The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-04-02
WILL NOT PAY RENT.
Tide Fiat Lessees Set Up Claims
Against Lessons.
THEY SAY THEY ARE 'MPRovERs


The first misunderstanding upon The
tide flats question since the bill was passed
occurred yesterday. IN the refusal Of .
number Of tenants Of the Hall q Paulson
Furniture Company. on property situated
on the tide fats q the foot Of Commercial
street, to pay their rent Il resulted from
some .isconceived idea on the part of the
iessses, that under the provisions of the
land bill recently passed they had right
a impfovers 70 purchase the property, and
thinking that were this fact, they would
pay no more rent until the question was
settled. This rather surprising state of
affairs was first learned on Saturday BY
the Hall & Paulson Company, but nothing
Was openly seid until yesterday when the
rent became due
In order to get full statement Of the
difaculty reporter for the PosT-ISTELrI-
6KscKR called last evening upon County
Auditor Forrest. president and principal
stakeholder OF the company. He was ready
to talk upon the matter and made the fol-
lowing statement:
1.-THE property We are on" said he, "oc-
cupies about two-ffths Of block at the
foot OF Commercial street, between King
and Weller and little more than one-haif
. block between Weller and Lane. II has
been improved for the past sixteen years
and the tide lands bill recently passed gives
as no doubt as to our rights in the matter;
it in TACT gives US two rights TO purchase,
namely, as shore owners and improyers
Now Is to our tenants. When the fire came
our entire plant was destroyed, entailing .
loss Of $4,000. on which there was an in
surs1(e of $1,000. from which We received
krk rSaks -
aftf the FIRE, We found that we were in
dbt 81 500 over and above all credits. At
Inst We contemplated putting up large
factory. and went so far q to make out .
bill for new machinery. but with the I'M
settled condition of the tide lands we found
II impossible to raise any large SUM of
money. We thereupon. BY personal en-
dorsements. succeeded in raising sufficient
money to wharf over our entire property.
Messra Rohlfs & Schroeder, two of
our stockholders, put up q
small factory upon the property, the
remainder of which was leased to different
stockholders for term of five years. The
lessees erected their buildings upon our
wharf, with clause in the lease providing
for the purchase or removal of the build
ings at the end Of the term.
Kent has been promptly paid al along
by every one of the lessees until lately,
when some lawyer informed one Of the
tenants that under the land bill recently
passed he had right to purchase as an
improver. Now what . preposterous
idea 70 put into . mans head l
OF course the news spread. and number
Of our smaller lessess determined to test
the question: in fact heard of one fellow
who said he had 5000 to spend in . legal
fight, and II he knows what he Is about he
win think twice before giving the lawyers
such fat fee.
To-day ell our tenants were called upon
for their rent money, and about ten OF
them refused 10 settle. We said nothing
today. bat tomorrow those who did not
pay win be served with notice to settle
within ten days. or suits for foreclosure