Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-11
HOW TO RUN A CLUB.
ANNUAL EXPENSES RUN INTO
THE THOUSANDS.
Information for Those Who Belong 20
Clubs, as well as Those Who DO
Not-How to Get Along.
New York Recorder.

town on less than one-hftleth OF thaU SUM-
But the Union league pays more than s2o,-
600 year in rent. insurance ana ia. laA eSo
nearly $1,000 year in repairs, about slo,Uoo
a year in Iiyeries and furniture, nearly $6O,, ]
600 in wages, about Sl4, 600 for light and
fuel and a little over $4,000 year on print
ing and stationery. The Union league
probably spends more money than any clup
in town. The Century spent last year
nearly $500, 600 on house and GROUNDS, yet
its total expenditures for the year were less
than $40 900 in excess of the Union league
The Union League is type OF the splen-
did club. The Grolier. although 1t owns tne
beautiful house which is now Its nome, anu
issues the best-made books printed IN lne
United States. is type of the modest cup.
Look for a moment at Its estimate Oh eA-
penses for the current year, based upon the
experience of several years past: Interest,
5000; taxes, $500; collations, $3.50 printing;
hostage and stationery, $3.50; furniture and
repairs, $500; ice, SIS; total, $3.50.
Running a club is no easy matter, out
any man of moderate experience can make
a pretty close estimate upon the annual eX-
penses of a club when once he knows what
degree of state it intends to maintain.
Given a club of 800 members, what Will II
cost to maintain in first rate style mouse
and a restaurant Such club must ma q
home somewhere between Twenty-hftn ana
F'iftieth streets, and Madison and SlXtn
avenues. Its rent may be anything from
$1,000 to $4,000. A good four-story ana
basement house on side street near Fifth
avenue NAV be rented for about S4OO0 AT
this rate, however, the house will not pc
large A steward may be obtained Tor Slooo
guaranteed. There are various ways OF
paving stewards. In some instances the
steward is paid 4 fixed sum and IS required
out of such sum TO provide the CLUB with
servants and maintain restaurant IN
such cases he takes the profit II suffers the
loss from the restaurant and the sale OF
liquors and cigars Again, it is not unusual
for a club to assume all pecuniary response
pility tor servants, restaurant ana liquors,
and to pay the steward a salary. Stlfl an
other plan is for the club to MAINTAIN part
of the service and the steward another part,
with a guarantee to the steward that ne
shall earn at least certain definite sum-
Whichever way is tried the club managers
usually come TO believe tits the worst posi-
BILE way.
Club stewards are troublesome race.
| Tney are extremely human. Nhen they
| work for fixed salary they frequently
neglect their duty When they work for
| what they can make out of the club they
| quite as frequently neglect every ody's IN
! terests but their own. The honest cluo
| steward is likely to be inefficient. Inc EN-
Gent club steward is likely to be dishonest
| Few clubs keep the same steward three
|
| comes of club stewards after they leave
| their places. When steward comes to 4
| club he usually comes from waiting AT Def
| monico's. or from the under-sJewardship or
head waitership of fashionable Motel.
The real my stery of the club steward has
| never been explained, but 1t Is now ABOUT
| to be unfolded to a GREATNESS world. Inc
club steward is not distinct entity. He IS
| merely a development from the husband of
| the boarding house keeper. That IS why
| he is usually inefficient. Nearly all club
stewards have pretty and efficient wives:
While affairs go to the dogs in kitchen and
| dining-room, and in all parts of the house
| under the stewards direct charge, what
ever comes under the eye of his wife IS IN
| apple-pie order. A general law perelnptor-
| ily diyorcing all stewards from their wives
| would reform the management OF nall Tie
| clubs in this town.
Rent and steward accounted for, there re-
main service, repairs, stationery, light, fuel
and various minor expenses. A club, such
as is here contemplated, should have chef
an assistant cook, four hall boys, four wait
ers porter and chambermaid. The chel
NAV be had for S65 per month, his assist
ant for S25 per month, good hall boys fol
about SIS per month each, walters for -;
per month, though they are more satlsfac
tory at $40: chambermaid for SIG, and
porter for $40. That foots up about S36t
| per month for service A moderate est
mate for fuel and light is $1,000 year. Sta
tionery will cost $3.50 more; printing, $3.50
repairs and renewals, quite $500 more; peri
odicals, at least 500. and various unfore
seen expenses fully $3.50 more. The restau
| rant of a club mum bering 300 average New
Workers is not likely to be paying concern
Such a restaurant will sink from $50 to $50
a month 1t is possible, however, for sucf
| a club to make up in profits on the sale o
liquors and cigars and upon the use OF bll
lizard tables what is lost upon the restau
| rant so that these items may be regarded
as offsetting each other.
. The current expenses of such a CLUB
, then, will reach about $4,000 per year
How shall they be metz The initiation
fees, if the club is supposed to be just start
ing will be nearly consumed IN furnishing
| which will cost say $1,000, and leave a sma
, surplus for emergencies. The dues, at q
per year, would yield, if all members pait
, | lust s12, OOO: but no club can count upo
collecting all its dues. At least per cen
, | should be allowed for uncollectaole due:
Not a few clubs have to allow nearer'2O pc
cent. This discount leaves a net incon
i from dues of ST.. 400 per year, which
nearly $1,000 less than the fixe
the custom, however, for small clut
to keep some apartments for LOGGER
LODGINGS in small clubs being all the wa
from so to $50 per month, it is reasol
| able to expect that the club will obtal
from this source at least one-fourth ar
n possiblv one-third of its rent. If one-fourt
e the rent is thus obtained the income of Gf
n club here considered is brought quite Sl'
i above the annual expenses. If one-th !
= the rent is obtained from lodgings the 4
II nuaI surplus will be about 800. The Gil
g that has a surplus of 800 per year out
9 an income of $4,000 a year is doing remar
y ably well.
n Half the small clubs of New York are e
II gagged in a constant struggle with engulhl
~ expenses. Most clubs of 300 members ha
good deal less than $4,000 year
spend. and the constant effort Is to bril-
l. expenses within means without lmpa1rll
n service. OF course this is impossible, al
the result is constant succession of b
servants, continual complaints from all II
ouenters Of the club and condition
chronic sensitiveness on the part OF &
touse committee. Probably no class
10 servants in New YORK Is worked long
IN | hours than club servants. Every stewa
n. is constantly enjoined to keep down
n. penses, and since poor food and pad hquo
n. will not long be endured by his patro
nc he must economic in the matter
a. service. Most clubs are opened
n. in the morning in summer and
in winter. Few are closed as ca,
as midnight 1t is not unusal for serva
v to 90 on DUTY three days in the week
- noon and STAY until the club closes, twel
or fourteen hours later. After the Chri
p mas box is distributed there is hegira
s, servants. and the members OF any SIN
~ club NAV find familiar faces in any one
Is ! a dozen restaurants. There stands the l;
- | nn.;nna1 Iobn smiling like an old acQua