Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-16

INAUGURAL BALL.
That the time for preparations for the
Inauguration is drawing to close is evidenced
in many ways around the inaugural head
! quarters. Calls have been issued for final
meetings Of committees. The floor committee
holds meeting this afternoon at o'clock, at
which it is expected arrangements will be
made to govern the operations of that COM
mittee on the night of the ball. The reception
committee will meet Tuesday at o'clock. The
veterans of the 1910 campaign will hold meet
ing at inaugural headquarters Wednesday
afternoon.
AT THE RAILROAD DEPors.
The committee on public comfort is also pre-
pairing for the end. This end will be partic-
ularly active one. The committee will estab-
lish two clerks, Messrs. Lipscomb and Brosnan
at the railroad depots. They will begin their
labors there March l. Strangers upon ar
irving, will see placards posted about the de-
pots directing them to the room where the
clerk of the public comfort committee has his
desk. Many of these persons will have already
secured quarters through the committee and
will have to be directed to their quar-
s ts'S enDloS Ssdp' of SIXTY boys will
go with strangers and guide them to their
quarters. This corps Of boys was selected this
afternoon. There were about hundred appli-
cants, and they filed one of the large rooms in
questioned as to his knowledge Of the streets
and localities Of the city, These boys will be
employed from March to March 4. The COM
mittee will keep its rooms at the depots open
all night March and until early in the morn
ing OF March 4, when they will be closed.
THE HACKS.
Hack Inspector Quinlan was at headquarters
to-day talking over the arrangements about
hacks and other conveyances to be used by the
guests at the ball. The agreement among liv-
erymen, MIR. Quinlan said to q STAR reporter,
only included about twenty Of the leading
livery stable keepers. There are q large num-
Der of hacks owned by small stable keepers
and by street hackmen not included. The
rates fixed by the Commissioners will apply to
will not.
PRICES FOR ROOM AND BOARD.
A number of statements have been published
out of town to the effect that an exorbitant
price is asked for room and board here during
the inaugural period. Col. L. P. Wright,
chairman of the public comfort committee,
said to STAR reporter to-day that he did not
understand where these alleged complaints
have their foundation. People are quoted as
saying that rooms are hard to get even at ex-
orbitant rates that board is only to be had at
the most extravagant prices. There can be no
truth in such statements he said, for his COM
mittee has accommodations waiting for fully 15,-
900 people at rates that are fair and reasonable.
Il have Just located a small excursion party of
Rostonians," he said, lin very comfortable
quarters in good location, and the cost to each
member will only be SO. so a day. That cannot
be regarded as an exorbitant figure for fine
rooms and superlative board in a private FAM
ilyi Those people wrote to me, told me how
much they were willing to pay and sent me a
cash deposit to secure their quarters"
A member Of the committee when asked by
STAR reporter If the charges were any higher
now than ordinarily, said:
NO; they are not-at least not for transient
guests. You could not expect to be sheltered
and fed for two or three days at the same rates
which would prevail if you were going to stay
for a month or year. Then, again, a great
many Of the people who rent rooms or board
strangers during the inaugural period do not
do so at any other time. and they never would
do it at all if it had to be done on
basis of $40 a month for a room or $40
a month for board. 1t would not be reasona-
BILE to expect them to do SO. But to say that
extortionate prices are being charged is, so far
as We know, entirely without foundation in
fact If everybody that wants accommoda-
tons would only apply to us there would be no
complaint We can fit all kinds of pocket
books, and we are prepared to provide rooms
and board for from IL, 900 to Is, 900 more peo-
pie at prices which range from % to IS per
day."
One Of the complaints as to high prices for
rooms has been published extensively. The
particular instance referred to was one where
1900 had been asked for the rent of two rooms
from March to March Z. A STAR reporter
looked the matter up and discovered that the
rooms both fronted on Pennsylvania avenue
and each room was provided with three large
windows. At moderate figures each window is,
ON Inauguration day, worth $50, for they afford
a splendid view of the Avenue and parade
10 oil nod
heated. After deducting the $3.50 which the
six windows would earn on the 4th there is left
$40 to be accounted for.
NOTES.
Chairman Britton, Gen. d. H. Hastings and
Gen. George b. Williams were at the War de-
partment this afternoon in conference with the
authorities of the department in relation to
the inaugural parade.