Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-31
PAY BY THE WEEK.
A Proposed Change in the System
of Collecting House-Rents.
1T WOULD NOT SUIT PITTsBURG,
Because People Occupy Company Houses,
and Are Paid Monthly.
INTERVIEWS WITH REAL ESTATE MEN

A correspondent asks The DISPATCH
why the system of weekly rent collections
could not be introduced into Pittsburg, in
stead of monthly collections. In New York
and some other American cities the propo-
sition is being debated. 1t is the rule in
England and throughout the continent that
the poor shall pay weekly for their tene-
ments. American landlords, without the
authority of law, compel their tenants to
pay monthly in advance.
Nothing could be more onerous to poor
men and women, who earn too little to save
much money. 1t is illegal to make person
pay for what he has not had, and not one Of
the carefully drawn leases of New York ten
ants, says a writer, would stand examina-
tion by competent court. To pay the rent
weekly, out of the weekly wages, would be
handler for all concerned and protect the
poor against many losses, annoyances and
vexations. The landlords need no protec-
tion. They have their rent in advance and
their houses insured. A reporter of this
paper visited several rent collectors and OBJ
tanned their views on the subject.
ONE WHO FAvoRs IT.
At the rent collection agency of Allies B
Bailey, on Fourth avenue, member of the
firm said: "This is the best idea have
heard OF for a long time. 1t is just the
thing for Pittsburg. There are lots of peo-
pie who come in here perfectly honest, yet
not able to pay their rents because they wait
until the end of the month to pay their rent
and then find that other bills swallow up
the money. It's a dangerous thing for poor
people to put off rent But let the system
be generally adopted of collecting rents
weekly and then it would train them into
saying money for each weeks payment.
1t would prevent them from getting too far
behind, and q person saved from debt Is a
person blessed. We agents would all profit
by it. because while the clerical labor upon
us would be greater our receipts would be
proportionately greater. Of course, this
idea would not change the monthly system
for rents over $l5 or $40, because when you
get up above that figure you have tenant
wealthy enough to pay years rent in ad-
vance rather than be bothered with weekly
collections. would like to see the latter
system adopted, however. for the benefit of
the poor people"
ANOTHER WHO DOES NOT.
Mr.. William A. Heron, of the firm of
w. A. Heron & Sons, real estate agents,
said: "Oh, this system of weekly rent col
lections is entirely impracticable in Pitts
burg. The better class of tenants would re-
fuse to be bothered with it, and as the
cheaper tenants live largely in the houses
of iron, steel and glass companies. and have
their rents deducted from wages, it could
not effect them. But above all that, we real
estate agents could not put in force any such
system. just think of what tremendous
amount of additional clerical labor
it would mean for usl Why
even now the collecting of rents does not
pay us. After you count up the cost of
clerk hire, bookkeeping, collecting, etc.,
you will find that our per centage is nearly |
all gone. To increase the force of collectors |
in order to make weekly collections and to |
expand our system Of bookkeeping to ac-
commodate weekly accounts instead of
monthly ones, would mean a large increase |
in our office expenses.
not succeed in Pittsburg," continued Mr.. |
Heron, sis that great many people re- |
ceive their wages and salaries monthly or |
else every two weeks. On our books are |
many tenants whose pay day does not occur |
until the 10th, 10Th or 18th of the month.
THEY HAVE NO MONEY
wait for them. How in the world could |
they pay every week? The monthly system |
is the most convenient all around. None
of the lost rents could be saved by the |
weekly system for the reason that we would |
then still have to find the standing of |
tenants before renting to them. Rascally
tenants would still exist under the weekly
system"
James W. Drape. real estate agent, said:
81 know this plan to be very popular in
England. There the agents send their col
lectors around to tenants every Saturday or
and they receive the small INSTALL
ments Of rent then. In has been their system
for years. The people know of
that it would succeed in this
country, especially in Pittsburg. I cannot
see any benefit to be derived from change
from the present system. Monthly rents
seem 10 suit everybody here, and while a
certain proportion of them are lost, there
would not be much saving through the
weekly collections. 1t would add to the
labors of landlord and agent and they get
little enough now as it is.'
WHAT TENANTS SAY.
The reporter talked to a number of ten
ants out along Second avenue. They were
divided. One woman said: I'VE see
enough of the real estate agent now. IF he
gets to coming around every week we'll
make him sick of it.
Another tenant out that avenue, however,
thought he could be found with more money
On hands if the agent called every week for
rent. He believed that one reason why he
himself has such hard work to meet his rent
is that the money goes for other purposes.
He pays cash for many things and
knows that the rent will not
be due for two, three or four weeks, and so
cts a II the money slim throuph his finoers
Eff the agent would come around every
week, I" he said. ''he would get the money
before spend it.
Another tenant believed the weekly system
could not succeed here, because the building
and loan associations are so popular, and
he number of smaller tenants who are
building their own homes is increasing
every year. In other words, he thought the
number of rent-payers in Pittsburg is small
IN comparison with London, and would not
Justify the introduction of the weekly