The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-25
HOTEL MEN KICKING AT THE HIGH PRICES WHICH CUT PROFITS Some of the Big Gates Are Being Run At Actual
 Loss CANNOT RAISE PRICE AND CANNOT REDUCE QUANTITY Restaurant Men Fear That if Prices of Staples Continue To Soar Their
 Prices Will Have To Be
 Advanced Also.

bread ana meat TOT his Wife and baDles is not alone in his troubles.
 The hotels and restaurants are being hit and hit hard. There is not one big or small in Birmingham that is mak- ing a reasonable profit, according to the proprietors. Some of them are losing money every day and one hotel has abandoned the fight altogether by clos Ing it's cafe.
 The biggest and most expensive cafe in town is just making expenses and the manager claims that he congratulates himself when the months business does not show a deficit.
 The high cost of living is not the poor mans burden alone. It is hurting the rich and the poor alike.
 Hear what the managers and proprie- tors of the leading hotels and restau- rants have to say.
 H. l.. Bailey, manager of the Hotel Hillman and Florence hotel, said: We are making absolutely no money in our cafe department owing to the large ad- vance in the cost of provisions Prices have advanced 33 1-3 per cent in the past two years on everything we buy for the table and we cannot advance the price to our customers We cannot reduce the amount of stuff served. So there you are. We are not making a dollar profit in the cafe. We feel good
 when we come out even and without serious loss. Unless prices are reduced those who try to feed people at pres-
 ent rates are in bad way to exist. We buy at wholesale and get the very
 closest prices but even at that we are
 unable to make a profit
 Not Making Fair Profit.
 Mir Scovile of the Morris hotel, sald
 ''The Morris Is run on the European plan but the cafe which is operated in con nection with the house is not making a fair profit at the present high cost of provisions. We could not operate a ho- tel on the American plan, not at rate of $250 per day. It Is impossible to feed people at that price at the present cost of meats and other provisions"
 Charles D. Pantaza, proprietor of the Metropolitan cafe, said: We are mak- ing about 10 per cent on our business now all around not counting cost of serv- ing and other like incidentals. If the cost of provisions should advance an other 10 per cent I would either have | to go out of business or advance my | prices. I buy at wholesale and get the closest prices possible but those prices are almost prohibitive. The prices l charged at the Metropolitan cafe are some higher than at the other restau- | rants of the kind in the city but we, l perhaps, give better service and will l serve nothing but the very best quality | of stuff I am sure the smaller places are not making any money. They may | have to advance prices. If they do, l | will also, but 1t is hard to advance prices after they have become estab- | lished I am only waiting and hoping 1 that prices of provisions will be reduced. | I do not know what may happen if they 1 are not reduced. I will give you an ex- ample of our proft-maling We pay 3S | to 70 cents for eggs. We serve two eggs ] for 10 cents. The butter and bread that ] go with the order runs the cost up to 1 cents. The profit, as you see, Is | cent. This same rule applies to almost everything else we serve. This is not counting rents, lights. service and other expenses. My only hope is that prices may ease down.
 "What is the reason for the high cost of provisions? I believe the farmer Is responsible. Last winter you could see at least half a dozen hogs almost any day at the leading markets that had been brought in by farmers. This winter there are none The same can be said or turkeys. I had plenty of turkeys last winter at Christmas time from farmers. This last Christmas I had to put fin my order weeks ahead of time for shipped turkeys and paid exorbitant prices. Yes, I believe the farmer is largely responsi- ble for the present high prices" H. G. Christlieb of the Colonial hotel said that the cafe which was formerly run In connection with the hotel had been closed for the reashon that 1t did not pay expenses.
 Retail People Not to Blame. P s. McGlathery of the Jefferson hotel said: "We are not making any money in our feeding department owing to the big advance in prices of all provisions. We buy both from the wholesale people and retail merchants, and find no great difference The retail people are evil dently not to blame for the present high cost of provisions"
 Proprietors of a number Of the largest Greek restaurants were interviewed and all declared that there is but little profit being made in the business. They de- clare that they are making nothing in serving meats and eggs; that the only profit realized is in coffee, pies and other like items. The margin of profit, they declare, is very small as a whole.
 Sheriff Higdon, who feeds more per manent boarders than any other one man in Birmingham, declares that he Is running a losing business. He. says that when he went into office he paid 7,a cents for meat that now costs him 141k cents per pound. He says that if 1t was not for the vegetables he manages to supply from his own garden he would stand to lose considerable money. He feeds at 30 cents day.
 Now the conditions that exist in Bir- mingham are the same as are found In all the large cities of the country. It costs relatively no more to live or feed boarders in Birmingham than in any of the other leading cities of the country.
 The complaint Is universal and the peo- pie everywhere are seeking remedy. There Is difference of opinion as to the cause of the high prices. The boycott Is being resorted to in many of the large cities, while many individuals are ab- staining from eats while the prices re- main at the resent almost prohibitive figures. lW