Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-07
LANDLORD AND TENANT.
Discuss Taxation, Rents and Other
 Things on the Street Corner.

Discuss Taxation, Rents and Other
 Things on the Street Corner.
 Two citizens indulged i'll an animat- ed discussion on West Main street, near the City hall building this morn- ing regarding the alleged high rate or taxation in Waterbury. One of the parties to the altercation owns brick block near the center and the other rents tenement in house located in the outside district. The man with the brick block executed war dance at the size of his rate bill and water rents and after saying everything he could think of about everybody he wanted to know what the man from the rural district thought of the situa- tion. The reply knocked him silly and for time he acted as if he was i'll doubt as to whether his companion was in earnest. The gentleman de- clared that he hoped to see the taxes go higher and keep going upward un- til every street in Waterbury is sup- piled with sewers, sidewalks water mains and then covered with the best kind of paving material in the market. While he was talking the owner of the brick block was so nervous he Scarce- ly knew what he was doing. AS soon as he got q chance to speak he asked | the man from the town if he paid taxes. The man said he did, but not to the collector. The landlord collects | his taxes, he said in the shape of rent and this he thought amounted to the same thing.
 Are you in the same tenement now" inquired the indignant property owner " you had last year and if SO how much more are you paying for | it?
 'I am," answered the tenant 'but I'm not paying a copper more for 1t and don't intend to. I was paying the same rent when the town taxes were only five mills on the dollar and the landlord never said a word about the ] low rate of taxation. I don't suppose ! he would have given it to me less if | he had no taxes to meet and I'm not | sure that I would have expected if. It is worth what I'm paying and no more"
 What will you do if ne raises the rent $2?" asked the rate payer. The tenant said he should move out riollt off. Then the man with the brick block wanted to know what the owner of the house would do. The answer was that the landlord would be at llb- erty to take in some one who was will ing to pay more or leave it idle if he cared to. At this juncrure both ap- peared to be losing contcol of their | tempers.
 The rate payer produced his tax hilI and water rent and started to explain now much more he had to pay this year than last season, but the otber fellow wouldn't listen to him and tried to dis miss the subject with remark to the effect that it is the tenants ana not the landlords who pay most of the taxes, but the man with the bills in his hand would not have it and insisted that he hear him through Then he went on to show, according to his no. ton, that if taxes keep going upward tenants will have to pay more, and be- fore he got through he brought board CTS and roomers into it. He said he had notified one of his tenants who keeps boarders, that he will he oblig.d to raise her rent $2 a month. ana sna had informed him that he wanted to talk with her boarders before giving hlm decided answer. Later she caIIegl upon him and said she had secured an- other rent. Such rows are common about town these days, but people will 1 forget all about these matters after . lew days. and then we'll hear no mora or them Tor another year.