Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-31
INSIST ON THEIR DlVVY.
Servants who systematically Rob
Their Rich Employers.

The champion toll takers are the coach
men. Most of them are impOrtations,
and the government permits them to en-
ter free of duty-an insult to our own
drivers, Bah But they come here with
purpose to do our Anglomanacs
The head conchman receives from $50 to
so, and his assistant, the fellow who is
sometimes called tiger" and funk"
gets about $40. The hay may be pur-
chased of the most reputable firm in the
world, but if Mr.. Coachman does not get
his "divvy' he reports to his employer
that the horses are not doing well-the
hay is not of good quality, If the oat
man Oh the Produce Exchange does not
put something in the plvy purse Of Mr..
Coachman, the horses have bolts or
something equally impossible-the oats
are unsound 1t is the same with corn
and other provender.
One of the leading firms on the Prod
uce Exchange received from millionaire
in Fifth avenue last week an indignant
letter calling attention to the very poor
oats which they had sold him at an eX
orbitant price They proved that they
had given him the lot at the market price
and introduced dozen witnesses to
show that the oats were the finest ever
sold in this market. But the firm re-
fused to tip the coachman In the matter
of harness why, our fool milhonaires
/ are robbed to beat the band" There
is an alliance between the British har-
ness dealers in New York and all the
coachmen in the city. Nothing can be
bought for II horse to wear unless through
this dealer, who is liberal in his "divyy."
] could name a millionaire who paid
81 200 for set of harness that | could
buy anywhere for half that price His
coachman got the extra 5000.
The style in carriages changes every
season. just to keep people buying and
swapping. The coachman stands in with
the more prominent carriage makers of
this city-deny it who dares and if his
employer feeling trife behind the
fashion. wants TO exchange his cabriolet
a year old for a new one he must pay
nearly the original price. His imported
British coachman makes usually 5000 to
500 by an exchange.
On horscshoeing. axle grease, harness
oils, silver and gold polish, uniforms, etc.
the men connected with the stables of
the millionaire are expected to more than
double their annual salaries. And these
importations, duty free, never fall short
of expectations.
Down to the minutest detail of house
keeping there is profit for the serving
man and the serving women, and woe Ia
the dealer-the butcher, the baker, the
candlestck maker-who refuses to see
the extended palm of Major Domo and
Abigail The mikman pays his way be-
fore he deposits n bottle of water solu'
ton, the butter man agrees to divide
before he scents the pantry with pound
of oleomargarine, the baker has no need
of yeast in his business until he has
fixed" the people below stairs, the ice
man-Great Scott, The giant monopolist
Why, he freezes TO the butler and tbs
cook as liquefed air and can give short
weight until eternity. Coal and wood
Every ton delivered in the millionaire
basement costs 20 per cent more than the
common people pay and every cord lO(
per cent.-New York Press.