitary or uns fe, r
in any way unfit for ome-maki ng or h bitation, no 1atter ho,
transitory; that which tends to imp the phys·c 1 health o r
1
Even· eral , eb . 8, 1912.
I ••-
2
Loe a T j. es , J • , 1 ,
• - V I ..
1 •
•
31.
morale of the tenant; tr1e condi tiona of wl1icr1 re drunngine to
l
the comm unity ." "Unfi t for home-making", and yet next to
mot} er, }1ome is the most sacred word in our la guage. ttTo
guard the home of the family has been t r1 e inatinct of every
right-minded human male. It has been the ambition of every
far-see i ng sto.tesman to make hie land filled with family ties
and his cities, cities of }omeo. Four walls a. nd a roof ca.n
not nake a home, e,ren if r,eo led wit .. he mo t a i ntly ~ind de-
lightfuJ. of motl1 s, f a..,hers and ~hil ren, not even hen there
is windows ace mough ; hov much lese c nit be a home vhen
it is a place of dark irleaenee ,
2
off by +r lun B of many o"
ceeepool of filth cast
Tl1at there c- re vi ls existing among the M exicans has
been proven. Cr owded cond"tions ir con ested dis~ ·cte cause
sickness nd disease. Many persons die fr m t erculo · ... ae a
result of ov re owdi go Tl1ey add to he number of the vast
army no i g t aker y whie terrible a·aeaa . "Co n ur 11pti on
killed in the United States in tl e last ear t o undred t hou sand p oplc. To ar dying t rou~out the worJ from tis dre d
3
diseae every minute."
Tl at many are li v,in
•
1n 011 room b · t ~ · ons tR € n
plearly own .. nd tl1e on roorr. r1 bit tion i s not t}1 e a · idi
. g
plac fr a family llext to ihe t ner.ie t lo e for co e . n .-
tion th one room w lling . T _es are the onee hich c . ~
----------~----------------------------
l
Dr.Hodget , Slum Conditions in Toront , 1 l ?. , 1 ..
'
..
0 • • • J.
,
Reno .. of He
oro n wO, n da, 2 ,
o.
32.
in making the city a alum. There ie no privacy; children,father,
mother, a.11 sleep and live in t :r1e same room, and often al sleep
in the same bed. Immorality breeds, and degradation to the human
body is the result, frequently causing death to the veakeat mem
ber of the family. The slum is a hot-bed for the germs of diaeaae
and that mortality is greatly influenced by housing conditions is
demonstrated by the following table; Deatl1 Rate in Glaago ia 1911:
Per thousand for one-room house, 32.7%; two-room, 21. 3%; three-room
1
The child has a greater chance to live
in better conditions than in the alum, the ratio being five to one.
,A.Y}d then if it does live in tr1e slum, i t comes into contact i
drunkards and moral le ere. The te~chinge a~d examples of theae
a,re rarely ineffective o A child born and reared amid auch surround
ings haa about t1ie same chance of escaping a life of shame or crime
as an unvaccinated baby confined in a peat house would have of es-
capine small-pox. Often the child's parents may be good , neverthe-
less congestion brings the child and neighbors in lose roxi ity
and the evi 1 in o there grooves imnress iona upon the hi d's me . .i ory
,vr1ich are difficult to ·eradicate .
The railroad companies import numerous families of 1 exi
cane with their expectations set on hi~h wageso Fre uently tie en
have lost their work, they cannot secure a nother job, tbey cannot
speak English. they become discouraged and take to drinkine .
Figh ting eneuee, then perhaps stabbing. They are arres
sent to th e Police Station and then to t h e chain gang, nobody
to know the amount of ard ship the ife nd mother
l
RE'1)ort .of Heal th pepart. 17!ent,. T.o.z:.on-+;:,o ... Can d __ , 191 , 6.
?.
' 0
h8.ve suffered in silence c
"Poverty too is erm iseaee."
l
High rent, ,h
high coet of living, large families to support, low wagee ~nd
often no ~ ork cause misery.
These Mexican people, although poor and ignora t, are
worthy of more consideration nd help, and not as has been id
by some w ·10 are weal thy, "Such ie ,cod enough for that class of
people." "The houeinE roblem is not solved when ,, tenement
2
1 w ae een pae ed" We can as fr aa possi 1 ~ do away
with unsanitary conditions by condemning unsanitary houeee, by
preventing overcro~ding and by compelling 1 ndlorde to inetall
proper sanitary conveniences. "Unventilated rooms and bad
lumbing are s1.b 1 ands re destroyers of healt
1
." Occasion-
R 1 t e tenants do not ieaue a complaint of efecti,re lu J.b -
in unt·1 t e in pecto a pen o ppear, mean ile the un-
efln +ar o~ it"on may h ve xisted for everal days, ht
these p ople fear th la dlords nd ar ia ~y when an i epector
comes. They do not love their environments and re
ch .ngeo We cannot lo Je for eople to rise _1
iro l.S f
+11 · r
. 1 v-1 o n ~ ts. "Environment leaves its ineffaceabl re ord on
the souls, inde and bod· of e , here to be read by 11 bl
3
to underetando"
------------- - -----· -·------------------ ..
La V
.
1
•
5 .
r l 1n .J
I
!) •
o4
La · i lJ . r, Ho Refo .1
'7
_,
•
•
0 ....
■
3
" " " "
5 •
•
4.
"The t
. . .
c ttentior1 to its for gover me lB 1 V
n .,.
om
>
if they are bad, or if maeeed
neighbor 00 B they ma.y become
But attention slould
become bad, because prev ntion
+o et11er
•
con . . ested, ricious in
1
bre ,ding places for crime.
"
aid to the omes before
infinitely c eaper o both
h e i nd i vi du 1 d o t State or un·c· a1· ty.
T erefore
co-ouer t·on 1e need d . To secure result there m et be l i
.
ey
t,/
of a.ction. Priests, clergyrne , la ·yers, doctors, us1neA men ,
architects, c ari y orkere, ocial workers, 1 lor a
mist work in h rmony. Tbe f c must be aecertained nd te n
t ose f a cts uet e resent d tot eople,, "Th .' i ~ h
keynote of tl1e hole educational ove ent in o sing r form .
2
Let the eople understand the facte o"
Houein" evil do
not need to exist
1
t ey need not be tolerated and here 1ey
do exist they are a reflection upon the la and upon t}e com
rnuni ty at laree.
Other cities are eli inatine ~he um co n itione
nd re puttin a8ide thousa,nde of dollnre ,nnually to o tl
vo rk. Kansas City sent on undr e n t 'I .. nty-five b ou and
dollare ~r·n the first year t hat the 0
1
k ft i nat r .J
started. Chicago, New Yo k, nd PrJ.il d lpl1ia .re likP ise
.
ep 1nfJ enor oua sum
in r dicat·na t .. _ s lu.me, a 1 s all er
c·tiee a re fol~
fi .~ht nd in t
1
.,
L C
ng uit. Brook yn e n kin a plendid
Annual Report o~ 19 1 t 1e Te ement louse
,Com n
• •
•
Committee hae a report worth while publiehing. Lon on has be ,n
striving townrde the co- artnership in hou e buyine a
ership.
hot o~,n-
Loe Angeles hopee to esta lieh t e co-partnerehip lan .
The rnoney i ~ }1 re. A certain an after eeein an article in
the daily papere re arding the city donating three acres for
1
homee for poor, offered fifty thous'nd dollare to b1ild homes
for widowa and children, iti1 small rent in pa.yment of
nance, provided t he ity would give t ~ Rr und fort '
int~
purpose.
However, tbe city was unable to ona'te t e la d and H ot er
~cheme is a t reeent pendin •
New Zealand expended twenty million dollars in aid ing her far mere to eetablieh rural colonies, borro ed m ane~ at
t h ree per cent. and lo ned at four er c nt . People are
des iro us of a home of their own. In Spokane, aahin ~ ton .
there were 3700 available o esteads and ~86, ~36 'ppl·canta
waited for the dra ing.
Tn eee ei cane are anxious for a r.ome . They co e
into the office eeekine a place where they can buy their ~ o ne
on tirne payment. Sometimes they have e ved eig}1ty-five dol ~r e
and are willin to plac .11 they have in t}1e
wlo would ,ermit the to liv on t e lan n pa
nds of so r:a one
tipu <: t
amount per month, but we h ve no f i rm to whom e ay reco en
them and thus they o way eometimee lo in all t ey h ve ved
____________ _______________________ _,,,, ____ _
1
I, arc }1 l 5 • 9 ~- .
•
a tl , A B ry , 0 •
through robbery or fire a
have vani 11 d C)
all hope of poeeeesing a home
Where they have been helped and advieed tr1ey have
im roved. The contraet between th new comers and those who
ha.ve lived here for ometime c .n be seen. They become accue-
tomed to American waye n d 1 wa < nd ndeavor to adapt the selves
accordingly. Very few of them become naturalized because they
do not know the possibility of becomine a.n American citizen,
nor have they become instructed in the s t-Wle . Recently t e
c·ty op ened ranch library near the·r ath~rin ~ lace--t e
Plaza. In t i library ther a.r ooks in Spanish, Ita1·an
and French, and before many years they will understand eome
of
things which they ecarcely think today~
Some ask for nothing etter than that hich tley
have, v,}1y should the lw J.orde improve? Th tenan• suffers
unknowingly, loein in am ition, oral tone and health; the
landlord proepers and tl1e city ia benefi tted. Tl1e districts
in which tl'1ey live require larger proportion of the vvork of
city officials, ins ectione, removal of n1ieanc s, .tc.; t ey
must live somewhere, h.o ever, it ie not neceeeary tl-1at t}-1 city
should allow the exietence of filthy conditions within its
lizni te.
Public intere t m st be aroused, publics irited men
awakened, co-o eration given y veryone. more workers to carry
on t e work.
inetructed ho
ition for inde end nee uicken d , foreigner
to live, ov rflo pop 1 ion
.
l rj u d n
elume conditions ill gr · u lly fad w y. y pr v, r anc l
,
37.
alum dietricte will be prevented from oryetallization and good
: homee will be bu i lt for all.
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Table No. 3
TOILET ACCOMODATION.
Number of houses with
Water-closet
Privy-vault
.. W. C. in-
in house
in yard
yard
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5
27
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159
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Number of persona in
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W.C.in P.V.in W.C.in ~
house
yard
yard
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22
7· 9
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461
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669
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OUTLYING DISTRIC~ - IVANHOE
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7
THF. NED OF EDUCA I
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LOG R is OF 0 01'.1 HAB
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AD H ,EXI A A OR
50
A CL F T 00 · C AGES
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ID AL.
BIBLIOGR APHY
Books
H.C. Burdett, Hospitals and Aeylumns of the World,
Vol. III, 14. --
Laur nee Veiller, Housing Reform~
C~ Iieginald Enock, Mexico - its ancient and modern
c · v 'lization.
- - --------
John • Billinga, Public Health and Municinal Government.
--- -------- --- ~ -
Frank . Blackmar, S ani sh Ins ti ~uti one of the South e ~ - 391.
rne
0
t Ludlow Bogart, The Hous~n& of the Workin& People
_ __ --L American Ee nom1c Associati on, Octob r , 1g9g.
Magrzines
and
iacellaneoue
Sadie F. ald, Chicago Housing Conditions - Charities 15:
45~-461, December, 2nd, 1905. - --~
Bes ie D. Sto~dard, Courts of Sonoratown Charit·ee 15:
2 . -9, December, 22nd, 19 5.
H. Holt, Foreign_~our at Home - - Put1nan'e 4: 154-6, ~ y, 1903.
Che ter T. Crowell, Mexic~n Ine~ection Independent 7.
J ohn Ihlder, The Work of a Houein Committee, ational
ousin Association.
• od et e lum Condition oron o Canad', 9 2 .
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Kienle, John Emmanuel
(author)
Core Title
Housing conditions among the Mexican population of Los Angeles
School
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Degree Program
Sociology
Degree Conferral Date
1912-06
Publication Date
04/27/1912
Defense Date
04/27/1912
Publisher
Los Angeles, California
(original),
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
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OAI-PMH Harvest
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theses
(aat)
Language
English
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Digitized from microfilm by the USC Digital Library in 2023
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Kienle, John Emmanuel
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