Bronx Socialists Fight for Decent Housing
Bronx Socialists Fidit for Decent Housing Tenants' League, Under Socialist Leadership, Wages Battle for Slum Clearance and for Municipal Housing—Matthew M. Levy Leads the Fight. "McKLL'S...
...There are ten members of the United Farmers and three Labor members of Parliament...
...This was conceived not only as a regular course of introducing The New Leader to new people, but because of a situation affecting many workers even before capitalism passed into the shadows in 1929...
...Attorneys fur the Bronx Tenants' Emergency League are drawing up bills for introduction in the State Legislature, incorporating a Socialist housing program for the city and emergency legislation for tenants to ease their rent burden, make their houses safer and more livable, and prevent eviction* at unemployed workers...
...The League is opposed to the amendment, he continued, because It would permit the Board of Estimate, a body of politicians, to sit In judgment on housing projects in place of the State Board of Housing, an expert body, and because it Would thus bring the danger of political considerations into an activity that should be the concern , solely pf disinterested experts...
...Three of the leaders of the Labor Party, Agnes MacPhail, M.P., William Irvine, and Robert Gardiner, Ml', spoke strongly in favor of the attiliatic.n and the decision was by an overwhelming vote...
...Levy announced that he was present to defend the principle of tax-exempt housing for workers because, he said, this principle, properly used by State and City, will abolish slums and provide work for thousands of unemployed...
...Many of these friends have some months later sent a remittance...
...The New Leader cannot bear the cost...
...Enter the R. F. C. This controversy began with the announcement by the State Board of a tax-exempt housing development in the Bronx to be undertaken by the Hillside Housing Corporation with money obtained from the Reconstruction Finance Corp...
...I SOCIALISTS WIN IN TWO CANADIAN CITIES WINNIPEG.—The working class, organized the Labor Party and led by Socialists, won striking victories in recent elections In Winnipeg an dot her parts of western Canada...
...The 32,000 or more families who live in unsanitary old law tenement fire-traps of the Bronx give the lie to Mayor Joseph V. McKee's recent statement that 'We have no slum conditions in the Iironx'," Matthew M. Levy, counsel of the League declared...
...It is the only solution...
...FARMERS UNITE WITH LABOR IN CANADIAN POLITICAL LINEUP TORONTO.—A united party of the farmers and workers of Canada appears to be in sight, following the decision of United Farmers of Ontario at its convention here to unite with the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in a loose form of federation...
...It is up to you...
...Some I have eventually been compelled to drop out In some towns and cities the public library became important for many friends of The New Leader who saw no hope of subscribing...
...At this, the Mayor flushed and shouted, to the accompaniment of titters throughout the room: "No Politics in the B. of K " • "You hart no right to say that politics might influence the deliberations^ this board...
...A ten-minute walk from the Mayor's apartment on the Grand Concourse would bring him to slum conditions in his own bailiwick which would make him and his reformist friends appreciate the vigorous fight of the lironx Ten ants' Emergency League...
...McKLL'S Forgotten Slums" will not be permitted to remain in obscurity by the Socialists of the Bronx who, through the Bronx Tefiants' Emergency League, are leading the fight of working class tenants in that borough for decent housing conditions, lower rents, the prevention of evictions and cooperative municipal housing...
...The League wired the R.F.C...
...We place this problem before our readers...
...The result of these pleas was the introduction by McKee of an amendment providing that all limited dividend, tax-exempt housing projects be subject to the approval of the Board of Estimate...
...Some years ago, several comrades a little more fortunate than others became aware of the importance of placing The New Leader in these institutions...
...equal economic and social opportunity, encouragement of all cooperative enterprises...
...Here is another opportunity for friends and comrades to express the sentiment of the holiday season and be helpful to many Socialists and sympathizers...
...Independents have two seats and Liberals and Conservatives together have nine...
...What's to be done...
...In the meantime the membership of the League grows by the enrollment of Bronx working-class tenants...
...Shortly thereafter Levy acted as sole spokesman for tenants at a meeting of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce called to discuss the Hillside Housing project...
...The "United Front" polled 8,900 votes...
...On the other hand, 40 per cent rent between $14.50 and $19.50, 27 per cent between $19.50 and $24.60 and 26 per cant rem ior $24.60 and over per room per month...
...Now get busy...
...It can save on insurance, accounting charges and legal fees...
...security of tenure for farmer and worker...
...socialization of all health services, and believes the Federal Government should accept responsibility for unemployment...
...The Labor candidate for Mayor polled the record vote of more than 81,000 to 25,000 for the winner, a Liberal-Conservative coalition candidate1...
...Private enterprise cannot be depended upon to build decent homes within the means of workers...
...The city has a number of financial advantages over private capital...
...The New Leader had received letters from various sections of the country where a party member or a sympathizer was unable to subscribe for the paper or to renew a subscription...
...We do not regard privately owned, tax exempt, limited dividend projects such as the Hillside Hous ing Corp, as an adequate answer to the need for low-priced apartments for working people," Levy told the Chamber of Commerce...
...To these cities and towns we added, at the request of one comrade, others with the view of introducing the paper to new readers...
...The worker, I am afraid, is being relegated in ever-increasing numbers to McKee's forgotten slums—to the dirty, dingy, congested, unsafe houses which are a social menace...
...among other thing*, socialization of the banking, credit and financial systern...
...Your speech the other night lad ttt to believe that this might b« so," Levy retorted, referring to McKee's sudden discovery, after seven yeafs on the Board of Estimate, that "abuses," "waste," "extravagance" and "other things" exist in the politics of the city...
...establishment of a planned system of social economy...
...Turned down by the R. F. C, the property owners descended upon the Board of Estimate and found in Mayor McKee a willing listener...
...Its attorneys, in addition to Matthew M. Levy, are Solomon renin, Alfred Belskin and Samuel Orr...
...that tenants were In favor of using government funds for tax-exempt housing construction and as a means of partial unemployment relief...
...No Housing for Workers "With rentals on such a scale where is the average worker to find modern, sanitary shelter...
...The United Farmers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Labor Party of Quebec have already united with the Federation...
...Fearful that such a project would cut In on their rentals, the real estate interests of the city immediately sought to prevent the R.F.C...
...In many cases we have responded to appeals of readers to keep them on the list till they could get a dollar or two to renew their subscription...
...Bronx Socialists Fidit for Decent Housing Tenants' League, Under Socialist Leadership, Wages Battle for Slum Clearance and for Municipal Housing—Matthew M. Levy Leads the Fight...
...The Communists organized a "United Front" that succeeded in splitting the labor vote and possibly encompassing the defeat of the Labor Party...
...How many will help...
...After these bills are drafted petitions will be circulated and a delegation will be sent to Albn.y to push their adoption...
...The potential union of Farmers and Labor, if carried out extensively, would create a force, which , it is thought, might affect the political complexion of many constituencies...
...It can borrow at lower rates of interest and amortise more gradually than private builders can...
...Address The New Leader, 7 East 15th, Street, New York City...
...On the other hand, if the paper does not go to these institutions many workers will be deprived of access to it...
...Today The New Leader faces the expiration of most of these subscriptions to libraries on January 1, and the few comrades who had paid for them are unable to continue their generosity because of the depression that has reduced their incomes...
...Only 1.7 per cent of these rent for less than $12.50 per room per month...
...The Federation advocate...
...Within the past few weeks the League has carried the tenants' battle into the very heart of entrenched privilege...
...Notwithstanding the Mayor's threat that he would compel I^evy to stop, the League's representative continued to outline a Socialist plan of municipal housing...
...It was at the hearing in C/y Hall on this amendment that Levychallenged McKee's smug statement...
...Now is the time to begin slum clearance...
...This is the use to which The New Leader has been put in nearly 500 libraries throughout the country...
...TJils board," Levy declared, "may ba, if it is now, subject to Political pressure or consideration...
...The support of labor and fraternal organizations throughout the Bronx is also being obtained...
...Building costs are low and thousands of unemployed workers in the building trades would be set to work...
...Last month, Levy, representing the League, spoke before the Hoard of Estimate in opposition to the scheme of landlords and real estate speculators to throttle further housing projects by giving the Board of Estimate the discretion to approve or disapprove tax-exemption on apartment developments worked out by the State Board of Housing...
...Endorsement by the United Farmers of Ontario of the aims and objects of the Co-operative Commonwealth movement are regarded with rigniAcance in political circles...
...To Keep The New Leader In the Public Libraries TPHERE is one method of Socialist education of which The New Leader has been the instrument that we have not stressed in the years of its publication...
...Municipal housing is feasible and desirable in every way...
...from granting the funds...
...It can also save by exemption of taxes for land as well as buildings...
...The League's executive committee consists of Murray Gross, Herman Saltzman, Samuel Laderman, Aaron Levenstein and Sidney Hertzberg...
...In Calgary, T. B. Riley, a school teacher and active Socialist, was elected City Commissioner of ths Alberta metropolis, with 9,747 votes to 6,828 for the Liberal Conservative coalition and 696 for ths "United Front" Communist...
...The city, building for use and not for profit, would rent apartments at cost...
...We shall be glad to acknowledge subscriptions received on this account...
...The Labor Party increased its representation in the City Council here from 6 to 7 and now has the largest single group...
...Between 1902 and 1930, 280,289 new suites were built in new-law tenements in the Bronx," he pointed out...
...Throughout his presentation of the Socialist housing program Levy was heckled by sullen property owners still smarting under the sound licking administered to predatory land lordism by the Bronx Tenants' Emergency League in the famous Sholom Aii-it hem strike last summer...
...ICELAND JOINS IN Iceland will bs represented in future conferences of the trad* union and labor political organizations of Scandinavian countries, according to word received la Copenhagen by Thorwald Stauning, Socialist prim* minister of Denmark...
Vol. 14 • December 1932 • No. 24
