The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-06
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

work"
Success will attend thy endeavors and
| thy business and money will increase"
| "a child born on this day will be quick
and bitter of temper, but fortunate in its
business affairs"
This day is good for hiring menser-
wants"
Astrologer Raphaers prophecies for Fri
day, September 1880:
"A very doubtful day"
Beware of law, losses, and quarreling,
and keep myself cool and collected; in thy
business much will occur to harass and
perplex thee"
"A child born on this day will be unruly,
headstrong, and difficult to manage; its
business success will depend upon the hour
of it's BIRTH.
1t is said that the Southern superinten-
dent of great Eastern company was ear
nestly DESTROYS of establishing his general
offices and residence in Birmingham.
Suitable accommodation for his large force
of employees, perhaps considerably more
than hundred men and women, could not
be obtained and he could secure no dwell
ing house fit for his residence. Very re-
luctantly he was forced to establish head
quarters in another town, greatly to the
inconvenience of his business. That was
loss to Birmingham of 100000 year and
500 of the best class of inhabitants!
1t is graphic illustration of the need of
high class office and residential structures
in this town. And suppose the superin-
tendent in question had been able to secure
office accommodation and a residence,
where would his employees have found
houses?
One of the most noted merchants of Bir-
mingham has been, with his small family,
boarding and lodging in private house for
a year, hoping to find a suitable house for
himself. He states that he has ceased to
hope. The other day he went to look at
house in a fashionable street, which out
wardly was attractive Inside the occu-
pants had made the place hideous. He fed.
That man can't find a house for rent in
Birmingham that is fit for his purposes;
yet he doesn't wish a large house.
President Hopkins of the Sloss-Sheffield
Company is reported as saying he will re-
move his family to Birmingham as soon as
he can get house. Where will he get
one?
President Bush of the Alabama Consoli-
quarters; but he is having to build house
in which to dwell.
Lack of office buildings and high class
dwelling houses is keeping thousands of
inhabitants and millions of money from
Birmingham Scarcity of houses of all
sorts, together with high rents, is enrich
ing the county of Jefferson at the expense
of Birmingham city!
And all this damage to Birmingham is
permanent. Men who build attractive
homes in the suburbs and out in the coun-
ty and become accustomed to living out
of town, will never give up those homes.
The headquarters of great industrial and
other companies which may be established
in other towns because of lack of accom-
mediation here will probably not be re-
moved to Birmingham.
The difficulties of scarcity of houses of
all sorts will be removed as intelligent men
with money perceive the value of invest
ing in and improving Birmingham real
estate; but also is the year 1000 COM
ing, and very few of us who suffer now
will be here to rejoice them
The thousand and one fakes about
ten-story steel office buildings, and the
like, on the famous "Boddie corner" for
example, have practically resulted in two
or three little shacks costing not that many
hundred dollars. Bah!
The greatest of all the needs of Birming-
ham, and one which has possibly cost the
city, directly and indirectly, enough money
to pave every unpaved street and build
railroad to Huntsville is about to be met
by the construction of the splendid Hotel
Hillman work upon which is begun, and
no additional money is needed.
AS to rents, the occupant of one small
storehouse volunteered to say to his land
lord that he thought the building worth s.
month increase And undoubtedly the
disastrous business conditions that pre-
vailed from 1898 till 1897 were heartbreak-
ing to owners of all sorts of real property.
There were numerous houses that could
not be rented or leased out by the owners
at any price, and some houses for which
occupants free of rent could not be found.
The burden upon owners was terrible. But
everybody else also suffered. Employment
was difficult to obain even at very poor
remuneration. The pay of skilled labor is
now enormously increased as to percent
age but there hasn't been so much in
crease in the pay of other men and women
who toll. Clerks of all classes and occupa-
tions-and these form a large element of
the population - receive but little more
than the compensation paid them before
the present unexampled business and in
dustrial activity. Great numbers of the
clerking classes rent dwelling houses for
themselves, and, since their pay is little
increased heavily increased rents would
be to them heavy burdens. Landlords are
not expected to care anything about that;
they are expected to exact what they can
get. Yet heavy rents are, in some in
stances, asked for structures that are
very poor. And if a young man hires
bedroom in a house that cost $4,000, he
pays for it what would be very nearly
per cent interest on the entire cost of the
building
The pendulum of the rents, which swung