The Washington times., 1903-04-05
Rule Against Division Of
Commission With Curb
Brokers AboIished-WTI
Make Association Popular.
Union Station Plans to De-
stroy 600 Dwellings,
Bank Building Improve
mentS.

The Real Estate Exchange AT its last
meeting adopted d change OF rules that
may prove of great Importance 10 its fu-
ture The rule against the division Of
commissions by members Of the ex-
change with curb brokers has been
suspended" in polite language. but 10
ali intents and purposes abolished, as
II is not believed that Il will ever be
adopted again.
The change OF rules is a defeat for The
exchange in a way as this regulation
against the division Of commissions was
one OF the chief objects that its mem
bers had in view when they Joined
hands two years ago- Il has been found
in practice that this theoretically good
rule does not work we'll. Brokers out
side of the exchange have always divid-
ed commissions. and because OF this
have often effected sales where the ex-
change members have failed. Much good
business has been lost in this way The
result has been that almost from the
beginning members have been resigning.
not willing to contend with this handi-
cap. and in recent months the with
drawaIs have been numerous Skeptical
brokers predicted this before the "a
ISOLATION was formed. and they are say
ing now i told you So
II will not do, however, ? o predict that
the exchange will not be a success in
the future. Indeed. some of the best
real estate men in the city are confident
that with the change of rules it viii
begin a career Of genuine heIpfulness tc
the realty interests of the District There
can be no question that city OF this
size needs such an association for many
legitimate purposes.
a great many former members who
have gone out of the association will
now return, and il is predicted conf
IDENTIFY that q number of prominent men
who have never belonged viii now join.
Homes for 600 Families
The news thar the railway companies
will begin condemnation proceedings
this week against the property owners
on the site of the Union Station, and
that the work of the demolition OF SEQ or
more buildings viii begin within
month or two viii be of the greatest
interest TO real estate men throughout
The District
Perhaps 800 families viii BE deprived
OF their homes in The vicinity OF Afassa-
chusetts and Delaware Avenues. and all
of these families viii have 10 be pro
vided for The greater part of them
viii wish 10 remain in the neighborhood.
If precedents may be depended on. This
fact offers one Of the interesting fea-
lures of the Union Station problem and
one OF the factors. TOO. that viii be Of
most interest 10 the real estate men.
IF 200 Of these families wish to stay
in the northeast. near where they now
live, some enterprfsing builders viii be
likely to find the erection OF new
houses profitable in the coming year
The number OF buildings erected in the
entire city in year is hardly more than
500 OF 500 The number built last month
was only Go, and it was a fairly active
month. too
''Who Lives in the Apartment Houses ?"
The problem Who lives in The apart
ment houses is asked every day. and
II remains a perplexing one Every
week shows the completion Of one or
two OF these great buildings and the
beginning OF others. and despite this
fact Il is = matter of record that in the
past Two or three years the numbsr of
vacant houses in the District has been
decreasing rapidly When the apartment
house craze was only just beginning the
building inspector said there we're 600
vacant dwellings The latest records
show that there are only ! 400 houses
without tenants
The record OF new apartment build
ings announced in the past week reads
ike this
The Windsor, six stories ana forty
apartments. in r Street. between -Four
teenth and Fifteenth Streets; cost. sf25
COO.
Three dwellings. POI 10 200 East Cap
tol Street. TO be converted into an
apartment house; cost. So. 0OG.
apartment house In Baltimore Street.
just off Columbia Road: style and size
and cost not yet determined.
Five-story apartment house al 1890
Massachusetts Avenue; cost. $50 geo
Seven-story apartment on the site Of
the Corcoran gardens, sixty to eighty
apartments: cost, with land. 500 600.
These i've buildings viii furnish homes
for perhaps $50 families at a low estf-
mate.
Plenty Of Demand for Houses.
II should be remembered also that
while this building Of apartments has
been developing on . vast scale. The
construction OF dwellings on the old
plan. one for family. has been more
active than ever before IN the history
OF the city Entire sections have built
up that were a year or TWO ago not far
different from virgin forests Certain
&c is that single dwellings are not be-
coming unpopular
To add another factor. the exodus OF
families 10 the suburbs ia recent years
has been phenomenal Hundreds. II not
thousands. Or them have migrated 10
beyond the old city limits, attracted BY 1
rapid transit and the extension Of cityl
Improvement TO the District line
The only possible answer 10 the prob /
lem who lives IA the apartment /
houses 90 that really answers is that
the population If the District must he !