The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-15
BALTIMORE MAKING EVERY PARAT|ON
 FOR TIE CONVENTION
Expect to Have 10000 Visi- tors, While Others
 Count on 100000
HOTEL RATES ARE NOT EXORBITANT
After Thorough Investigations, Com mittee Finds Rates Have Not Been Raised-No Difficulty
 by Visitors in Finding Hall

by Visitors in Finding Hall
 Baltimore, June 14-The same energy that the citizens of Baltimore displayed in going after the democratic national convention is evident in the preparations that have been made here for the com fort and entertainment of the convention guests and the convenience of the polit- ical leaders and delegates who will name the party's next candidate for President. As soon as Baltimore was chosen for the l'conventlon city the Maryland legislature authorized the city to expend $S5,OO0 in re- pairing and rellghting and decorating tho streets and buildings. This was exclusive of the ss5,OOo appropriated for remodeling the Fifth Regiment armory, where the delegates will assemble. The committee that went to Washing ton to lay the advantages of Baltimore before the democratic national commit tee was composed largely of bankers and business men. One of their first argu-
 rnents was the presentation of certified
 check for s100,OOO as a guarantee that | The committee agreed to furnish one of
 the best convention halls in the country,
 to remodel it as the national committee | saw fit and to do everything in their power to oil the intricate mechanism of the convention routine and look after the convenience not only of the delegates but also of the guests from all parts of l the country who would attend
 Organization Thorough l. Preparations to fulfill these promises and go even further. have been carried out here by means of thorough organiza ton The first step. after the meeting
 of the convention here was assured, was the appointment of a citizens commit
 tee of 300, which was divided into sub committees. and to each of these was delegated certain part of the work. At the head of the whole organization is the Hon. Robert Grain and Mayor Pres ton, the latter by virtue of his office and Mr Grain as chairman of the executive committee of the citizens general organ ization. The sub-committees have charge respectively of reception, convention hall press, visiting merchants, transportation programme. concessions and privileges,
 entertainments, musiv, publicity floral decorations and receiving editors and publishers.
 The general municipal convention com mtttee.. appointed by the mayor is sub divided into state committees, to which the delegates and visitors from the re-
 spective states may turn for information
 and assistance
 Good Transportation Facilities | The problem of handling great con vention crowd was two-fold-first to bring them to Baltimore; second, to | house, feed and entertain them while here. | The first of these was simple. Baltimore l is proud of her transportation facilities
 both by rail and by water. Three rail- roads, the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore 1 and Ohio and the Western Maryland, ! connect the city with the north south and west and 40 steamship lines give t | a prominent position in the transoceanlc
 and coastwise trade and passenger serv- | ice.
 Judging from the number of hotel and boarding house reservations and from past conventions, the addition to Balti-
 more's population during the week of June 25 will be not less than 40,000. The estimate Is the minimum here. The more enthusiastic are counting on nearly | 100000 convention guests. The special committee which investigated the city's I hotel and boarding house facilities and rates has reported that all strangers can be taken care of; and visitors who ;tre unable to find accommodations are asked
 to communicate with the general convert l ton committee
 | The hotel committee found that prac- | tically all the space in the larger hostel ries would be occupied by the delegates | and aTternates and others actively en- gagged in the convention. This committed, | however, has prepared list of boarding | houses and private residences where one | may find accommodations on almost any l scale desired
 No Exorbitant Rates | The committee made a searching inquiry | into convention hotel rates and it's formal
 report was to the effect that these rates | were by no means exorbltant and amply l justified. To meet the increased demand
 the hotels have been obliged practically
 10 double their forces of employees for
 the convention week and, in order to sst
 them trained put them at work a week l before the convention opens. In addition, | the hotel managers have nearly dupli- cated their equipment of linen and table
 ware. The rate plan agreed upon is as
 follows: One of the first class hotels, for
 instance, where the normal charge for | room and bath varies from $3 to [ day, will charge as many persons as occupy
 S3 room $3 each, and those in s4 room I s4 each, but no one will be charged moro than s4 a day even though he be one of l the occupants of $6 or S7 room. The l Hotel Managers association claims this | is flair arrangement, since otherwise a guest might expect to hire a s room and put in 1t as many persons as he saw 1t, paying only a nominal service charge for | each additional person. Such a service charge, the hotel men say. would not com pensate them for the outlay for extra | equipment and help necessitated by the l convention
 The hotel committee reports that nine | of the hotels has raised cafe rates. and i that room rates will run as low as Sl.50
 day. It declares that a comparison
 with prices of cities that have taken | care of previous convention crowds and with the rates scheduled in. Chicago for ] the republican convention this year
 shows that hotel charges here are as 1 low as any and in many instances lower. 1 Issue Booklet
 A booklet issued fer the convenience of convention visitors contains the fol- lowing paragraph regarding this subject or food and lodgings;
 "Baltimore is prepared to handle large crowd It will be well to make reserva- 1 ton in advance. No one need feel dis been secured in advance. A very ef- | fective plan has been developed whereby persons arriving, without having made reservations, will be able to secure con | fortable quarters at no inconvenience to themselves All that is needed. after l reaching the city, is to make application at the official headquarters. These head 1 quarters are down town on the first floor of the Equitable building, Calvert and Fayette streets. A complete register is on file there of all the various gradations