The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-08-16
WASHINGTON NEWS =
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,,As,-.-.,lIu.V Aus. lot Is an
mooted question in the Nations Great
Capital whether, il you are thinking
Of calling up somebody on the phone,
YOU wouldn't save time apd wear and
tear on a Christian disposition by TAX
ing a street car. There is another
huge faction OF The populace that
doesn't think very much OF either the
street cars or the phone service who
declare that the best and surest way
to get your message where you want
it to 20 is to walk right along there
with it. At first the phone company
excused its lneilicienCy on account oil
the war. The boom in Washington
hau suddenly and Unexpectedly bur-
dened it with an increase in business
which 1t was totally unprepared tol
take care of. That is true But 1t Is
also true that the service prior to the
war and the local boom was such as
to goad a member OF the Holy Name
Society to forget his obligation. The
labor unions said the system was rot
inious because the company tried to
run the switchboards with dollar-a-
day girls. And when the boom struck
the town, the girls. got better JOBS
and quit the soulless corporation
cold. It now says that the trouble
has also been augmented by one Dan
Cupid, The little love god wooed
away 100 of the fairest and best oper-
etors In the month of July. Although
wages have been advanced as lure,
the company claims, girls who want
the Jobs are scarce. The truth IS that
the girls are holding down better
Jobs, and there are better jobs open
to them every day, and plenty OF
them, than shaving for the local tele-
nhcne company. On top OF 1t all
comes an official report that last year
this company cleaned up a net Proht
Of 81 on every phone it has in service.
The girls who have had the sad eX-
perlence of working for 1t are sur
pr!. ed that it isn't three tila2s that
much. But it is the subscriber VINO
is the helpless nanny.
When your New York business
man ssmarks that the hotel proprle-
tors of his burg should come over 10
Washington and take few lessons IN
the gentle art of lie grande piracy
from their fellow tavern keepers
here, one may know that petty lar
cency is ut being practiced in the
CAPITALS hotels. There is nothing
retty about it. 1t is done on one me-
large scale. 1t must be when the New
Workers, who are used to the hotel
boldIp gag every day Of their lives
in the Business Mart and don't nina
II. pause in amazement and admlra-
tion at the consummate nerve OF the
price fxers in the big inns mere II
is hurtful to their Give pride and they
show 1t, that New York hotel men are
pikers compared to the menulsts OF
this municipality. So genral and uni
yersal is the kick among the thou
sands of men from all parts oil the
country who are pouring in here on
war business with the government,
that the Defense Council OF the DIS
tlict has taken hand and is inVestl-
eating, A comparison OF the prices
on the menus OF Washington hotels
with those Of New York and other
large cities and with those OF London,
caused the several members of the
Council to gasp. j. Rufus Walling-
ford never showed desire to get rich
quicker than some OF the hotel keep
ers Of the capital show on their
menus, Like the railroads did de-
cade or more ago, they have laid on
all the traffic would bear, And with
Ill the extortion, the guests complain
that the service has deteriorated until
Il is a crime to speak of it as SER
vice at all. Two big hotels now build
Ing will be open by December, and
that may help some. There is enough
business here now for a half dozen
big hosteleries of the first class.
Commencing Secretary Houston OF
Fhe Department OF Agriculture on the
success of his intensive canning cam
naign, Senator Philander c. Knox, of
The Keystone State, dug this antique
loggerel out of the moth balls and
sent it along to the Secretary with his
:ongratulatory bouquet: "a Gamer
exceedingly canny, one morning ex-
planned to his granny, a Gamer can
can everything that he can, but can
ner can't can a can, can he?" Not to
be shown up as rusty on his Joe Mil
Ter, Secretary Hos3ton fired back
letter OF thanks in which he ressur-
rected this familiar relic: IF wood
chuck would chuck all the wood he
could chuck, how much wood would
Woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck
could chuck wood?" It's so hot in
Washington that many have gone
crazy with the heat,
A collapsible rat trap has been add
led to the soldiers outfit for the
trenches. Trench rats are also an
enemy OF the soldiers fighting in the
war. They have no allies, but fight
the Germans az we'll as the English |
and French. They make life in the
dugouta far from pleasant. and fire.
1uently, hungry and vicious, they at |
lack the soldiers. The traps are so !