Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-05
Centrally Located Lodge Rooms to Be
Leased by a Fourth Avenue
Insurance Agent
PITTSBURG is A CITY OF LODGES,
And Those Who Can Secure Entire Control
of All the Halls Have Little
Risk to Run.
HOW SOME RENTS WILL BE ADVANCED.
On. Kan Who Thinks the Societies Are Apt 10 Get the
Worst Of tie Deal

A corner in halls is theine1t enterprise for
which Pittsburg is to be distinguished.
In the lower portion of the city there are
between % and 40 lodge rooms OF various
sizes and conditions. The scheme, which is
said to have originated with an insurance
agent on Fourth avenue, is to secure long
lease on all of these halls. put them in good
repair, and rent them to the lodges requiring
them for weekly or monthly meetings.
Pittsburg is known all over the country
as a city of lodges. No well established
secret organization exists that is not pretty
well represented in this city, and number
of new ones has originated here within the
last six months. Most of these societies
meet weekly and pay an annual rental OF
S75 to SIPS. There is great demand for
halls at any price, and few, if any, lodge
rooms are vacant even on Sunday nights.
The Monopoly Discovered.
The headquarters of D. A. 3, Z. of L.,
located now at 101 Fifth avenue, must be
removed. April l, as the owners Of the prop
erty desire to utilize it for some other pur-
pose. 1t was Master Workman Evans that
discovered the monopoly on halls while he
was looking around for suitable place for
his office and two halls for the meetings of
the district and local assemblies of the X.
OF L.
Mr.. Evans said last night: 81 find that
some one is trying to secure all the halls in
the city-get a monopoly on them so to
speak. I have been looking around for
nearly a week, and while 1 have not seen
Ill
pose, nearly all that we could use at all are
controlled by one mani think real estate
agent by the name of Hays. While have
no objection to a man gaining control of
these halls, because it is good business
venture, do not believe the owners should
allow it. Advance of rents is a natural re-
suit of such deal, and the lodges must
furnish the agents profits
An effort was made to find Hays, the real
estate agent, but he turned out to be Gilbert
a. Hays the insurance agent, at SO Fourth
avenue. Mr.. HAYS was not in when the re-
porter called, but the latter was informed
that the agent had the renting of number of
halls or lodge rooms in the central portion of
the city.
Further Negotiations Pending.
Among those in his hands now are the
Hibernla Hall, Wyiie avenue; a lodge room
at 406 Grant street, another at 81 Fourth
avenue and one Of the rooms being vacated
by the knights of Labor, at 101 Fifth
avenue.
1t is understood that Mr.. HAYS is nego-
tiating for leases on several rooms on Fourth
avenue, Grant street. Fifth avenue and
Wood street. and that he is to secure others.
As an indication of how rents Will be with
Mr.. Hays, it may be stated that be asks 5000
per annum for HibernIa Hall, which would
bring him in SI.4O0. as it is one of a number OF
centrally located halls that are used every
night in the week. including Sunday. 1t is said
he leases the hall for $500 a year, thus giving
him a clear profit of 5000 BY the time he se-
cures the lease on 25 or 30 such lodge rooms, he
will have an enviable income.
The hall which he will have control of at l01
Fifth avenue is now rented by d. A 3. K. of l.,
at 500 year. Mr.. Hays prlce is SIPS 1t may
be accepted that if the halls are all to pass un-
der one management their rental would increase
just as prices for any commodity increases UNI
der the management Of a trust or combination.