The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-30
LOCAL INTEREST IN
Los ANGELES CASE
Salt Lake City Afflicted With
the LandIOrd-Tenant
Problem.
TRIBUNE INTERVIEWS THE
MAYOR AND C0UNCILMEN
Majority Against Measure, but
Believes II Contains Much
Good.


There was much comment heard 10.
| cally Tuesday on the action of the Citv
Council Of Los Angeles in unanimously
ordering the City Attorney there 10
prepare an ordinance, to be passed at
the next meeting. that will make it a
misdemeanor, punishable hv fine or i'm
prisoument or both, for n landlord To
refuse TO rent property to persons who
are possessed of large families The
comment was for the most part favor
able to the proposed Los Angeles ordi-
nance
In Salt Lake City, as in nearly every
other city in the land Of any size, the
evil that the Los Angeles councilmen
propose TO remedy, if the contemplated
measure is within thc constitution. is
mooted question between landlord
and tenant Hero as we'll as elsewhere
men with large families frequently have
difficulty in securing property 10 live
IN for the reason that The owners are
avcrsc 10 renting their houses to men
possessed of n large family of chill
ones work much damage to the prop
erty and are the cause of much dis
turbance. Often landlords refuse to
rent their property%to n family in which
there are children for that reason and
persons seeking houses for rent are
causcd much inconvenience and delay
in finding home. some landlords bar.
ring children
The Tribune. Tuesday afternoon. in
tervicwed the Mayor and every mem
ber Of the City Council but one Rulon
S. Wells. who was out Of the city, and
obtained expressions from them ms to
the measure. The Mayor and five of
the councilmen expressed hearty com
mcndation of the proposed law. Couu
Gilman W. Mont Ferry declined 10 give
an opinion, while eight councIlmen eX
pressed unfayorahle opinions to the pro
posed law, but several of them believe
there is much good in it. only it is too
broad. The interviews follow:
Mayor Thompson's Opinion.
Mayor Ezra Thompson was asked if
such law as was passed by the Los
Angeles Council had ever been con
templatcd here He replied that so far
as he knew il never was mp locally.
Asked ms to his opinion as to whether
such measure would he a good one,
ne replied in the Affirmative.
1t does not depend so much on the
size of the family as it does on the
kind of people you are renting To,
said the Mayor. 81 think such Law
certainly would be a good measure for
the reason that IT is the man with the
large family who wants 10 rent n house
more often thap the man possessed of
n small family, and IT frequently is the
case that the property is better taken
care of when occupied by the large fam
lily than by the smaller number of per
sons. OF course, there arc cases where
the owner Of = small apartment house
in which there already is family of
size may have valid obicc
tons to taking in another large fam
lily because of troubles that might arise
between the children of the two. On
The whole, if the law were constitu
tional. ! believe 1T would be good
measure. -
Councilman Thomas Il. Black is
strongly in favor of such a measure If
II is constitutional. Anyone who bars
out children for grown people on the
opinion that the former work greater
damage TO property than do the latter
makes a serious mistake, SAID Mr
Black 81 We had experience along
that line and know what il has taught
me- Four or five grown persons VIII
work more, lasting damage To prop
that is harder TO cliace
and rcmcdv-th7n will 4 family Of wife
and husband with three or four chill
dren. If such a measure as the one
passed by the Los Angeles Council
should bn declared constitutional. |
would only he too glad TO Introduce a
similar measure in the City Council of !
Salt Lake.
Councilman T. D. Martin would be
for such measure in the event Of its /,
being constitutional 1t ought TO be !
a misdemcanor. said he. * for a land, !
ord To bar children. With the modern
houses there IS less like /
ihood of iniurv 10 the walls and IN
sides Of the buildings from children
-han heretofore. anyway Mr.. Mar !
tin believes in advancing the rent on
4 man possessed of a large family if |
agpravating cases of damage TO the I
property arise from there being 4 large /
number of children in the family
a. j. Davis president Of the Council, ,
g heartily In favor of such measure |
{ it is within the constitution, as is
Councilman j.. j. O'Donncll,
What Mr.. crabtree Says.
Councilman c. j. Crahtrce has Just
returned from Los Angeles, and when
asked for I'M expression on the pro
Dosed measure was able TO throw
good deal of light on tho situation
mere. MI 'TdblISc says the measure
originated from the trouble in the
smaller apartment houses, certain ho-
els and fats. whose proprictnrs are
adverse TO have persons possessed of
good sized family Of children occupy
'ooms in their property on account of
he noise and disturbance the little
mes make for other guests. Many of
he places mentioned cater to transient
patronage and the guests frequently
Of the noise ard disorder oc-
asioned by children IN tine house.
Mr. Crabtrcc is against the measure
IL It's present form. on the ground that
{ is foo sweeping. He thinks there
S much good in ", but believes that
he landlord should have the right 10
cnt his property TO anyone he pleases.
Still he does not believe in the dis
rimination many landlords exercise
gainst would d-be tenants simply be-
ause there are children in the family
Councilman NJ. +, Muivcy is in ia
'or Of tho ordinance if il is consti.
utioral. He is of the opinion that
audlords frequently magnify the dam.
sc TO property by children There IS
q doubt, he says, that n hardshiu ;s !