The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-11
GUESTS HELP SELVES
AS WATERS QUIT
Officers Tn Uniform Assist. While
Women Find Novelty Ia
~Deisghtfuf.~

New York. Oct 1a.--Perhaps the
idea that New York will try anything
once. and succeed in the trying. never
dawned upon zoe or more walters and
cooks who deltherated for long time
yesterday and then decided to go out
on strike at just the moment the tea
rooms at the Plaza hotel were begin
ming TO take on the usual s o'clock at
mesphere of activity.
As the walters and cooks filed
haughtily out OF the rear doors after
being told that the management would
not even entertain their demands for
a so per cent increase in pay. the
Fla2a's smart patrons were arriving.
to be met among the tea tables by
anxious managers. assistant managers
and converted clerks who told them
that. really. there was practically no
one to serve o'clock delicacies.
The situation was serious for on.y
the briefest moment, however. many
of the women who sat unserved at the
tables were escorted by officers in uni
form and had just comrlet ed the war
time task Of serving sinkers. candy.
soup and multitudinous other things in
the canteens spread over the city for
the hungry douEhhoy Almost before
the strikers had moved three blocks
south in Fifth avenue. an improvised
service table had been set up in the
X
OF self-service for the first time in
the history OF big New York hotel
had been transferred from Park Row.
In rf1r. Sifan Cr1e instance officers
sesrae 81 them wear ing. American uni
forms and others the uniforms of va
rlous allied armies, did the serving
Two. OF the young women who helped
themselves announced the idea was
perfectly wonderful" We didn't take
tea vouchsafed one. because we be-
lieNed II would prove too cum bersome
in carrying. So we just took cocktails
instead"
Il think it perfectly charming" ex-
planned the other. II shall never bother
with walters again. ! think II does
one a great deal OF good to make
sacrifices. at certain times Of course"
Captain Alexander Sapel. of the
italian army. watched the breaking of
the strike with great display of in
terest, TT is remarkable" he said.
how you Americans adapt yourselves
to circumstances
A similar situation was averted at
the Vanderbilt hotel. because the man
agement there knew the strike WAS
contemplated by the walters and had
prepared for IL by employing trained
negro walters. The strike started at
the luncheon hour in both hotels and
was INTENDED an enlargement of
the strike which resulted in women
walters being impressed into service
at the Claridge, McAlpin and Waldorf
Astoria sometime ago
Fred Sterry, manager of the Plaza.
said the Plaza would be equipped with
a new supply OF walters within TWEEN
ty-four hours. He said women would
be employed perma nently. Walton H.
Marshall. manager of the Vanderbilt.
announced that in no circumstances will
the strikers. who number nearly 800 at
the Vanderbilt, he taken back. Both
managers said the demands were un-
Just and would not be granted Mr..
Marshall added that go per cent Of the
walters and cooks who struck were
Germans or other alien and that their
names and addresses had been sent to
the department of labor.
Otto Wagner. general secretary and
treasurer of the International Fedora
tion of Workers In the hotel and res
taurant industries. said strike COM
lnlttee had returned from Washin 1t on
would begin an Investigation Of tho
strikers grievances. Union representa-
tives from 100 hotels and restaurants
reported at a strikers meeting at the
New Amsterdam Opera House that
they were ready to support the strik-
ers. a fund is to be collected among
the union mem bers.
Mrs. Ellen A. O't;radv. deputy police
comm issioner. promised committee Of
strikers yesterday that she would in
NeStigate complaint that women were
permitted 10 serve liquor and compelled
To work after 10 O'Clock at night in
tho hotels where the strike was FIRST
called.