162 COMMISSION ON BUILDING DISTRICTS 



plan in this particular? This seems to us within the scope of the Board of 

 Estimate and Apportionment on recommendation of your Commission as 

 tending to " promote the public welfare " and to " enhance the value of land 

 throughout the city." 



Referring to the tentative use map and the assignment of streets to 

 business or residential purposes, the Brooklyn Committee has determined 

 to leave to the residents of. or owners of property in, the various districts 

 of the borough, expression of their own preferences. 



Statement by Dr. George M. Price, Director, Joint Board of Sanitary 



Control, May 24, 1916 

 Joint Board of Sanitary Control 



The Joint Board of Sanitary Control has charge of two industries— 

 the Cloak, Suit and Skirt and the Dress and Waist industry. They have 

 jurisdiction over 1,800 shops in the cloak, suit and skirt industry and over 

 700 shops in the dress and waist industry. They are mainly in the loft zone. 

 In the two, there were working at the last investigation 85,000 employees. 

 We come into close contact with all the shops and workers. We have also 

 made a medical examination of a great many of the workers. We have in 

 the last five years examined 14,649 men and women workers in these two 

 industries. 



Nervousness among garment workers 



Diseases which have been predominant among those workers are mostly 

 those of the nervous system. We have about 28 per cent of all the workers 

 suffering from neurasthenia ; there is also a large percentage who are suf- 

 fering from digestive diseases. We have an undue percentage of tubercu- 

 losis, two per cent among the workers. Among tobacco workers and bakers 

 whom I have examined for the Factory Investigating Commission a smaller 

 percentage of tuberculosis is found than in our industries. 



There are a great many factors contributing to the large extent of 

 nervous diseases. It would be difficult to say that one condition or even 

 several conditions are causative. There is no question, however, in my mind 

 that the conditions of work, economical as well as sanitary, have a great 

 deal to do with this nervousness. The workers are compelled to work in 

 very high buildings. They are apprehensive of dangers, as to fire condi- 

 tions, and rightly so. They also have much difficulty in getting down for 

 their lunch because of the height of the building and on account of the con- 

 gestion at noon time. At that time it is hardly possible for all of them to 

 come down the elevators, especially in those big buildings. Then, again, 

 the work of the sitting trades is itself fatiguing. Also, they mostly belong 

 to such races as the Hebrew and Italian, and both of these peoples are 

 excitable and more prone to nervous disorders than others. It is the current 

 opinion among medical writers that there is a comparatively larger average 

 degree of nervousness and proneness to nervousness ami nervous disorders 

 aim mg Hebrews and Italians than among the other races which are working 

 in the trades I represent. 



There ought to be no building where work is done above the twelfth 

 story. Such buildings at present in use number 177. We have 18 build- 

 ings twelve stories in height and 21 buildings more than twelve stories in 

 height. One building is 19 stories in height and one building 20 stories in 

 height. I have made several investigations of the workers in those higher 

 buildings — in the twelve-story buildings and in those which are higher, and 



