Evening star., 1898-11-19
REAL ESTATE GOSSIP
The Varied Relations Between Land
lords and Tenants.
THE DEMAND FOR SNOWY HOUSES
Improved Conditions in the Money
Market Here and Elsewhere.
SOME MPROV EMENTS

iSOME IMPROV EMENTS
| The sale of the Belt railroad at public auc.
| ton, which occurred during the past week.
| is believed to mark the turning point in the
| fortunes OF that concern as well as an i'm
| proved service to the public In one sense
| the sale was a rather notable event, from
| the fact that it was the first of its kind in
| the history of street railroads in this city.
| 1he road was started some twenty-three
| years ago, and up to the time of the sale
to what was known as the Widener- Elkins
syndicate it was looked upon as good rail-
road property.
1t has now passed into the hands of what
Is regarded as strong combination, being
| the same that controls the City and Sub
| urpah, and also believed to be the same that
recently purchased the bonds Of the Ana
| costa railroad. At any rate. the prosnect Is
now that during the coming year the work
! Will be begun of installing on this road the
underground electric system, thus making
| II equal in point of facilities with the best
| street railroad in the city
Improved Facilities.
| similar change, 1t is expected will ha
made in the equipment of the Anacostia
load, and all this means that the nuhIic is
| to be benefited and that property interests
IN the sections of the city affected are to
De placed on a par with property in other
sections of the city, at least as far as the
street railroad transportation Is concerned
Both the Belt and the Anacostia roads are
now operated by horses. and the proposed
change IN the system will result in remov-
ing the last horSe-car line now operated in
the city. Before that is done it ia Thought
the change in the equipment of the Ecking-
ION. which is now in progress will have
been completed.
1t is quite evident from this record of
contemplated Improvements in the trans-
portation methods in the city as well as the
expansion of the service into the suburbs.
that this city is increasing in popula ton
and rapid progress is being made in its ma
terlal development. The movement which
Is making considerable headway toward re-
gardlng the entire District as a whole and
dlsregardin8 the old distinctions of CITY and
suburbs Is in line with complete and har-
monlous development Of the District
Landlords and Tenants.
1t is not likely that the time will ever
come when there will be thorough appre-
cation by landlords and by tenants of their
respective rights. According to the ac-
cepted idea the tenant is trying to get all
ne can out of the landlord and pay as
little in return, while the landlord is look
eo upon as an unfeeling money shark who
gets an ne can and does as little as possi-
DE 1t Is quite evident that this is an ex-
IRENE view on both sides, for in other re-
lattons of life both landlords and tenants
are fond to be reputable citizens and pleas
ant ne1ghbors, and it is not likely that In
this one respect a competa transformation
is possible at will.
AT the same time, the general condition
or the rental market develops some facts
% %whlch are rather interesting. In the first
pltce the recovery from the lowering of
rents which began some five years ago ct
the time of the general financial depression
mas only been partial, although during the
present season, when the demand for houses
IS acknowledged to have been better than
Tor some years past, prices have shown a
tendency to stiffan somewhat
The Care of Houses.
1t has been found necessary for owners
to pay more attention to the condition of
the houses than they have been accustomed
to do, and in consequence there has been
more liberal policy in regard to repairs.
On the other hand, the demands of those
WHO want to rent houses have been of such
Il character as, in the opinion of many, to
encourage a class of building that has in
bilty.
1t certainly seems out of place to have
a white gold parlor in a house that rents
Tor go or $40 per month or plate glass storm
oOolS anu OtHST features winch are found in
expensive houses In order to do this the
construction of the house must be chean-
ened, inferior wood used in the floors and
in the partitions and in the framing Of the
windows, while the brick walls rnuSt ba
TIN own togethar.
This kind of building means that the
mouse Will be difficult to heat in winter
and open to the heat in summer 1t costs
more to live in such a house, to say moth
ing OF the repairs While of course th !,
cupidity of the speculator who builds such
houses is to blame in part yet It may also
| be said that If people did not demand
houses with snowy interior and exterior
| but preferred those that are honestly and
thoroughly built, it is believed the number
| or such structures would be greatly lessen-
ed. Some are of the opinion that the build
ing regulations should be 50 framed as to
absolutely prohlbit shoddy construction
Improved Conditions.
| The improved conditions in the local busi-
| ness circles are believed by some to be
influenced directly by the result of the eIec-
lions. The Improvement. however, is more
one of feeling and of atmosphere, so to
| speak, than in any actual increase in the
volume of business. There seems to be.
however, q. greater feeling Of confidence
and a tendency on the part of those who
have money to branch out either In enter
prises of their own or to furnish the money
| for others. 1t is said that in this city there
mas Deen an increase IN the deposits in the
| banks, and disposition on the part of
! those who have money to lend to give more
| liberal terms and wider margin than ha 8
been the case for some time past.
A somewhat similar condition is noted in
New York by the correspondent of the
| Philadelphia Press, who, in recent letter
to that paper, states:
| 1t seems that the clearing house records
| show that since Theodore Roosevelt and
| Judge Van Wyck were nominated for gov.
| ernor Of New York the banks of this city
| have loaned nearly s52. .O0O. 900, or in round
| figures, about $1O,OO0,OO0 week.
| THE aggregate deposits have increased
| 66,00o,0Oo, although it is probable that a
| considerable part of this sum is represented
| by the loans, in other words. customers are
| credited upon the books with the loans
| made to them.
| Money Sent Abroad.
1.-The question is asked then what does
| this enormous expansion of loans mean an6
| where has the money gone? A little In
| quiry In well-informed financial circles
| brings out the fact that in all probability
| most of 1t has gone to Great Britain and
| the continent of Europe. The money has
! been used either to buy bills of exchange on
| to loan upon them, and the best opinior
l far