Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1876-03-30
Cost Of Living at the Cen.
tennial.

The following from the New York
Times, shows Row visitors to the Centen-
NAL are to be lodged and fed:
The"CeRtennial Lodgiug>house Agency
Iimited,) proposes to fill up the void by
making use of boarding. houses and
private residences as a supplement to the
hotels thus utilizing the "homcs' Of
Philadelphia. Their plan was to first
contract with large number of house,
holders aud boarding house proprietors
for certain rooms for the accommodation
of such guests as the agency might send
to them. and also furnish such rooms
suitably, and further to supply the
guests with supper of tea and coffee,
with meat, brCai and butter, and a break
fast of tea aud coffee, warm meat or FISH,
vegetables, bread and butter. Dinner
formed no part Of the arrangement, the
idea being that the visitors would get
this meal inside the Centennial grounds.
Payment was to be made to the pro-
prietOrs and landlades By coupons, to be
sold in all the railway and steamship
Offices in connection with travelling tickets.
And these coupons the agency proposed
to cash twice week at their Office, Nc.
l,0l0 Walnut street. On all the trains
coming into the city we're to be agent Of
the association, who were to inquire for
the holders Of such coupons and furnish
them with location cards, blleting them
on such and such houses, each card con-
tanning the most minute directions how
to reach the allotted quarters. Ia the
prospectus issued by this agency they de-
clarcd their belief that there we're hun
dreds Of boarding house proprietors, and
also hundreds Of others occupying large
houses who would be glad to throw open
tteir doors to strangers, when they had q
certainty of receiving proper remuner'
alton and of full houses. And they placed
themselves in communication with this
class Of the public by inserting perma
net advertisement in the Ledger, callin.
upon them to come and make contracts.
The price of a coupon ticket for lodging
supper. and breakfast was fixed by th,
agency at $3.50 per day, aud as thu
boarding-house keepers in many parts o
Philadelphia had been accustomed to re-
ceive from S. to 81 per week thankfully
for board and lodging, they of course
jumped at an offer which was the mine,
Of Peru. The prospectus spoke of hun
drsds of persons who would probably b
willing, bat IN this they were extremol,
difident and more modest than the oc
casion called for. The fact is, that up t
the present time the number of such con
tracts made has been over eighty thou
sand. | state this upon the authority o
one Of the clerks Of the agency, from
whom l received also the information tha
the agency was now prepared to furnis
accommodation to no less than thirty .fv
thousand people daily.
Let us consider the case Of man an
his wifo who visit the Centennial and sta
one week under the auspices Of th
agency. They may be placed anywher
in the city, in good quarter or a ba
one, next door to handsome house or t
a brewery and lager beer saloon. The
have to take their chances Of that. The
have to pay at least 81 per head for thei
dinners within the Centennial grounds
for the keepers Of restaurants there hay
gone to great expense to erect temporar
structures, have paid large sums for II
concession to the Centennial autboritie
8 and are there to make money. This wi
make the bill Of the couple $40 per wee
for mere board and lodging. Imust co
fess that consider this gross extortio
q deliberate skinning of the public