The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-09-25
Doing the Visitor Good.
(Rutland Herald.)

A Constant visitor many years
makes the complaint in the Bellows
Falls Times that the farmers and store
eepers around Sunapee lake are 'fkill-
ng' that beautiful region for the sum
mer resident and vacationist by ''bleed-
ing people to the limit with extortion
ate charges. He also alleges that Off
cials are buSybOdies, that after a man
has helped to stock the lake he finds the
fishing restrictions annoying, and that /
the motor vehicle department wants IL
censes from autoists who stay in the |
state very long. The statement is made
but not backed by any authority be- |
,, yond cit is said,' that one of the motor
vehicle deputies went to Cornish while
i President Wilson was a summer sresi
ldent there and collected fees on two /
automobiles We don t know about Sun
apee conditions from personal expert
i ence, but many summer residents and
visitors who have been charmed with
the natural beauties of certain localities
have been driven away by the attitude
of all-the-year-rOund residents, who
sized up the strangers as easy marks
anal attempted to get all of the money
possible out of them. Regardless of
money there Is some times shown to-
ward the new corners a spirit of hostil-
itv instead Of hospitality. The summer
visitor Is usually willing to spend his
money freely, but he does not relish
being Brattleboro Reformer
Those engaged in the business of ca
tering to tourists in any capacity can
: do more 10y extortion to drive away
/ business than all the boosters and boards
= of trade can undo in five years.
q OF course, there are plenty of chron-
ic kickers abroad who are never salts
fed with anything, who 90 through the
country with chip continually on their
shoulders, who abuse landlords. garage
It men, porters, bell-boys, walters and
% their fellow travellers; who kick on pay
>, ing regular prices, even if they are
printed and published, but they are II
= the minority
lie The average traveller is willing II
es pay fair price for what he wants, and
il treated with fairness and considera
ton, Will return year after year t,
!, routes and locations which do the RICH
- thing by him.
Sc There are plenty of hotels and ga
elk RACES, however, which have two price
M for their trade. Let a party drive II
!, with a big, expensive car and every ma
on the job prepares to separate tina
u party from the last dollar the law wi
allow. Six dollars a dav for three do
lar rooms, five or ten cents gallon ado
en- ed on to gasoline prices, deliberate e1
:, ploitation if the owner asks to "hav
the car looked over and the whole a
Se tendant train of holdup tactics whic
lgs travellers know so we'll and have recen
me ly taken some pains to resent, Is ofte
os invoked.
Automobile associations now issu
zen bulletins at intervals, and the innkeel
nd er who deliberately exploits his traC
md wakes up some day to find that a fe
Of thousand people have been express1
and specifically warned what to expe
if they use his hosiery. The san
thing happens to the garage, and b;
oN- highways, oppressive local regulation
the or unreasonable restrictions of any kin
he are likely to be "'slated" in the san
ia. way.
Everything costs more in these da
eIe of the high cost of doing business, b
this it never pays to overcharge or explt
are one s trade on the supposition thai
Iity will net. pass that way again. 1t M
* h6t. but like the hobo and his HE
- glyphics on the casual gate posts, ira
inc elers and tourists often leave marks /
IDLY hind them and in the end will put
lich given offender out of business.
Exploiting the tourist trade by ext
tion is killing the goose that laws I
bo golden egg.