New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-30
TIP OR NOT 10 TIP is THE PARL0US QUESTION
Custom Which Seems To Be Strongly Fortified as
Gibraltar Might BE Undermined.
Thinks

show rather than m equivalent Of food.
Timing will continue, either for the
purpose OF getting more than one foot
in the trough" or simply for the sake
Of going the other fellow one better.
Well. lie. 'em. Who cares? Il puts
Just that much more money into use
full circulation. Blu. Il has nothing
soever to do with the average eating
place. where people spend honestly
earned money for real food.
A New York Judge Magistrate Cor
nell. from the bench in Yorkville
court recently made the statement
that his SALARY of $1,000 a year IS
scarcely big enough 20 cover the ex-
penses OF tips. dine at
often" continued his honor, land |
know that il person gives a waiter
there tip Of less than dollar he Is
scowlod at. and one can't even look at
the head waiter without its costing him
az least So
Although his honor's s7.o00-a-year-
for-tlps confession may be slightly
watered stock inventory, II neverthe-
less suggests the obvious and pertinent
wonder why he does not patronize an
anpetite suppressary where more good,
wholesome. tasty food than he can pos
sibly eat can be had for less than he
pavs out in tips But that's his own
worry, and of all those who spend as
much as possible for the least sub
stance: but not of the man who IS
handicapped in having to make every
good, hard dollar buy one hundred
cents worth of sustenance. And the
all-but-unanimous majority Of US travel
under that general handicap.
The hotel proprietors. the class who
prefer to delegate to their customers
the privilege of liquidating their leglti-
mate payroll by tips, are fully per
suaded (by selfish motives) that the
tipping evil cannot be abolished. They
also take every opportunity 70 present
easy-reading arguments TO prove their
contention. For instance, note the fol
lowing press agenty statement OF the
proprietor OF the Hotel Benson, in
Albany:
az know from personal experience,
he declared, chat you can't cripple the
timing octopus. | was one of the first
hotelkeepers in the state who tried 70
stop il. To every employe of the Ben
son issued absolute instructions that
under no circumstances was tip TO
be accepted ! came very near going
out of business. And this after | had
increased the remuneration of every
employe who had been accustomed TO
tips so per cent. That was more than
they made in tips, but had made up
my mind to abolish tipping, and |
wanted TO start right.
at wasn't the walters nor the bell
bows. They were satisfied with the
arrangement It gave them feeling
of independence. The guests were made
20 understand tips were not accepted
and were positively unwelcome. one
bellhop actually refused a 50-cent tip
only TO be followed by a complaint at
the desk that the guest had been IN
suited.
"My business began to suffer. one
guest, angry because he could not curry
the favor Of the bellboy by proffered
tip. circulated a story that even on the
coolest mornings / didn't turn the
steam on.
"'But the steam pipes rattle every
morning. said friendly guest.
THAT'S all right was the insistent
tipsters explanation. Benson has a
vacuum cleaner he attached to the
steam pipe and he keeps it going so