New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-04
Another Rent Boost
Coming to Model
Flat Dwellers
$4,000 City and Suburban
: Homes Co. Dwellers to
Pay More in September;
Already Raised ID p. C..

The 1900 persons living in the tene-
ments of the City and Suburban Homes
Company can prepare for an Increase
IN rent starting next September. Al
Ian Robinson. president of the COM
pany, frankly states that the increase
is inevitable, even though rentals have
been boosted an average Of Il per cent
during the year in the company's
houses. Higher operating expenses are
given as the reason for the increase
already secured and the one which is
to be announced in September. The
Increase in the weekly payroll alone
mas been as much as 40 per cent, the
total being lifted nom S2,1l3.55 to
S3,146.36.
1.-THE relation Of landlord and tenant
is a delicate one at the best" says Mr..
Robinson; probably the most delicate
relation in the entire economic field,
and | fear that the rent legislation in
singing out real estate will tend to
make that form Of investment unpopu-
lar at the time when it IS most i'm
portant that new capital be directed
to it.
Some legislation was undoubtedly
necessary, but the laws passed were not
based on a sufficient knowledge OF the
facts TO work out substantial relief.
For example, the % per cent rent raise
limit operates more 10 the disadvantage
of the landlord who wants TO conduct
his tenements decontly than it does TO
the other kind OF landlord. An owner
of property who wants to get all he
can out of his rents will give back as
little as possible in the way OF service
to his tenants.
The price of our coal in the last
three years has gone up 800 per cent,
mechanics wages so per cent, porters'
wages $50 per cent and engineers,
tiremen and coal passers' wages 200 per
cent. In our two largest properties
the coal requirement per day III the
cold winter days amount to sixty-fve
tons, and the daily cost this year WAS
1912 over the cost three years ago, or
a weekly increase OF S2,1S4. Besides
coal the company buys IN the course
of the year more than $57 900 worth OF
supplies OF various kinds for cleaning,
plant operation and mechanical re-
supplies has risen from 80 per cent to
$50 per cent.
Notwithstanding says Mr.. Robin
son, "the fact that the uncertainties in
the building situation and the rent leg
islation combine TO halt the erection Of
needed homes, capital ought to go into
building. People and communities often
make investments for other than i'm
mediate financial return. 1t Is a short
sighted policy to ignore the obvious
menace in the situation; the menace in
the social unrest which Will inevitably
follow unless the housing situation is
soon remedied. We don't take medi-
cine because we like it; we take it to
get well. We may not want TO invest
money in new homes, but we ought to
do il to restore the body polite to
health"
AS an incentive for capital to build
and to show that the high cost of labor
and building materials may be Offset
to some extent, Mr.. Robinson cites
the new development OF the City and
Suburban Homes Company on its
Homewood property in Brooklyn.
This" he says, SIS group OF four
apartment houses, four stories each,
erected on a plot 200x1S0 feet. The
different units are detached and are
grouped about an interior court which
is large enough TO lend itself TO land
scape gardening. Instead of the usual
asphalt there will be in this interior
court a lawn and an attractive group
ing OF trees and shrubs. From tinan-
cial point of view the interesting fea-
ture of the development is that while
only 50 per cent OF the lot is covered
Will DuiiNluSS, as against ~ per CeiI
in the ordinary apartment development,
the return upon the investment is as
good, if not better, than under the old
plan. The architect Of the building is
Andrew J. Thomas.
This development was specifically
commended by the New York State Re
constructive Commission in its official
report issued March IS, 1920, and it
has been the subject OF considerable
study by building experts from differ
ent parts Of the United States and
representatives Of other countries. The
consensus Of opinion is that our Home
wood apartments mark the beginning of
new and greatly improved type of
multi-family dwellings in which light
and air, the desiderata of all housing
design, is now possible without the
sacrifice of income. The interior court
of the Homewood buildings is SO ample
that apartments thereon are more de-
sirable than those facing on the streets"