Part 8 (2/2)

” ” ” 26 3,700 819 20 2 4 1 2 ” ” ” 27 3,000 570 16 1 2 1 2 ” ” ” 28 3,000 741 16 1 3 1 3 ” ” ” 28 1,200 441 8 1 2 1 ” ” ” 36 3,000 748 16 2 3 1 2 3,000 S.

” ” ” 36 2,800 706 15 3 3 1 1 ------ ------- --- -- -- -- -- ----- Total $81,727 $19,655 432 50 87 24 65

Similar data were also procured--and in substantially the same manner--for eight five-dollar houses.[226]

TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE MONTHLY RECEIPTS OF HOUSES FROM INMATES, MONTHLY EXPENSES, NUMBER INMATES, NUMBER MADAMES, ETC., IN 8 FIVE-DOLLAR HOUSES.

House House No. No. No. Lowest Location receipts expenses inmates madames maids price of of house St. (1/2 fees) service

No.--W. 38 $ 2,400 $ 871 12 2 4 $3 ” ” 41 1,800 924 10 2 3 5 ” ” 46 2,800 938 14 2 3 5 ” ” 46 3,200 952 16 2 5 5 ” ” 46 1,800 760 12 1 4 5 ” ” 47 3,000 871 15 2 3 5 ” ” 49 1,800 878 12 2 3 { 2 { 5 ” ” 52 1,600 885 9 2 3 5 ------- ------ --- -- -- --- Total $18,400 $7,079 100 15 28

Ten disorderly tenements were studied in the same way, with the following results:[227]

TABLE SHOWING APPROXIMATE MONTHLY RECEIPTS FROM INMATES, MONTHLY EXPENSES, NUMBER INMATES AND NUMBER MAIDS IN 10 DISORDERLY APARTMENTS.

House receipts House No. No.

Location St. (1/2 fees) expenses inmates maids

No.--W. 43 $ 500 $ 189 3 1 ” ” 45 600 235 3 1 ” ” 49 700 259 4 2 ” ” 50 700 264 4 2 ” ” 55 600 261 4 2 ” ” 58 800 143 4 2 ” ” 58 800 175 4 2 ” ” 58 1,000 440 5 2 ” ” 60 500 208 3 2 ” ” 65 600 144 3 1 ------ ------ -- -- Total $6,800 $2,318 37 17

We have deliberately refrained from attempting to make even an approximate calculation on the basis of the foregoing tables of the profits annually derived from commercialized prost.i.tution in New York City. But a moment's reflection will suggest the enormous sums involved. If, for example, the table dealing with thirty parlor houses, _i. e._, less than one-half of those investigated, even roughly represents the monthly volume of business, over $2,000,000 a year are paid to their inmates, one-half of which is at once paid over to the houses; the running expenses of the houses are about one-quarter of a million; but the profits are not reduced by this sum, for the payments of the inmates for board and lodging are supposed to be equal to the expense of conducting the establishment.

Moreover, the estimates above given entirely omit certain very important indirect sources of revenue,--for large profits are derived from the sale of liquor, tobacco, lewd pictures, booklets, verse and other reading matter. Finally, patrons often tip lavishly, leaving ”gift” or ”luck”

money, and in innumerable other ways add to the revenue of the resorts.

The total expenditure incurred and the net profit to the exploiters, therefore, run high up into the millions annually.[228]

A partial confirmation of the scale of the estimates above given is furnished by the following incident:

During the evening of May 3, 1912, one of the owners of a house of prost.i.tution in West 25th Street was trying to sell a one-third interest in his one-dollar resort. He had written on a sheet of brown wrapping paper the receipts and expenses for one month in connection with the business in this house. This doc.u.ment is in our possession. The items which interest us in this connection are receipts for four weeks and two days, or 30 days in all: First week's receipts, $1,735; second week, $1,612; third week, $1,463; fourth week, $1,401; two days, $243; making a total of $6,454 for the thirty days, or an average of about $215 per day.

The average number of inmates in this house is 15. In that case, each inmate earned $15, that is, received 15 men each day.

The income of the street walker is probably subjected to greater fluctuations than that of the house or flat inmate, weather and other conditions greatly affecting her earnings. It is therefore impossible to gain any conception of the volume of money that changes hands in consequence of street business. Samples are, however, available; the account book which was secured from a young prost.i.tute, neither very aggressive nor very attractive, who solicits on East 14th Street and receives usually one dollar for her services, runs as follows:

Wednesday $7.50 Thursday 7.00 Friday 9.00 Sat.u.r.day 9.50 Sunday 4.50 Monday 7.50 Tuesday 8.00

a total of $53.

The items for the next seven days are as follows:

Wednesday $6.50 Thursday 6.50 Friday 7.00 Sat.u.r.day 12.00 Sunday 10.00 Monday 9.00 Tuesday 6.00

a total of $57.

The following six days' receipts were as follows:

Wednesday $6.00 Thursday 6.00 Friday 3.50 Sat.u.r.day 8.00 Sunday 5.50 Monday 5.00

a total of $34.

The following seven days' receipts are:

Wednesday $6.00 Thursday 5.00 Friday 3.00 Sat.u.r.day 7.00 Sunday 8.00 Monday 6.00 Tuesday 6.00

$41 in all.

There were only five more days accounted for, when the girl ceased to keep any record of her receipts:

Wednesday $3.50 Thursday 2.00 Friday 5.50 Sat.u.r.day 4.50 Sunday 10.50

the total of these five days being $26.

Thus in 32 days, this poorly dressed, rather ignorant and unsophisticated street walker, earned $211, an average of between $6 and $7 per day.

Practically all the figures in the above concern profits derived from the sale of the bodies of women. In addition, the exploiters--owners and madames mainly--derive further gain (by no means inconsiderable in amount) from such items as the sale to their women, at exorbitant prices, of clothing and other feminine requirements. Huge as these immediate profits of exploitation are, they are enormously increased by the vast sums made from the sale of intoxicating drinks, which business has been shown to be so closely allied with prost.i.tution, and by abnormal rentals received for the use of all kinds of property for purposes of prost.i.tution. Even then, the stupendous although unknown figure involved in the maintenance of this army of upwards of 15,000 women in New York City fails to indicate what prost.i.tution costs society. For perhaps the greatest cost of all is yet to be mentioned, namely, disease. Wherever prost.i.tution exists, there venereal disease flourishes,--maiming, incapacitating the partic.i.p.ants surely, and not infrequently innocent ones in close a.s.sociation with them.

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