The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-30

The statement has been made by
some tenant property owners that
it is impossible to realize al aprofit
from medium sized rented houses at a
less figure than SIS month is dis
puted by Building Inspector AElferbe,
who says that If investors are satisfied
with 5 and per cent small cottages
can be profitably rented at $12 and SO
a month.
II know a party" says Mr.. Ellerbe,
"who is erecting eight fve-room cot
tages in the Eighth ward. He took
out permits for $1,000 each, but my
impression is that they will cost him
$1,000 when they are finished, for they
are thoroughly modern. Now, he could
make money by renting them for SID
a month, but he will probably ask $40.
The whole thing of ittdsehe can get it.
Location, of necessity determines the
rent to be charged, but there Is lots OF
cheap ground to be obtained and am
positive that capitaltiwould realize a
handsome profit if it would invest in
large number of $1,000 cottages to rent
for SIS and SIS month"; only wish
I had $4,000 to make the test.
1T is small cottages0that st. Pau
wants. It has enough of big resi-
dences. That is the itr6uble with St.
Paul now. When there1 was a boom
everybody rushed in and built ten and
twelve-room houses. Now they are
taking out permits and1cutting them
up into apartments. rfThey are too big
for poor man and the. rich do not
want them. The rich have the money
to build something better
Blames Labor Trouble fort.
Charles H. Bronsshsof the firm of
Smith & Taylor, says the reason CAPT.
tai is reluctant to enter the house
renting field is because of the unset
tied condition Of the labor market.
.'Why, we have a dozen or more
houses under construction and we
have to- fairly beg to get them COM
pleted," said Mr.. Bronson. Every few
days there is a strike and the houses
are tied UP for weeks. We no more
than get one set of men satisfied and
the work started than some other
branch has demands that tie up every
thing. Capital. you know. will not
stand this. Besides tits getting close
to winter and building then is next
to impossible. Despite this fact, how
ever, l believe there will be consider
able winter building in t.EPaul. ST.
Paul needs houses, needs them badly;
but capital is slow in grasping the sit
uation. Capitalists have. been badly
bitten in ST. Paul ips respect to prop
erty, and you have to Show them now
before they will invest. That is the
trouble now. / believe, however, that
If labor is, all right many small homes
for rental purposes will go up next
year.
What Some Tenants Say.
In one big fiat building on the West
side, where the apartments formerly
rented from $22 to 500 anmonth, rents
have advanced from $a9tS 81 every year
for the past five years, until now moth
ing rents for less than $z7 month.
Il occupy a fiat IN this particular
building" says Frank Ritter, of Ritter
& Pehle, on Fourth street, and / have
annually for the past three years had
raise of from 81 tos$2 month.
started in. at $24 asmefth and am now
paying $28. / am sirnplN compelled to
pay it, for cannot do aaa1y better"
81 rent room in SHamline," says
Frank OFT, Hamline student, for $12
a month. Two years agoI secured that
same room for IS d month. but the
family 1 roomed with Suffered a raise
of 81 on the month aSadM came in for
an advance, too. RooWsrent has be-
come so high euts ra that we are
syndicating now-tfiaks So three or four
of us will take two rooms. making the
sum a nominal one for each. We are
somewhat crowded, but it is cheap
Three years ago good rooms, with heat