Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-22

that there is a provision in the bill
that the smaller places shall not be
called hotels The act further pro-
vides that after tie first Of the com
ing July every hotel, ian and fooming
house must taxi cut License. Under
the present Law a hotel keeper must
take out what is called an inn holders
or an inn keepers license and give =
bond IN the sum of $500 not TO VIC
late any of the provisions Of the pro-
hibitory liquor law OF allow gambling
on the premises. There Is not one no.
tel keeper in - in the State of Maine,
who takes out this license, but if some
one should run a bill against him for
$50 or So ana the hotel keeper sued,
he could net collect unless he had thai
license. w wanted to make this law
self-supporting and do not want 10
call on the state fOr any assistance
in the enforcement of that law. Thr
hotel men got together and agreed to
pay nominal fee Of 81. The larger
hotels are willing to pay s.. Il is es-
umated that there are 100 of these SC
called larger hotels in the State which
would bring in Il revenue Of $500 at
the start. 1t is figured that there are
@00 of the smaller hotels which al 81
apiece would make $500. Thus al
ready, the State has collected S2fno
At least $500 should be collected from
the proprietOrs of rooming houses so
it will be seen that there is a goodlv
amount To be received from the Ii
censes The commissioner could not
use up all this amount of money in
the course of a year and [ think that
he would be able to turn some money
into the state treasury
The act provides that the hotels
aud inns must have individual towels
and individual cakes Of soap and three
months after the law becomes effec-
tive no roller towels shall he used. +
need not tell a committee Of which
doctors are members, how easily dis
ease can be spread through roller
towel. know of case where ;. com
mercial traveller became blind in this
manner"
hr. Beedy declared that the provi-
SION n the bill for clean linen was
surely reasonable one. He spoke OF
the mattresses and pointed ont that
1t rs recognized fact that such ar
tcles made of sea mess, excelsior.
shoddy and husks are notable for he
ing breeding places for germs and YER
mn. Mattresses made of other ma
teriais would serve the purpose better
and would be no more expensive in
tie end.
The hotel, in way" the attorney
declared approaches the nature Of a
public utility and should be inspect
ed
How often some of you gentle-
men, he continued, have left your.
room IN a hotel in the morning. You
have returned and found the chamber
maid at work there. She is wmlnu
the bowl in which you washed yoar
face and hands with the towels Won
used to wipe your face. And then
she begins to polish the glass out of
which you drank with this same
towel. This measure provides that
glasses should be cleansed by steam
ing in hot water and should be wiped
only with cloths especially used for
the wipiug of dishes"
After taking up the subject of pro-
vtdlne doefs OF windows at the end
80 - aAsN'A - III 4pHttt4 itlttItft 10 the
poNssions about ventilation of the
rooms.
one section originally Incorporated
in the bill has been omitted. These
compel the placing Of stand ipes and
the keeping of nose in certain sized
hotels. a meeting of the hotel men
was held. this morning. Mr.. Beedy ex-
planned, and il was decided To omit
this provision because it might work
an injustice
MI. Beedy concluded his remarks by
referring to the wise fire escape pro-
visions and the night watchmen in
hotels of 80 or more rooms This can
be no hardship in houses of this size, :"
be declared
In reply 10 question from tie COM
mittee. Mr.. BeedY stated that fcw rea
tufcs in the bill would effect first class
hotels Some may stick to roller
towels and oll-fashioncd cumfcrters.
and some things like that, but he be
heted that 10 per cent. of the hotels
OF the State now comply with so per
cent of the requirements of the bill
and the object of the proponents is TO
force the other 20 per cent to comply.
With the bill in force stranger in the
state would be sure OF first class ac-
comInodatiOns almost anywhere he
wished to stop.
Wilbur T. Emerson.
Wilbur T. Emerson, manager of
the Augusta House and president of
the Maine Hotel Mems Association,
explained that the bill is based on the
Nebraska law which is So drastic that
were it in force in this State most OF
the present hotel men would have to
go out of business. RE favored the
bill as drawn and considered that one
of the chief benefits would be in inn
proving protection against fire. He
with many others had objected to the
stand pipe requirement not only on
account of the expense but of the long
time the houses would have to be in
. confusion while they We're being in