THE BAD TENANT

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 1 June 1923, Page 7

THE BAD TENANT

HOW SLUMS ARE MADE. “There are two sides to every story,” said the landlord. “Come with me and I will show you. We read a lot about the avaricious landlord and the sufferings of the poor tenants who live in slums! But we don’t see much in print regarding.the vicious tenant and the suffering landlord, nor of how good tenements are turned into slum quarters by neglectful and dirty people, who seem to consider it is quite the proper thing to damage other people's property.” So an “Auckland Star” reporter went out with the landlord to one of the suburbs. Tbe house to which lie referred was a pretty villa, standing on a nice rise. It had been newly painted white, and the exterior aspect -was all that could be desired. “Things can’t be very bad inside here,” thought the reporter. “Surely the owner must be exaggerating.” But there wasn’t anything in the way of exaggeration about it. Tho first thing to assail the senses was the smell —it was as bad as a rubbish tip! Everywhere, halls and rooms, the Avallpaper was torn and soiled, in places covered with grease and grime. The doors had been used in place of boards for games of dart-throwing, and the timber looked as if an army of borers had been at work. Every wall was studded with nails; windows and locks were broken, and amateur, and presumably juvenile, artists had exercised their doubtful talents on the papering. In one room the fire liad been allowed to set the mantel alight, the mantelpiece in another room had been disfigured by the carving of initials thereon, and in yet another room it appeared as if a fire had be&n lit on the floor, for the weatherboards had partly been burned through. The kitchen stove was coated with grease and dirt to the depth of an inch, cupboards and sinks were in a filthy and smellful condition, apparently never having been cleaned during the two years’ occupancy of the departed tenant, and all through the house were signs of dirt and neglect. The conditions in the yard were no better. There was ample room for a garden, both for flowers and vegetables, but a spade had never been put to earth, excepting to half-bury a mass of decaying rubbish, the smell of which pervaded the atmosphere all around. The yard was littered with rags, paper, and other refuse, and just outside the back door was a heap of tea leaves ahd kitchen refuse, which added further to the scene of general insanitation, untidyness and neglect. Piping had been torn off the rear portion of the building, so that the water had run down and decayed the weatherboards. Altogether, the place was in ‘a disgusting state, and one could hardly help sympathising with the strongly expressed feelings of the owner. It was stated that the house was in good repair when the last tenant took possession, two years ago, and that it would now take a matter of £2OO expenditure to put it in the same order again. In the two years’ tenancy tlie sum of about £l5O had been received (the place had been let at the very reasonable rent of 30/- a week), so that tho owner was at a loss of £SO for the period mentioned, and he had also to pay rates' and taxes, and will be unable to malco any further use of the place for several weeks until renovations have been made. The tenant had the opportunity of a nice home and garden. Tie had turned a pretty property into a pigsty. “Are you satisfied now as to how slums can be made?” asked tlie owner. “Quite!” replied the reporter.