To the Editor of the "Norra Cuma Dany News."
Sm,—With so many evil landlords being exposed in the columns of your paper, possibly a change might be of interest to your readers.
We have lived in our present house, nder our present landlord, for many The Cathedral Has carry on for the vest many years and bean EN ONES.
During that time he has never When the value of T feel sure will be able to keep out of financial trouble until 1945 when the rentals from the Honan Road property will be available Tu regard to (b):—The Cathedral School premises in Kiukiang Road are now being used as a hospital which pays $60,000 per annum as rent and the lease expires shortly. The Trustees may consider it advisable to renew this lease, but presumably at an increased rental, There ix about 28 750 square feet of saco which could be used as offices. The present rate for office space in that district for a three-storied building is $6 per square foot ver annum without heat and the estimated income would he $172,500 ver annum Cut this by 30 per cent. to allow for emntv offices and we have a figure of $120,750 per annum.
The Trustees have fyll powers to raise funds on the security of the Cathedral Lot and buildings, The assessed value of the Lot is over $4. 000,000 and, with the buildings, gi ample security for the amount of $900,000 which it is proposed to raise to purchase the eowity in the Cathedral School. But this does not allow for alterations, printing ete. if the hospital leaves the vrem-ses, and $100000 would probably be required making a total of $1.000,000. which would have to be raised. This could probably be arranged as a mortgage or an overdraft with the Cathedral bankers at 8 per cent per annum, or, $80,000.
The position would be as follows:—
Rent of Cathedral School $120,750 Less Interest 80,000 the Chinese dollar greatly depreciate ed, we suggested to him that we pay a higher rental, but unlike the ordinary landlord of whom we read. he refused to accept an increase; and this in spite of the fact that he lives outside China, so his receipts are se-nously affected by the adverse exchange. When the dollar declined still more, he suggested that we pay the rates, which he had paid up to that time, We were, of course, only too glad to agree to this. But this is the only increase we have had. I recall that on one occasion some years ago. when times were hard, he wrote telling us to take the August rent towards sending the family away for a holiday. He is not a rich man, and has a large family to support and educate. But he is a Christian! It is a grand thing to be a Christian. and it's a grand thing to have a Christian landlord in Shanghai today We rent in all four properties in Shanghai, from three different land. lords, all Christians. We have the utmost fairness from them all: I might even say generosity. We have rented from people who are not Christians, of various nationalities, and our experiences have tallied with those described in your paper. But it is a pleasure to be able to tell a very different story with regard to those landlords who are genuine Christians: and remember there are false, as well as true. Christians. "By their fruits ye shall know them."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.