The San Francisco call., 1910-01-02
Why Landlords
Dislike Children

((EHE renters ana Lne newspapers
have had lots OF fun with ths
landlords during the last four or
five years" said the owner OF a block
OF buildings.
I'VE have been particularly roasted
for not wanting to admit tenants with
children into our houses. In fact. 10
hear some people talk about US it
might be supposed We are a lot OF
ogres, whose special aim in life IS to
discourage the multiplication OF the
human race. or, as the president might
state 1t. 70 foster race suicide. by re-
fusing to rent quarters to families
with children.
Tn the first place men with families
ought to have houses OF their own.
There are numerous building assocla-
tions which will put up a house on a
mans own lot and allow him to pay In
insta1lments that really amount 70 Mp
more than rent, and there are nefghA
borhoodS in abundance, in excellent
suburbs. where lots may be secured at
very moderate prices. II a man does
not care TO do business with a building
association there are real estate
agents who will advance the money to
and liberal as any one could desire So,
when man can get house on terms
as easy as monthly rental there Is
really no reason for anybody living IN
a hired house.
'Now. as TO the prejudice against
children. let me tell a little story from
my own experience. have a nat
which rents for s2S a month. Four
months ago IL became vacant and
whsn I looked IL over found that ex-
tensive repairs were necessary. The
plumber, gasnan. steam otter. car
penter, painter, paper hanger and
giazier all had to come In, and by the
time they were out again they had
over . hundred dollars OF my money IN
their pockets. That meant four months
rent Then the house was vacant for
mother month. when q family with
two children. q boy OF Il and a girl OF
10. moved In They stayed three
months, and at the end OF that time
the man sent word that the nat was
IN such a condition that he would not
stay any longer unless I had some re-
pairs made
II was astonished. for I had looked
after the repairing myself. and knew
that 1t was well done. and that the
nat was In first class condition only
three months before. 50 I concluded to
step around and see what the trouble
was. and OF all the sights I ever wit
messed that was one OF the worst The
new paper was smeared with what
looked like molasses or grease. about
her hands.
'The boy had been provided with
hatchet, and seemed TO have been
splitting kindling on the back porch,
for the boards were hacked in every
direction and the railing and posts
were Clipped as though he had beep
testing the edge of the tool. One OF
the lead pipes was cut half through. ,
evidently with the same instrument
was tied up with rag. but still
leaked so badly that the whole base
ment was damp. In 80 or 40 places
the wall paper had been Clipped. and
in one a section OF plaster a foot
square had been knocked OF.
smelled gas escaping. and noticed some
strings tied to the chandelier in the
front room, and on inquiring I found
that the little girl needed a doll swing
and that her father had made one from
the chandelier, so that gas fixtures had
worked loose
Paint had been scratched OF the
front and back doors. and when I asked
about this I found that the family had
a big dog. When the dog was outside
he scratched at the door until sonne Ona
let him in, and when he was inside
he went through the same performance
TO get out. Four trees Isplanted In
front OF the house had disappeared.
root and branch, likewise the sod IN
the front yard, and half a dozen panes
OF glass were cracked or broken tba
basement door was or Its hinges and
one OF it's boards gone. and I after
ward discovered the board made into .
sort OF paddle, for what use / never
found out. except that II was not 10
paddle the boy.
When l mentioned these little mat
ters to the man and his wife We
very coolly told that one must expect
such things where there We're chiIdrer-
did look for boys and girls to be per-
feet, and was I going to make the re-
pairs right away? or course. 7 lot
them move I would have made tbar,
move If they hadn't been willing 10 80
and after they were gone II cost ~
nearly 500 more to make the house A.
for another tenant OF course arl
children are not like those two rrl
they We're. most people would probsh1.i
quit raising children But there 49,.
enough such as these to make Iand-
lords very chary OF renting to fanDfs.
that have any children at all.-