Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-12-12
GREAT LANDLORDS.
AsToR PROPERTY IN NEW Yons
 WORTH NEARLY s2oo.ooo. .ooo.

l Aftshtse Abt pF Ats pI otntfS Ao 1lt&<rf Wo are all inclined to regard the great American landlord with disfavor 1 He is associated in our minds with the idea of high rents, demanded the instant shey are due, with unfulfilled promises AS to repairs and little improvements that would add so much to our comfort and with many other small annoyancee that make him the man terrible, the man unfaithfnl, the man hostile.
 Through the obscurity of these preju- dices it is doubtful if many of us see him clearly or judge him fairly. Ac- cording aa we arc near moving day or hot and as we secure repairs we are apt to regard him as very disagreeable person, indeed, with few of the higher human attributes or else the reverse, md in tho meantime VIC pay rent and tolerate him because he continues to ex- 1 ist and the law protects him.
 Perhaps tho best example of the American landlord is Astor, or rather tho Astors, The interests of this famous Now York family arc so numerous and SO extensive, so widely distributed and SO varied in character, that as landlords they hold sway over all classes of so- ciety, occupying every kind of struc- ture. Then, too, the Astors are typical in l that no sentiment enters into the man. agement of their properties, and, after all, this is true of the management of most real estate in this city.
 As landlords the Astors demand the market rate for rents and they demand it tho first of every month or quarter, as the case may be. Sooner than make material concessions ill tho amount to be paid on lease the Astors will allow a house to remain vacant, not one sea- son or year only, but two, three or more years, and if then a good tenant is not at hand tho building will be al- tered, provided tho condition of the neighborheod requires it. It Is appar- ent, therefore, that tho Astors get the figures they ask. These are not the high est paid, for the estates take no risks. but they arc well up to the average.
 No ono possibly requires more assur. ance of responsibility in tenants than the Astors. References IS to character and financial standing must be forth coming if you would be an Astor tenant, and they must be moro than paper ref erences, for they will be investigated carefully. If you arc unknown or can not show who you are and what you have got, and that you are fairly cer- tain of being able to meet the rent foR the term of the lease, do not try to rens an Astor house. You will be refused
 As a matter of fact, tho Astor rent rolls, if one could secure copies of them. would be an excellent commercial di- reetory, far more reliable within tho limited sphere, perhaps, than anything ever attempted in this city. Ninety-five per cent of tho persons whose names are on them pay the rent they agreed to pay on tho first of every month. Those on tho rolls who do not disappear when their leases are up or before if possible. The Astors are not hard landlords, but they are very businesslike, and the dis possess proceeding is resorted to when ever occasion demands
 Though of Dutch stock the Astors have no feeling of friendliness for the liquor traffic. The saloon keeper is not wanted, even at the high rates he offers, and neither is any other sort of tenant who is likely to clash with the police From time to time, of course, persons not in favor with the authorities creep into Astor properties, but when discov- pred they are busted as quickly and as quietly as possible
 So far as improvements go, the estates are behind many of the other large landlords and host of tho smaller ones Up to a very recent period the manage ment of the family possessions was ex- eeedingly unprogressive, and it is hard ly up to what might be expected of it yet. 1t is urged ill defense of this policy that various sections of the city in which Astor holdings are large are at present undergoing change and that alterations appropriate in character will be made later. That is the trouble with the Astors. They arc always backward in aiding change. Their conservatism holds them ill check, while smaller and weaker men take the risk, and often they stand ill the way of progress by presenting immense blocks of property directly in the line of great improve ments. Ifchanges are effected all around them, they will alter also. but they are always the last to do SO
 In the matter of individual repairs, decorations and the like they are not liberal, but they have the reputation of doing what they promise. Usually resi- denoes are put in order before the new tenant goes in, and then the occupant has got to be very careful. It is not ex- pected by the estates that much money will be spent upon the house except at long intervals.
 The Astors hold few tenements ana flats directly, though they own the ground upon which hundreds of such structures stand This kind of building is not popular with either branch Of the family, and they only have to do with it So far as receiving leasehoid rents are concerned. Dwellings in great