LANDLORD AND TENANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 159, 17 May 1864, Page 4

LANDLORD AND TENANT.

To the Lditor of the Xkw Zeai.an i>l Lekalj>. Sil;, —My attention lias been c;illt-«i to a letter in tin.' SuHlittnt of Saturday, under tin: above heading, mill alluding to a eonple ..i letters of mimpublished recently in the 4 11 ek,w.l>," under the title * oi " lJirt, Death." " ! Un tin; whole, I have noihing to complain of in * j the strictures nt" 44 K."—tin: writer in thu >Suuthrrn Cross—for he evidently agrees in the main with all I wrote. The chief exception lie takes to luy Utters is, 5 that I have been too hard on the Jaiidloid. Now, 1 judging Iroin Ui.j internal evidence, aifoided by his ' It tier, " K. ' is a landlord, a liiitiM: owner himself, and he looks at the .subjret therefore natural] v enough through a landl"iu\s pair of spectacles'; \ though 1 will do liim the justice to say, that thev are not of .so deep a tint as manv that i have luct ' iviili. 1 Let me at the outset assure " li." that I do nut wish to make " hitter and oilensive remarks on the > rapacity ot fanulurd*." Thi> was no ]>art of mv object. And 1 think J used language, very little ! stronger, il' any, than was used in tin' report preJ rented to tiie City JJoard. 1 am quite aware, iium no inconsiderable experience, that landlords have their troubles witli careless, diitv, untidy,thoughtless tenants. I'ut the neglect of duly oil tJie part of the tenant can aflord tk> apology for the gross negleel of all sanitary matters by ttie house owners, ami thu authorities of Auckland. Lot, the two hitler all'ord means for carrying off the refuse filth, that tenants are compelled to have at their doors, day by dav, and night by night, for want of saniLary measures adoj>ted, and then the landlords may well write ami complain of the filthy habits and caiclessness of their j tciiautd. iiut till this is done, it is simply tho case

of the Ijettlo informinsr the pan that the latter is not vervclem. And the landlords Winy: the hotter edueat.<l and havii.si a lvcennr nppreeia)ion of the necessity ol hnvinsr pood wholesome dwellings to live in, oueht na' urally to set the tenants :. -jood example. Tt would be so much nicer, ami move agreeable fur fhe landlord 1" eo to a slovenly tenant mid say,— Xmv, 31 r>. Smith, y>.u see to what an exppnse'T hnvo prone to in this street and on this house. There, is a. suwer made that will carry off all your slops and dirt v water—them is t'v openinpr to it, and yon must not. thoiofor.-) throw your refuse wnt'-r lure, there, and iinywhere as you have he>-n aO'iisfomed (o do, hut win inu-t pour it where it will easily liial a way into'the sewer, ami Ihrn it will all be carried away, ami you wil: see no mon- of it ; ;,:id the dirt, i-ois, and 'otla-r ..d.ls and ends that you have hitherto (brown about in a careless manner, you must carrv to and put in tin- ec.-xpnnl, which is brick-lined and cemented, and which will hi! res-nlpr'v ijinjitieil when occasion roquiios, so that the health >'f yourself, ymir husband, and votir chiMren may not suiVer iVom th.->- things. ! have done my part. Tlie expense lias been equal to s>. many weeks rent, and 1 trust you will do your pait, and keep all about the house as nice anil tidv as y>lll can, for 1 am determined, as far as possible, t>. have only decent clean people in my houses. .

If " R" will assist, as from the tone of his letter T doubt not lie will, in improving (lie present ilisirracoful state of things in Ancl:lari(l as ree-firds public sanitajy measnies, 1 will promise him to take up my ]ien accordintr to his bint, and trive the tenants aworilortwo about th. ir duty, lint let us first, clear the -.Totind hy 11 system of μ-ooil diain.'ure, and a pipe lo every house in Auckland that will convey to the dwellers therein an unlimited supply of pure water.

1 do not wi-b to, 1!Or _1,;,n 1, enter into the question of whether the landlords of Auckland at. the present moment urn " victimised sorely" or not. i\ly own private opinion is, that I slioiild rather like to bo tin- victim ownimr a score or two of houses in the neighbourhood of Auckland. 1 fancy T could bear the tortures I should have to undergo 'in ,1 rom.-.ikably quiet milliner, wh.n \ consider the Mai cost of a house and th» land it stands on, and the rent that is weekly paid for it. No, no, K, that line of iirL'ument wont do. And if lam wronu', just "tot up" ihe cost of a house that will now let for fifteen to twenty shillings a week, and we shall soon see bow mauy VcaT-s rental it will take to pay for the whole concern. An>! does not K see. too, that the perv yreat demand there is for hnusei here, {rives the. landlord a power he cannot so well have whore houses are in excess of (he demand, t<. choose his tenant, and if he finds him c.,reless j.ii.l dirty l.e eaii turn him out. anil let the houses npaiii a lioren times over, before the ejected has nrot ai! his furniture out eV.-n.

One mil! more The Ixst pnrairiaph of the letter of- 1 1;," -hems, too. 1 fancy thai h.'- dors no! consider j himself a vi iv trreat vi.-tiiii, hv tai-itly admitting that, ' very u-Vh ivnts an- n..w r,civ,-,! hy ']„„■ ilf.rd.-. The | tiii'ethat tliev arr- recoil imr these very high rentals , just, the time'tiiat th'-y can hot atioid to push for- j ward measures of sanitary reform, and as yon cor- .' nitly ivmarked, wi;,t ( -i- is tlie very bo-t'tmie for : devisinir and marurin-r plans. I woiild ask " ]{" to ■ , invite l'.is In-other landlords to a. mee-tire-to omsUer I the.-iibject, and to dvo their views to tin- City Hoard and Ihe public. This will not only test theirsim-erity, ! but it will, in all sob,.miss, be'a wise act on their > put, for del,, nil upon it. tin- people nf Auckland, ! oow.-vor Mhat-ii- ai.,l r.n.le-s tb.-v may hav b:-ei, i I -u Ih.-Mil.;eet, will L-rndiialiy ..pen their eyes, when ! I thiy elearlv see the sickni-sy, death, and coi-nni-nt ! misery, si rrow, and Ins-, tluit is canned (h> c i i.-iiiii- ! i-ity ;It lanre)>y the shoekinir ur.'rlect nl'n, y ;.re- ; ■ •aiilionary im-;i-.iire ne.-.-sary to pnniiot. and j-ivs.-rvi. 11... publ!('- health. " I !-'.ir inyf-i-lf. havinsr no private or juihlif ends In j serve, ami nnthiu- to tr:- in or Use, ay.art iViuu what ; we all li.se by our ne-liit, I shall only be t.,, 1,;.|.j.v ■ to see the hmisc-i.xvn.TS ~f Auckland 'l. . .kirn; ai ! mos! im| ■■in-taut .-ul.j'-.t in its 11 ue li.ybt. f<.r 1 ipiil.- ! l.elifve with "If," that improved .--.Military iiikimhvs j ] would in the cud pay for tl-.eni.-c Ives, and'th..- hi.us,-- j hold jiro'ieitv be pniualienilv and irieath- imjiroved. ! I am," .Vc. j Dki.ta. a Auckland, ."VFay Hi. l.si;.|.