New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-30

CARELESS OF tips Nevertheless. accord
ing 10 the clubman's own story, cor
roborated by the crew, he passed out
S3215 in tips on the run 20 Chicago.
Being an Obseryant man. however, he
learned that others tipped less liberia j.
ly, or not at all. and were apparently
equally "a well taken care" OF as him
self.
This aroused his curiosity, and on
inquiry he learned that the operators
Of the Twentieth Century pay their
employees wage sufficient TO make
them Independent Of tips and TO COM
mand their best service and attention
without regard to incidental gratuities.
On his homeward trip from Chicago,
with a different crew, this man made
the experiment Of tipless ride and
found that he was taken care Of as
well as any one could ask. Although
this incident may be somewhat un-
usual. so also is the circumstance I'M
usual wherein the services OF the en-
poye is adequately paid FOR by the en-
ployer, instead OF depending on the
public TO make up the major part Of
underpaid wages in tips.
The public serving employe is be
tween the upper and the neither mill
/ stones. one of which is the employer,
the other the public. So long as the
public can be humbugged into paying
employees for such service in most IN
stances amounting to a double payment
the employer will not, but VIII IN
stead enter the unpaid wage on ms
profit account. But if the public VIII
consistently refuse TO pay IN tips for
service which it has already paid the
employer, then the employer Will nave
70 make up the present deficit pertorce.
Tipping the railroad employe, how
ever. does not affect the greatest num-
Der Of people. We travel only occa-
sionally We eat every day, and the
waiter is the most tipped of all tipees.
And under the present regime. II the
waiter did not get his tips, he could
not make living. Also, with the hotel
and restaurant business, much as the
employer declaims TO the contrary, the
same rule will apply as with the rail-
road station and train attendant-in
the long run. =.
The restaurant diner pays for his
food. plus the charge for service, which
the employer never neglects to add to
his schedule of prices. But he does
neglect 70 give the waiter this add
tional amount paid by the customer ior
service. He puts it in his pocket in
stead depending on the gullible public
to pay twice for tho service; in other
words, TO relieve him OF the necessity
of meeting his own payroll. And so
long as the public will submit TO the
hold-up-not of the waiter, but Of the
employer-the employer will add the
equivalent of the tips given in his
place to the side of clear proft-un-
earned.
That the payment of full wage and
the suppression of tips would necessi-
tate an advance Of 5 or 10 cents to
each popular dish on the menu is be-
yond sophstry it is pure buncombe'
Unless he collect twice for a service
already charged for once. The Brook
/ lvn car lines do this stunt with their
/ Goney Island passengers and get away
with il. That is one of the advantages
of close monopoly. There is no mo-
nopolv in the restaurant business. The
double-headed service charge would fall
fat in competition least in the
average eating place. In the lobster
palace and the sporty cafe, where men
60 with the ostensible purpose OF
/ spending money SYSTEMATICALLY; for