To the Editor of the "Norrs-Cuina Dairy News."
S1r,—I venture to beg space for a few lines in your paper, on the above, with the hope that iv may be the means, perhaps, of doing a little to put an end to house profiteering.
This week I replied to an advertisement of a house to let, with the furniture to be taken over. The following morning I received a reply stating the locality of the house, and that the furniture to be taken over was Tls. 3,500, (four roomed house), and if I was further interested to apply to Chinese P. O Box. No—.
Needless to say, I am not interested in that costly furniture, and I think that one can safely say this is an instance of sheer profiteering.
I would suggest as an antidote for this kind of profiteering, that if landlords and house agents were to refuse to transfer leases on houses, it would do much towards stopping the above evil.
If landlords, etc., were to see their way clear to fall in with this view, they would not only be helping the community at large, but themselves, for ay the moment. there is hardly a lease that is renewed without the rent being advanced at the same time; also there would be no question of their not being able to let the house, when the demand greatly exceeds the supply.
T am, etc., Tenant.
Shanghai, Aug. 18,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.