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PREFACE

The subject of congestion of population, especially in
reference to New York City, has been widely discussed, but
as yet the data presented have been lacking in definiteness.
Wise and well known governmental commissions have held
solemn conclave and have taken the testimony of eye-wit¬
nesses. They have announced their findings in well chosen
but almost numberless recommendations. In spite of this
mass of material the author of this monograph hopes that
this contribution may still be of value.

The importance or conclusiveness of the facts and of the
subsequent deductions must not be overestimated. The num¬
ber of employers interviewed has not been large but is rep¬
resentative. The number of workers included forms a
comparatively small proportion of the great total in New
York City, but they are not unlike other workers. While
he recognizes certain limitations in his methods of investiga¬
tion and in his manner of presentation, the author still hopes
that his work will be valuable as throwing light on the big
problem of congestion. His study docs not pretend to be
exhaustive, but aims to segregate and examine intensively
a small but important part of the whole,—a part which is
closely related to other phases of the problem of which the
author has not treated.

Undoubtedly the most valuable portion of this work is the

statistical matter.    Some of the tables have been placed in

Appendix II merely for the sake of convenience as they are

referred to frequently in the text.    Percentages have been

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