Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-29
SERVANTS OF MANY KINDS.
An Old Employment Agent Tells How
Help is Being Paid.

From the New York Press.
communicative and affable member of one
of the oldest employment agencies in the city
in 4th avenue, tells goodly number of the ms
and outs of the servant question, especially as
regards the wages of walters and porters at
hotels, and of cooks and nurses and coachmen.
Head walters" said he, ''get all the way
from $50 to S75a month, that is if they are
good ones. During the summer season they
often engage for the whole season. some Of
them getting as high as $500, although s225 is
q fair average. Colored walters seem to be pre-
ferred. In private families here in the city
the butler gets from $40 to S5ORa month He re
You can run over my books and see how the
prices run"
A glance at the book showed that the butler
in one particularly well-known house in 9Th
avenue got $50 month for his services. Others
ran from $40 to $50. The second walters re-
ceived wages from $50 to SS5.
Walters in hotels" the proprietor went on,
get about the same as the second walters in
our wealthy families. AtDemonicos the price
averages about S35. You didn't think they got
SO much and that they depended almost wholly
for living on tips? No. But you see the
walters have to furnish their own dress suits,
and that is an item to be deducted. They are
thrifty lot though, most of them, and they
are as smart as steel traps. They learn the art
of being slow when they have a customer who
is known to be chary of his tips, and they man.
age to make life SO uncomfortable to such a
man that he is either driven away or changes
his habits to more liberal ones. In this way, of
course, the hotel waiter, like all others, for
that matter, manages to swell his Sc or 80 a
week to from twice to five times that. The
wages remain about the same as they have been
OF late. Are there many walters idle2 Well.
yes, good many. There are many servants of
all kinds idle now, but more among the women
than the men. There are so many young girls
trying to get positions that the number of I'M
employed is greatly swelled. 1 don't know the
cause. am sure, unless it is the slow year we
have had in business which has made it neces-
sary for them to seek some kind of employ
ment"
How do wages of porters average?"
well, they run from S25 to $40. You see
this requires strong men and pretty active SER
vice. These prices remain about as they have
BEEN"
do cooks get as good wages as they have
been receiving the past few years."
We'll, yes, the cooks hold their own. You
see here in my book how it is. Here is a lady
in Connecticut whom / supply regularly You
see, she pays pretty high, S45. That is unu-
sual but she has to have an unusually good
cook. Here they run, you observe, at $780,
here's one for S25. AS we supply some of the
best people in the city, as you will notice from
the names, it is necessary for us to send good
cooks. OF course there are some good cooks
who gradually drop down in price as they learn
to drink more and more; but we carefully
avoid all such. From SOS to S35 is the average
price. Here is a lady, leader in society," who
pays $40 for her cook; and here is another
who has been giving S35; here's one at $50,
and S25. You see. they jump back and forth
here at $685. $50, S35 &C.. with occasionally
one dropping to S20 but none below on this
list. This book is confined to servants sent to
or coming here from well-known people of
wealth."
The subject next took in coachmen and
| rapid turn of the leaves of the book showed
what some of New York's well-known men pay
monthly for their family jehus. There were
great many S35 and $40 entries, with goodly
sprinkling of S45s. Here and there $50 entry
came to view. THAT $780," the agent ex-
planned, Stands for good coachman such as
a leading family of this city must have. There
Is nothing mean about that kind of coach
man. He is fine looking man. carries his
head well up, and handles the whip and the
reins in style These men who get $50 are
generally married men who sleep at home.
The single men generally have a bedroom
fitted up over the stables. They don't get as
high wages, probably $40 or S35, or even as low
as $50. A real swell coachman, however.
would be shocked at the mere mention of $50
month.
Now, out in the country a coachman can be
hired for less You can get real good one to
go there, if he will go at all, for S25. You see
he has his board and lodging both there, and
that makes all the difference"
When it comes to nurse girls the indications
are that they can be had for almost any price
and for this reason-they were not scheduled
in the book of reference kept by the agent
"a girl is never SO young" said the agent,
that she does not think she is old enough to
mind a baby. Consequently the market is
flooded with nurse girls l can't give you any
price. Well, say So or 80 month. If they
can get their board and lodging and few dol
lars extra a month they jump at the chance
/ cat for hat
They are as plenty leaves in autumn"