Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-31
TO SAVETHE HOUSE
10 PROTECT THE LANDLORDS
From Men That Get rhsir Living y
Beating ths nessAs--ae~
o. Wea caaeha-

bus.nuss sitn come persons and 10 tHk0
the dtmoss vigliancs o. she pars ~ =
hotel G soc ~ keep the hoosr from -
lns tAnkrupssd ~ ~ uaachiassaons =
dead -hraeA-
one Of the most anuoying Of all ~
hosei SHARKS u the man that s'eneakos
meslA He casually dreps In and GO
away and IL shs CLERKS are ell busy u y
impossible 70 detect hlm. There aso
seys raj men. veil known 10 the ciey.
Who have made = practice tor ysass a
dining ~ the expenss Of the landiords
Of the leading hotsis. They 50 70 the
dining room without registering and
after the meal Was over. cheeFfuiiy
sneak out the side entrance and 50
their way.
The latest device adopted by hotels
for PROTECTING shemeetves against the
the meal ticket syssem. The clerk Of
the hotel ,ssues nou-transferrable
ticket 10 each guest. and = man siands
~ the door 70 collect them. Persons
that do not provide themselves With
tickets are obliged 20 70 hack and get
them before they can procure entrance
70 the dining ON.
"Do travellers make any kick abou-
the meal ticket systemy' ssked . re
porter for TIE HEnALD Of one Of the
leading hotel LIEN Of the city the other
day. mo. don't think they co." re-
spouded the landlord cheerfully.
They make no objection whatever.
At first the public did find . little
fault. but the eystem 10 being 20 gen.
orally adopted that experienced travel
ere take IL 40 . matter OF course.
IL 10 msnifestly the only way q hotel
can protect, ltseif; and 10 no more OF an
effort tn The guests OF the house than
the ticket system OF Q railroad or
tbeater. Nobody thinks Of registering
when he goes 70 play and then pay
over. The hotel ticket eystem 10 con-
Quoted essentially on the came prlnci-
pie. We don't question . mans hon.
ticket. We merely protect ourselves,
aud really protect HIM az the came
time: for II checks against overcharges
and similar mistakes liable 10 be made
BY clerks when they are In hurry.
oovee Lou OF noory.
1.-The system saves lots Of money and
10 being generally adopted. Why, We
have been getting done up right along
for Year,; but there 70 no way TO stop H.
Men have been coming here every two
or three days and eating our good d.n-
ners. forgetting oil about the cashier in
thsiI anxiety TO get away.
"Just ~ On example, about two year,
ego one OF the employees came 10 me
and pointed out man that vas citing
on one Of the settees. ieisurely smok-
ing . cigar. i knew the man by
sight 80 had Often seen HIM
about the house. I vas Informed
that he had been IN the habit OF taking
dinner with ne every two or three DAYS
for several weeks. but the clerk had
never seen the shape Of bic round dol
lar. ! had one OF the port~rs wAtch
him, aud sure enough he went up 90
dinner. I stationed q porter in the
side stairs and kept watch OF the main
stairway myself. When the heat came
out of the dining room he started 20
go down the side stairs, but seeing the
porter lac decided 70 try the man stsir.
, way. I was waiting 10 receive him
when he came down. 1 asked hiu n
he VS. registered. He sa,d be wasn't.
but vac going TO right awsy. Then /
suggested that ne should alwaye register
before gong 81 the dining room, 90 We
might know ne vac there. He stopped
to the cashiers window AID threw
down . $40 bill. / told the cashier 90
drop the hill IN the drawer and call n
equare. You ought 10 have heard that
man KICK. When ne got through told
him that the nouse wae still loser hv
the deal. bus Ne should keep the bill ss
part payment. Then ! told him that
he might have us arrested il he wanted
20. He d'do't want to. and the porters
were Insiructed 20 nra him out IL be-
ever came inede the house again.
meet him on the street OCCASIONALLY.
hot he never recnxnises me- That's
| just . ssmpie III what We have TO en-
dure . good share Of the time"