The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-12
4 GOOD SERMON ON RENTS.

. | and history may repeat user.
Birmingham is in a stew over the ques
= tlon OF high and low rents Just at pres
J ent.
The row seems to be between the mer
chants and the owners Of business prop
G ortg.
II is n very interesting fight, and tn
D result will be looked for with some Gu
rosIty BY outsiders even at this distance
After a long period of depression, thu
activity in iron has brought Birmingham
to the front again. Business is booming
money is circulating; the people are hap
py and new settlers are coming in Will
! new enterprise and capital.
But there Is cloud on the horizon, ant
It is growing bigger and more threatening
every day.
Just as the merchants were beginning
to feel jubiant over the revival OF trade
their landlords notified them that rents
would be raised the list of October.
Immediately protest was heard from
all classes OF renters among the business
men.
They discussed the matter on the street
corners in hotel Hobbies and In the news
\ papers.
They denounced the greed OF their land
lords and predicted the. ruin of the city
under the high rent system.
In reply the landlords claimed that they
|
prosperity. They had rented their stores
for what they could get, and had gone
without tenants during the hard times
| period. and they felt that they ought to
| get better returns from their property
with the improvement in business.
The merchants had forced rents down.
ward when they were in hard luck and
they should be willing to pay better prices
| under more prosperous conditions.
| 1t would be unjust to the property own
ers to compel them to rent their stores
at panic figures to men who would then
make them pay full prices for goods.
~
The merchants got mad.
Not all of them, of course. but the ma
jority. They began to talk about the shy
locks who had Birmingham by the throat,
and they swore that they would not sub
nit to their eXtortion.
Even Alabama politics ceased to in
terest them for the time, and 1t was de-
clied to call a public meeting and pass
some resolutions.
Senator Morgan Increased the friction
between the landlords and the renters by
expressing the opinion that 10000 people
traded in Birmingham.
This is denied by the merchants, who
make the point that thousands of work.
ingmen trade at the various commissaries
In the district.
They admit that business Is good but
they say that the profits will not war
rant the payment of higher rents.
AS a rule the merchants all take this |.
view OF the situation.
leading business man.ris quoted as
saying:
"One trouble is the mercantile trade is
overdone here as to the number of firms
engaged. Everything Is done upon the
N I
are about 800 business houses in Brming- /
ham. Before we can afford TO have any
more and before increased rents can be
probably paid the city must grow to
larger proportions. There is not the popu-
lation here to make wise an increase in
the stores or the rents. And what is true
OF the rents for stores is true In part of
the rents of dwelling houses. Whilst it
is true that there is not a sufficiency of
dwellings,, it is also true that house that
wasn't worth but $50 year ago is not
worth S25 now. | am not real estate
owner, except that possess my residence ,
and upon this was recently offered
loan of $4,000 at per cent. / am a mer- =
'hant, and my experience teaches me that |:
he proposed high increases in rents are 9
not compatible with justice or common
business discretion"
Another man reminds the landlords that l
high city rents built up Bessemer, Pratt c
Avondale. Woodlawn. East Lake and other
suburbs. The Elyton Land company, he /
lays, at one time, by its high rents drove 4
thousands OF people from Birmingham. n
~
The Age-Herald takes hand in the !,
discussion, and. like a truly good and
wise newspaper, makes itself equal to the
Emergency by vigorously taking both sides
t the question. 1t agrees with the land 2
Gh ha
grees with the tenants that the land
ords should go SLOW, and be very moder- =
tie in the demands.
Here is what the paper says editorially: g
The present incipient prosperity of this il
ity does not justify landlords in demand .
lg eXorbitant rentals. They are entitled :,
} reasonable advance in rates but an i
dvance beyond 10 per cent is unwarrant- q
d. values do not justify a greater in !,
rease for the appreciation in values does u
OF exceed 10 per cent. An attempt TO
lake men pay more, because they dread W
mango and the expense OF removal Is I'M %
list and unreasonable, and will be apt to u
'act upon property holders. n
AN increase in rentals beyond the ap- Il
'eciation in values will check prosperity 10
ld drive away population, and this in OF
lrn would prove an injury to property 20
)lders. The latter have not had rich 10
iryest IN late years, and the Age Herald u
els Kindly toward them, and it desires
EN- to have long period of prosperity, III
ID for that reason il desires them to be an
asonable and considerate by adjusting il
cir rentals to real instead OF prospective In
lues." al
This is probably on the right line. but It to
II not satisfy either the landlords or the pr
nters ic;
II is TO be hoped that the rent question ra
ii be Justly and satisfactorily settled In tn
r sister city. pc
one thing is certain, and that is that
nts in any place are bound TO rise with
growth and prosperity of the town.
ihey can not be kept down at unreason- ST
~ low figures ,when people are camor-
Tor store rooms and houses. '
traders have no right to monopolize -,
,sperity when 1t comes, The owners of -
u estate who have paid for repairs, in cat
'ance and taxes for years on vacant OF
uses during the period OF depression adv
not be expected to stand back and reap Ing
,hing when the harvest is ready. wo
hey have some heavy burdens, and II cor
not likely that they will be unreasonable cou
ugh to check the growth of their COM her
mites. me
~ and
birmingham will hardly so to work to irit
troy her building prosperity. so ,
Ter various classes will decide to live den
let live. They have learned that the sail
PIE OF growing town. must pull to- con
a eWE all.