Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1907-02-17
A CONGRESSIONAL ACT
AGAINST TIPPING SYSTEM
A Missouri Representative Proposes to
Take the Bread out Of the Mouths OF
Washington Walters.

Washington. D. c.. Feb. Q Especial
Correspondence TO The Republican,
Tip? No tip" Washington walters
and hotel keepers are excited while the
public is cuIiously interested in the fate
IF the measure introduced by Repres-
entative Murphy. Of Missouri, prohib-
itiug the giving or taking Of tips in
hotels or restaurants. For the benefit
Of their patrons the proprietors OF no
tells say they favor such a measure.
but for the benefit OF their walters they
oppose il. Why q hotel proprietor
should favor such Il measure is not
clear When one sees a smOoth-faced
clearly white waiter. deity attending
10 his wants. he instinctively compli-
ments the hotel proprietor for employ
ing such excellent help and regards the
Tip" as a token Of appreciation for
specially attentive service. 1t does no,
occur To the guest. as a rule, that he
pays at the desk for this service and
then pays the waiter. The rate Of pay
for the highest class walters in Wash
inston is $50 per month. In other
words the proprietor pays 81 per day
as sort of retaining fee, TO insure the
presence OF the waiter and to recon-
pense him for such small services rs
he may perform for the hotel Itself,
such as removing soiled dishes and
table linen. But for whatever the
waiter does for the guest the latter is
expected by the hotel proprietor and
the waiter. to pay out Of his own pOCh-
ct. in addition TO settling a bill which
is always high enough to include first
class service. The tariff is usually ten
per cent of the bill. on large checks.
but on small checks say from one to
two dollars il is twenty cents. Il
the check is less than a dollar the
guest is expected To give the change to.
the waiter. The interests Of the hotel
prOprietors and the walters are thus
identical. for as the tip is generally
regulated BY the size of the check, the
larger the check the larger the tip.
No complaint has been heard recently
OF the practice which formerly pre-
vailed TO some extent. under which the
waiter made a faise addition in lead
pencil and thus cheated the guest in
addition to getting a tip. SO much
complaint was made of this custom
that it was practically abandoned and
places. Nor is it customary for wait
els in Washington 10 pay the hotel
proprietors for the privilege of waiting
on their customers in return for tips.
as is the case in some places. They are
confined to the gentle practice Of frown
ing on the modest tipster and of smil-
ing on the more generous.
The writer fails 20 remember in the
course Of long experience with Wash
ington hotels. a case where a man paid
a bill at the table without tipping the
waiter. so he can not say what happens
under such circumstances.
At the so-called family hotels where
the patronage is largely confined to-
permanent guests the tariff for tips isl
s. per week for the man and 81 per
week for each member Of the family.
Thus. where a family has a table at
which sit a man. wife and two daugh-
tars. the waiter is expected 10 receive
a weekly honorarium of 50. OF this
The head waiter collects from 20 to 80
per cent. This rate varies from about
half as much 10 double. according TO
the standing of the hotel. Then there
is the weekly tip to the chambermaid,
of from 81 TO s. per room or bed. The
head porter gets his every time piece
Of baggage is moved. and the porter
moving the baggage is duly rewarded.
Tips to the head porter average 81, and
the active porter receives % to 80 cents
per large piece.
There is no cut and dried system of
feeling the bell boys. Permanent guests
in the smaller hotels try 10 get one or
two bell boys on their stan and fee
them By the week Transients have to
take their chances and fee all the time.
The schedule runs like this: Bringing
in bag and carrying to room. % cents
same on departure: pitcher ice water.
10 cents: drinks in rooms. 10 to p
cents: brushing coats. 10 cents; sta
tionery. 10 cents: other services in
proportion. The usual tip to pages
is ten cents. They call the visitors
cards Pages who open the door to the
telephone booths get to 10 cents.
Elevator boys in family hotels expect
% cents to 80 cents per week from each