The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-02-14
Spread of the Tip Graft.
Millions Paid Yearly to Porters and Walters.
From
Disadvantage.
Pullman Employees Alone Get
$2,oooooO Year--Easy
Money Hotels


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The manner in which the people of
the United States are borrowing the
tipping habit from Europe is a matter
for grave concern. Take the case of
your smiling friend the Pullman por-
ter. Do you know that the dimes
and quarters and half dollars given
him by our travelling public every
year amount to more than 81, ,000, 900
and that we present him with $4,000
every morning before breakfast?
Let's figure it out. There are about
5000 porters in the employ of the
Pullman company. II the total
amount received by each of them
was a dollar a day, that would be
$4,000. But in order to make allow
ance for time Off and for stingy or
frugal travellers who give little or
nothing suppose we knock off a cou-
pie of thousand dollars every morn
ing. That would make $4,000 a day,
or $2,190,0O0 for the year.
This generosity ON the part of the
travelling public would be all right
IL the porters got the benefit of it..
But they do not. Under present con-
dltions the tips are merely another
source of profit for the Pullman COM
pany. One would suppose that all
the time of grown up man, in most
instances with family to support,
would at least be worth $40 a week,
or $40 month, to concern earning
millions of dividends. But the por-
ter gets only $25 a month, and is left
to get the remainder from the pub
lie. Therefore the Pullman company,
on account of tips given to its en-
ployes, makes a saving of SIS per
month on each of them, amounting to
$120. 900, or $1,440,O00 a year.
After the thousands of passengers
arriving at their destination in this
country every morning turn over
$4,000 to the Pullman porters, they
give away another thousand to sta
tion boys who carry their bags out
from the trains. Before they gel
comfortably settled down to the
breakfast table another donation oi
$4,000 or so is made to hack drivers
Then the walters proceed to "get
theirs" After the porters no other
class of servants depends SO much
upon tips as the walters.
In many of the large establish
ments in the cities the attendants
have a perfectly organized system fol
securing and sharing the proceeds
they get from the public. One way o.
working 1t is this: When you enter
the dining room for first meal at 6
hotel the head walter places you a
a table and then watches carefully
| when you leave to see IL you fee tht
waiter. II you leave some change
the head waiter claims part Of 1t.
the one who attended you should re
! fuse to divide, the next time you en-
ter the dining room you will be pu
at some other table, presided over b!
Square man."
Sometimes the only way waite
can get prompt service in the kltchei
for a favored guest is to "see" tn,
server. Thus, when you leave quar-
ter under the edge of your plate 1
does not always go into the pocke
OF the man who attended you, as yol
might suppose, but is distributes
among a number OF employees will
whom you do not come in contact. /
you fail to leave any change unde
your plate and remain at that hote
for any length of time you will b.
likely to receive scant consideration
for the servants will be busy looking
after those people who are not alb
sentminded when they finish thei
meal.
One hotel proprietor tells this ex
perience he had with a new waite
who came to his place. The new ma
came on at the breakfast hour, an
In the course of time was set to wal
upon the manager without knowin
who he was. Instead of serving
small cup of cream for the coffee h
brought milk with it. The manage
said to him: Here, take this mil
back and bring me some cream.
I'VE have no cream" said the new
,omer. The surprised manage
iooked up at him quickly and said
Like thunder you haven't. l am tn
manager of this place, and l jus