Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-09-12
DWELLERS1 NsFLATS'
ANEW YORK REAL ESTATE AGENT ON
THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. ss.,.

-' sS
Peculiar Lines Which, According to
His Experience, People of Different
Nationalities Take In Causing
Trouble to the Owners.
The first question put by the renting
agent was, what nationality, please?''
and the woman in the blue hat replied
byasking. why do you want to knowY'
Il meant no otfense," said the agent.
Il only thought that by finding out
your nationality could refer you ut
once to certain buildings on my list
which would be apt to please you."l
Tho woman in the blue hat had half =
notion to get angry.
II don't sec what my nationality. has
to do with finding q suitable fat" she
said.
ut has good deal to do with t."
said the agent. Now, can see
straight Off that you are an American,
born and bred. This is delicate ques-
ton that You have plunged me into,
but since am in it mean to founder
around little while longer and tell
you few facts pertaining to the merits
and demcrits OF different nationalities
considered In the light Of flathouse
tenants
FIRST Of all. want to speak from
the standpoint of prompt payment. II
my success in business depended upon
each tenant paying his rent exactly
when 1t was due, l would try to fill all
my houses with Scotchmcn. Never
have lost penny on Scot, and sell
dom have had to wait.
II am not making the rash assertion
that 1t is impossible for Scotchman
to be dishonest while everybody else is
trying his best to cheat me out of my.
very cyctceth. The point 1 wish to
make Is that personally l have never
suffered loss ut the hands of q Scot.
But they give trouble in other ways.
They are fearfully Quarrelsome and
raise so many rows with the other ten
ants through the dumb waiter shaft
that It keeps the janitor busy straight
cning out domestic snarls. In all my.
buildings where Scotchmen reside I,
select janitor with view to his even
disposition and diplomatic gifts. It
doesn't matter so much about his abil-
ity for scrubbing and keeping the fur
mace going. Utilitarian accomplish
ments are a secondary consideration So
long as ho Is endowed with the blessed
qualities OF peacefnaker.
"Taken all in all. the most peaceabler
people get IN my houses hull from
Sweden. You never hear q peep out
of u Swede. He doesn't bother his
neighbors ind he doesn't bother mo
unless the provocation Is extreme. AS
rule. lie is good pay too. The only.
fault l have to find with him Is his
fondness for moving. A lease is a.
dead letter In his eye, and he has no
more compunction about moving with
out days notice than he has about
going to bed when he is sleepy"
The woman in the blue hat asked
what were the chief characteristics of
Americans rs tenants.
"rheir supreme selfishness," said the
agent. '"They have not a spark of
consideration for landlord. They
want the earth. They never get
through asking for improvements. They
are not content to get the walls tinted
and the woodwork painted and tho
plumbing fixed once or twice year.
They want metz decorations every.
month, and all the trimmings must be-
first class too. American tenants pay
big prices for their flats, but there isn't
really SO much profit In catering to
them us to other nationalities, for tho
simple reason that have to pay out
nearly oil my income in trying to keep
up the building in the style they de-
mand. On the other hand, the people
who ask for the least are the Italians
and the French. They take most any
old thing feel like giving them, the
French meckly providing their own
decorations and the Italians going
without.
II like German tenants pretty well.
too, but they are terribly hard on fats.
l never could understand how they
manage to intlict so much damage ON
walls and floors. Judging by the looks
Of an apartment just vacated by q
large German family. one would think
that their star piece Of furniture was
q battering ram.
'The cars former subjects also have
an abnormally developed bump Of de-,
structiveness, although they run to
glass instead of plastering. have ono
house down town that is occupied by
ten Russian families, and II they were
not compelled to repair their own dam
ages 1t would keep me poor putting in
new windows and buying new gas
globes.
II also rent to colored people. have
three houses full of them ut present.
and must say that have never had
better tenants. But when you come
down to facts, all my tenants are nico
people. only thought it might not be
amiss while on the subject of nation
ality to mention few Of the peculiari-
ties Of each."-New York Sun.
Homemade Stoves.
In many parts of Spain the stove In
general use Is made from an empty
petroleum oil can by cutting hole
near the bottom ON one of the sides to
make IL draft, the can being lined with
gypsum to the pleasure Of the con-