﻿HOUSING CONDITIONS IN INDIANAPOLIS 



119 



Plumbing 



Yes 69 S.S^ 



No 753 91.7^ 



Water supply — 



City 148 18.3^ 



Well or cistern 678 81.7;^ 



Closets — 



Inside 19 2.3^ 



Outside 803 97.7^ 



Lights' — 



Oil 736 89.5^ 



Gas 67 8.2^ 



Electric 19 2.3,^ 



Garbage taken away by city wagon 58^ 



Own their own property 214 26^+ 



Average number of rooms per family 3.97 



Average weekly rent per family $1.85 



Average rent per room $1.86 



From these figures it is evident that the homes of a great 

 majority of the people in this district are in small cheap houses, 

 devoid of modern conveniences. Only 18.3% of the families en- 

 joy the benefits of city water. The remainder are dependent on 

 old-fashioned wells and cisterns. It is safe to assume that in 

 many of these the water itself is impure. The close proximity 

 of many of the wells to outside closets and stables is strong cir- 

 cumstantial evidence that the Avater cannot be pure. It is safe 

 to assume th.at a careful examination of the water from each of 

 the wells or cisterns in the district would result in the condemna- 

 tion of a large number of them. For the sake of the health not 

 only of the people of this district alone but of those of the entire 

 city, this examination should be made. 



The figures show that only 2.3% of the families use inside 

 water-closets. All the rest use the old-fashioned out closets. A 

 great many of these are old dilapidated structures and are a 

 menace to public health and morals. 



' As a genera] rule the yards surrounding the homes are small. 

 Most of them were full of ashes, tin cans and rubbish and pre- 

 sented anything but a cheerful, homelike appearance.^ The 

 home-decoration committee of any charitable society would find 



2 This investigation was made in the middle of winter. Perliaps the season 

 had something to do witli the appearance of the yards. In many cases, perhaps, 

 the ashes and trash were hauled a.way in the spring, and the yards given a better 

 appearance. 



