The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-05
Even Americans Astonished at Extrnv-
 agance in BuenOs Aires
From the Boston Herald.

From the Boston Herald.
 Advices from Buenos Ayres are that each United States delegate to the Pan- American conference was assigned re- ception room of his own, which adjoined his sleeping room, so that he could ap- propriately receive visitors from the oth CT delegations or such persons as he wished. The entire arrangement proved very satisfactory to the Americans and also the hotel management, which there by enriched itself s4O0 a day from the s1O0, GOO appropriation made for the dele gates by Congress.
 To infer for moment that this price was exorbitant would be merely to mis- understand that Buenos Ayres Is living up to it's reputation of the most expen- sive city in the world. Exposition prices are fanciful in many places. but when one gets the combination of exposition prices and Buenos Ayres prices the result can be easily understood.
 The responsiveness of Buenos Ayres comes on one insduously Besides the American gold dollar there is in circulation the silver dollar, or peso, the value of which is A cents. So when you are informed that your room and bath is to be s11 or SIP a day, you make rapid mental di- vision by 100, multiply by Al. and reason that Sl1lce II IS leSs llidh d .lAt-uOAldl Diii it is not very much, especially in view of the accommodations you are getting.
 About the first thing you do after reach ing the hotel is possibly to take car riage ride about the city, after leaving clothes for the presser and laundry for the wash. You return, perhaps, after two hours. and the 'cochero'' tells you to give him what you like. You give him $5-about s2 gold-and he clearly shows his delight
 Then you go in ts dinner In the brilliant and artistic dining room, with the or chestra in the gilded balcony above and the tables far apart and the prices do not frighten you. The dinner is s, which seems reasonable when you have eaten it, but here you notice that there are some little trimmings which begin to send the price up The waiter expects at least $1 for a tip. and you have found that. the rarest thing in the dining room is the waiter.
 A story is going the rounds about La mar C. Quntero. who went into a cafe for lunch, following it with a cigar and cordial The lunch was $1, the cigar s1 50 and the cordial $2.5O.
 But the delegates did not really find out how expensive Buenos Aires was until they had begun to settle down One member went out to get new top hat and hat box about the second day in the city He found what he wanted; price $9O.
 Meanwhile. Lewis Nixon had been mak- ing arrangements for an automobile. He found one that would do, but decided not to take it.
 .eThey are not going to get $150 day of my American money for any automo- bile.'' he said.
 About this time John Bassett Moore returned from a walk downtown with two books under his arm. They were ordinary paper-covered books that he had neglested to buy in New York be- fore leaving He seemed delighted to have the books, but" said he. what do VOL suppose they charged me? Ten dollars. gold, apiece. And quite ordinary volumes.
 why, that's just what I paid for a Derby hat $1O gold,' answered Cabot ward. "Who was it said this place wasn't expensive?"
 The laundry bills were coming in to the delegates marked s19.50, $24SO, and the bills for clothes pressing were pret- ty well keeping pace
 One of those in the party had tear half an inch long in q coat, sucn a mat fer as would prompt one to give tall or a cigar in New York Tor craving lit together -
 HThat'll be at least sivin dollars said the Argentine -Hibernian maid, when l as,sed to send it to the tailor. Any kind | of sewjn' here is viry expinslVe. 1 what a new suit of clothes would cost m one has dared to inquire