The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-19
ERACA LIN PERUISIT TO UNITED STATES LEGATION LIMA

r. Grace. and Il Is said TO have re-
suited In very large proAts. 1t now
does all kinds OF business from the
individual package OF goods TO tho roll
Ing stock for railroad. and II deals
In big contracts. involving millions OF
capital The Graces have long run n
| line Of steamers from New York TO
Western South America and they arc
now taking over the management OF
the Peruvian passenger line. which
belongs TO the government. but so far
has been run at n loss. The arm has,
understand. capital OF something
like sl0.00o.oo0. II Is known every
where for tho ability and probity OF
It's officials and members. and Ia an
institution OF which tho United States
| sh ould be proud
Another opportunity for American
capital down here IS In the establish
| mcnt OF q good line OF American hotels
along the west coast. There should DO
! an Amcrican-kept hotel at Guayaqutl
and another at Quito. in Ecuador.
There should be third In Lima.
fourth mt Arequipa and n NTH and
sixth at Valparaiso and Santiago dc
Chile. With the opening OF the Pan
| anna Canal. there Is bound TO be an
enormous tourist travel to this part OF
the world. and at present the hotel 40
commodat!ons are beyond description
abominable.
half dozen hotels owned by q
monopoly. which charges from IS to
Sc n day gold My hotel is the Maury.
It's rooms are generally filled, and
understand that it is paying enormous
dividends. Everything is done in tho
/ slowest. most grudging and insanitary
way. The rooms arc without baths,
and the meals are OF Spanish cooking.
| such az would not be tolerated in any
first class American hotel. The monop-
| oily knows that there Is practically no
| competition, and IL ono objects. the
| clerk s liable to say that his house
does not care for American customers
To show the antiquatcd methods Of
these hotels. l have Just paid my bill
| 1 have been at the Maurv for eleven
days with myself and stenographer,
and the bill. as 1t lies before me. is
1923. OF this s22 consists of extras,
and I find that in addition to the regu-
lar charge, have been paying Is
cents per dish for two poached eggs
every morning and little rako-offs on
| every sort Of pretense. The meals
given me for 50 or $40 day have
been desayuno, or coffee and bread
d'hote lunch or breakfast at noon, and
table d'hote dinner in tho evening.
have pieced out the bill of fare by
buying butter and Jam on the side and
bringing 1t to the table.
But / started to write of how the
bill was paid ] spoke the night before
to the clerk. telling him / expected
to leave early this morning, and to
please have the bill ready. When
came to the office nc had done moth
ing: but he set two bookkeepers to
work and they went through three
different cash books and dodgers ana
figured and figured. making enough
calculations to have involved the buy
ing of railroad. AS they figured,
they made memorandum, and when
they had completed. the head boolt-
keeper took the sheets to a typewriter
and in Spanish with one finger of one
hand. clicked off the items. He then
took the typewriter copy to an old
fashioned copying press and sponged
the leaves until they were dripping
with moisture.
He copied the bill In the book and
handed 1t to me with my chlts.
looked over the latter and found that
one OF SO belonged TO some one else
This was deducted. I then knew tho
sum was to pay, but 1t took me a
quarter of an hour moro before could
get back my change. Altogether, the
whole proceeding consumed fiCty-four
minutes by my watch, and that for an
account which would have been rem.
dered at the Willard. in WASHINGTON.
or tho La Sale, in Chicago. or tba
waldorf, In New York, In tho winl, of
an eye. w
Thore Is no reason why n chain 30
american hotels at good prices would
Continued On Last PasAl