The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-04-12
FLAT JANIToRs' TYRANNY.
The AufOcrat on the Basement Floor
Controlling the Commissary and
Disturbing the Family Peace.
rNew York World.

New York World.
The absolute tyranny practiced by
New York janitors is now being freely
discussed. What matters it to family
living on that modern contrivance for
putting most people into the smallest
possible space "a fat-whether a high
or low tariff be the policy of the gov
ernment when every quart of milk and
every pound of steak that comes into
the house are levied on by the enter
prising gentleman in charge of the
basement?
The "butcher, the baker and the
green grocer" are equal sufferers at the
hands of the tyrants, for the profit on
the goods is small enough at best, and
how can they afford to pay 5 or. some
times 10 per cent on al their sales?
The buyers are made to pay the
difference in receiving short weight,
Indifferent quality and watery milk,
and they must submit or wage perpet-
ual warfare.
When family rents fiat the janitor
generally suggests that it will be wise
to have coal put in at once. 1t is SO
much more convenient to have it on
hand. He knows coal dealer WHO has
the best of coal at the lowest prices,
and it is better to let him order it-bet-
ter, indeed, if one has any craving
for peace. Perhaps the tenant has had
baker with whom he has dealt for
years, but he must give him up. The
janitor has man who supplies all the
families in the house, and one will have
to get used to inferior bread. Should
the tenant persist in having his own
man he will, if very persistent, supply
him for one week, after which, in all
probability, he will cease his visits.
The janitor will begin, as he enters, by
telling him that he makes too much
noise, or that he believes him to be
sneak thief, or that he is goose not to
understand the working of the
dummy" and finally that, another
time, he will kick him out The baker
is at first surprised, and thinks he has
probably run across an escaped lunatic,
but after putting up with abuse for a
few days, and perhaps finding the base
ment door locked on him, he retires to
seek customers who are not guarded by
fierce ogre.
ginning of the trouble" said a very
gentle-looking little woman. What
annoys me most is the dreadful fashion
our janitor has of screaming mp the
speaking tube for the ashes. He gener-
ally chooses the time when we are at
dinner, and if the ashes are not sent to
him at once we have to keep them until
the next day. But you see he doesn't
call for ashes, but garbage When
we ate our first dinner here my husband
and I were sitting quietly discussing
our new quarters, when we were
startled by shrill cry of tSwill, COM
ing apparently from directly behind
my chair. We found afterwards that it
was the janitor's pleasant method of
letting us know he was ready for the
ashes. We allowed him to do this
once more and then my hus-
band told him that if he did
not improve his language we would
complain to the landlord. He did
reform in a measure and now usually
calls Ashes or Garbage unless we of
fend him. It was only last week, when
we had me company to dinner about
whom we were very particular, that
the janitor happened to be cross, and
so as we sat at the table the same
awful cry which startled me on the
first evening astonished my guests. Of
course we paid no attention to it at the
time, but I felt the blood rush in my
face and [ knew N.Y. husband would feel
even more angry about it-men usually
allow these small affairs to worry them
more than women do" She retired to
see what the elevator bell was ringing
! for.
1t was very pretty fat, with very
attractive young mistress, where the
reporter was told that the janitor was a
model of cleanliness, sobriety and hon
esty.
"But, oh dear! he is so very cross" a
lady added. "He scolds my little boy
every time he takes out his velocipede,
will not allow him to stand on the front
steps even for few minutes, and
altogether he is about as disagreeable
as he can be. But you see he attends
to his duties very thoroughly, SO we
cannot complain. %
"Yes, having an elevator is great
convenience" said.a dweller on the up
per floor of large and expensive
apartment house, "but of course when
we are out in the evening we have to
climb the stairs, and a very serious un-
dertaking it seems, too. Our janitor is
verygood on the whole, though / must
say he prevents ones housekeeping
from going very smoothly. l have
been unable to keep any servant. There
are only my husband and myself, and sc
81 10 r1rvh
especially as all the washing is given
out, and the work on Hat is
always much lighter than in house, as
there is no running up and down stairs
But on the floor below us there are
two girls employed, q fact I should
never have discovered had I lived here
for five years alone. But my girls never
; are here for week without knowing
!, all about it. The trouble is that the,
, all talk everything over with the janito
! and his wife, who tell them that tw'
girls are little enough on fat. VIII
ever heard of one being expected to d.
all the work, etc? The result is that a
the end of few days they become yer.
dissatisfied, grow impertinent, and
have to discharge them. have ha'
five during the past month, and almos
one-half of the time have been withou
! any. You will find that everybody liy
!. ing on fiat will complain of troubl
: in keeping servants, and believe thi
!, to be entirely due to the influence q
: : the janitor, whose rooms form a rer
devious for the girls. They meet, com
pare notes and complain
OF course, the ianitors have thei
side of the story to tell as well as th
tenants. Often they complain that
$ is almost impossible to keep the hall
q and stairs clean, as people seem to hav