Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-05-03
TROUBLES OF THE TENANT.
Ancient Records Bearing Oh Present
Day Problems.
Rent SYSTEM OF BABYLON and NIPPUR
Only Those Who Live in Tents or
Sleep Under. the Skies Can Live on
the Earth. Without Having 10 Pay
Tribute To Owner of House.oi' | and.

The modern head of family who
must move or worry about rental
rates and leases, 'whet theron is1ayj1 or
some of our other::tmoving days. may
think that Americans are alone in
having such troubles. But according
to bulletin from the Washington D.
c., headquarters of the National Geb-
graphic Society. familis Safe;Yh having
similar tribulations, s,Whether in japan,
Persia; or England, and have had eYic-
tions and harsher penalties hanging
over them since men wrote on clay
tablets 1000 and more years ago.
Rented habitations we have had
with us always, like the poor----and
perhaps the two are not altogether. un-
related. says the bulletin. "Nomads
alone seem able to escape the shadow
of the rent man, reflection which.
may make somewhat tenderer place
in our hearts for the Gypsy. ~
LANDLORDS and Rental Agencies il
Babylon. ~.
THE very earliest records of daily
transactions that have been found,
the clay tablets on which were writ
ten the contracts of Babylonia 5000
and 1000 years ago, show that the
renting of houses was a fourishing
business among the landlords Of Baby
lon and Nippur. The existence of
commission merchants and labor agen-.s
cies leaves little doubt that real estate
and rental agencies also existed much
rs they do today. One can almost pic
ture the frantic house-hunting en-
gagged in by one Sinidinnam, perhaps
accompanied by Mrs. Sin, and doubt
ness led by a bright young man from
the Nippur Rental Agency, which pre- !.
ceded the execution Of the following
lease dated the fourth month, first
day in the year 2052 B. c.:
1.-The house Of .Damu-ribam, from
Damu- -ribam, Sin-idinnarl, the mer-
chant, has rented as a dwelling. and
possession at yearly rental Of 1-3
Of a shekel Of silver. -! :, ~ j..
1.-THE ordinary dwellings, Of Nippur
were probably mere shacks Of sum
dried brick with mud roofs, but even
for such poor dStions the III rem
T tai was cheap from-arnHodern,pe pefnt.ot-
| view. At most shekel Is believed to I
have had little more purchasing power
than s5 has today, so ,SinSsidinnam had
the use Of a house for less. than 81 a
year. The highest rentals set out in
the clay leases Of Babylonia were six !.
shekels, or about $50 a year, a striking
contrast to rentals in some more pre-
tentious modern apartment houses
where the charges exceed $1,000 a
month.
Notaries and oaths 1900 Years Ago.
"Babylonian procedure In regard: to
real estate was little different from our
own. Formal contracts and deeds had
to be attested by notary. and In
swearing the person taking the oath
raised his right hand. An official copy
of the transaction, on q clay tablet,
with the notary's astestation was de-
posted in the temple, the courthouse
Of those days.
"There was an>excellent reason for
paying ones rent promptly in Babylon,
for creditors could seize one Of the
debtors household for hostage and
hold him until a satisfactory settle
ment was made. Interest rates were
rather discouraging, also. the usual
rate referred to on clay tablets being
20 per cent. Instead Of a penalty OF
ten per cent as provided in modern
notes il legal steps must be taken to
collect, Babylonian notes provided Tor
the doubling of the debt.
Tenement Houses In Rome.
Little is known Of rental customs In
Athens, Rome and Byzantium, but
probably they were little different from
those of Babylon and New York, though
rates were naturally higher than IN the
former and lower; than in the latter.
Rome had it's tenementfhouses; of sew
eral stories housing numerous fami-
lies; but they were built of sun-drted
brick and stucco and have long since
crumbled.
"In Japan today, one of the pressing
economic problems is the. rapid In
crease of rents. Charges for the use
of bamboo and paper dwellings that
make up the majority of. the habita-
tions in the cities have increased five
fold in the last five years and there is
much congestion.
Even in Teheran, Persia, conges-
ton has inevitably created tenement
houses. In spite Of their injunctions
Of religion and custom to seclude their
women. the families of many Persian
! workmen use a common street door
and occupy rooms opening on a COM
mon court. The rent is approximately
ST per room per month, price which
does not appear very small when 1t is
understood that the unskilled laborer
receives about 80 cents for each day he
works"
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