El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-27
Frank G. Carpenter

The stock of this company has, at times,
Deen worth upward of z50 on the mar
ket, and nevertheless it expects the
pubic to pay for the service of making
up the berths for which it charges 81
per night
Another unfair tax upon the travel
ing pubic is the extra charges at the
neWSstands of the hotels and in some
cases at the railroad stations. In the
union depot in Chicago L picked I'D a
pamphlet guide of that city of the
shape and size of similar guides to
Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.
which sell for rs cents. There was no
price mark on the Chicago book and
when / asked the newsman told me
Whereupon he said: "I tell you the
price is rs cents. If YOU don't believe
me you can go to the stand at the
other end of the station"
But what does the book cost in the
stores down tOWn?"
He replied: 1T costs only so cents
down town, adm if you don't like this
price you had better go there and get
Here was a combination between the
publisher, who failed to put on the
price mark, and the railroad to take
a rakeoft of 25 cents from the travel
ing public Such things are manifestly
unfair.
Extra Penny for Papers.
And then there is the extra charge
at many hotels of one cent appitional
Tor every newspaper there sold. There
IS one hotel in Washington where
daily paper which sells for two cents
on the street is sold for five cents in
the hotel, and it is we'll known that the
New York Sunday papers bring from
seven to 10 cents each outside the city,
according to the caprice of the seller.
At most Of the Atlantic City hotels the
price for the Sunday papers is 10 cents
and the same price prevails as to many
Of the New York papers on railroad
trains throughout the south
IN many hotels staple articles are
furnished at exOrbitant charges over
the ordinary price. There is a certain
mineral water from New England
which is sold all over the country at
the drug stores in two quart bottles a
80 cents. The water in the case costs
80 cents for two quarts. ordered some
of this water at a well known Phila-
delphia hotel and had to pay As cents
for one quart. At the same rate a two
quart bottle would have cost me go
cents, or lust three times as much as
the. regular charge by the case.
Tips for Every Little Service.
1 gave tip to the waiter who
brought in the bottle and another to
the boy who brought in pen, ink and
paper. and had I asked for anything
else thet servant of the hotel who
brought It would have expected some
thing for himself Indeed, the tipping
now common in the United States is ex-
aSperating- It makes one think of the
American from the middle west who
W EtS taxing MS llLSL TRIP 10 Europe
He had had to pay tips everywhere, and
had seen hungry eyes and greedy hands
on every side. At last. one day, he en-
tered a WashroOm where the bowl was
hung on a pivot. Above the water
was the sign, please tip the basin"
AS he looked flushed and then turned
and went out, saying:
'I'n be hanged if 1 will I'll go dirty
first"
That is the way one gets to feel in
travelling over the United States these
days. The custom of giving tips is so
common that our treasury department
has at last agreed to allow fees in the
accounts of government clerks who
travel on government business. Such
tips. however, are restricted to each
emplOye in the amount of so cents a
day to the walters of hotels in certain
large cities and % cents q night for
sleeping car porters. Ten dollars
worth of fees is allowed upon steam
ers which cross the Atlantic. and the
same amount is permitted for voyages
to Porto Rico or Panama.