The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-09-05
JEWELLERS
In FLATS
A New York Real Estate
Agent on Their Character
iSticS.
Peculiar Lines Which, Ac-
cOrding TO His Experience,
People of Different Nation
alitieS Take in Causing
Trouble TO the Owners.

Trouble TO the Owners.
The first question put by the renting
agent was, "What nationality, please p
and the woman in the blue hat replied
by asking, "Why do you want to knowY
81 meant no offense," said the agent.
81 only thought that by finding out
your nationality l could refer you at
once to certain buildings on my list
which would be apt to please you"
The woman I'm the blue hat had half a
notion to get angry.
II don't see what my nationality has
to do with finding a suitable. fat" she
said
at has a good deal to do with IT,"
said the agent. "Now. can see
straight off that you are an American.
born and bred. This is delicate ques-
tion that you have plunged me into,
but since | am I'm 1t / mean to founder
around little while longer and tell
you n few facts pertaining TO the merits
and dement's of different nationallties
considered In the light of flathouse
tenants.
First of all, l want to speak from
the standpoint Of prompt payment. If
my success i'm business depended upon
each tenant paying his rent exactly
when II was due, l would try to fill all
my houses with Scotchmen. Never
have lost penny on a Scot, and sell
dom have had to wait.
IL am not making the rash assertion
that It is impossible for a Scotchman
to be dishonest while everybody else is
trying his best to cheat me out of my
very eyeteeth. The point wish to
make Is that personally have never
suffered loss at the hands of a 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 janltor busy straight
enlng out domestic snarls. In all my
buildings where Scotchmen reside 1
select janltor with n view TO his even
disposition and diplomatic gifts, II
doesn't matter so much about his abil-
ity for scrubbing and keeping the fur
mace going. Utilltarian accomplish
ments are secondary consideration so
long as he is endowed with the blessed
qualities of peacemaker.
"Taken all in all, the most peaceable
people | get I'm my houses hail from
Sweden. You never hear n peep out
of n Swede. He doesn't bother his
neighbors and he doesn't bother me-
unless the provocatiOn is extreme. AS
a rule, he IL good pay too. The only
fault | have to find with him Is his
fondness for moving. A lease Is
dead letter In his eye, and he has no
more compunctlon about moving with
out n 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 as tenants.
"Their supreme selflshness," said the
agent. "They have not n spark of
consideration for landlord. They
want the earth. They never get
through asking for improvements. They
are not content 10 get the walls tinted
and the woodwork painted and the
plumbing fixed once or twice n year.
They want new 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 as TO other nationalities, for the
simple reason that l have to pay out
nearly all 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 meekly providing their own
decorations and the Italians going
without.
81 like German tenants pretty well,
too, but they are terribly hard on fats.
never could understand how they
manage to lnaict so much damage on
walls and floors. Judging by the looks
OF an apartment just vacated by a
large German family, one would think
that their star piece Of furniture was
a battering ram.
"rhe czar's former subjects also have
an abnormally developed bump OF de-
structiyeness, although they run TO
glass instead of plasterlng. have one
house down town that is occupied by
ten Russian families. and II they were
not compelled To repair their own dam
ages II would keep me poor putting In
new windows and buying new gas
globes.
II also rent 20 colored people. | have
three houses fun OF them at present.
and must say that | have never had
better tenants. But when you come
down 20 facts, all my tenants are nice
people, only | thought II might not be
amiss while on the subject Of nation
ality to mention few of the peculiarl-
ties OF each. New York sun.