The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-06-19
|. ". TACTICS
MENACEH0TELS
Managers Say They Will Close
Dining Rooms If Strike
Is Declared.
SHOWDOWN" IMMINENT
Upstate and Philadelphia
Owners Approve Stand
Made Here.

Father Knickerbocker's boarders. or
that considerable part Of them who wrap
themselves around their daily bread and
meat in the dining rooms Of New York's
big hotels, may soon find themselves
thrown back upon the resources Of the
delicatessen around the corner. the one
armed lunchrooms or the white fronted
emporiums where dextrous pastry cooks
juggle napjacks in the windows.
The hotel men OF New York say 30,
1t was their summing up Of conclusions
reached at n meeting held yesterday to
consider whittier they are drifting Win
reference to labor matters. With them
in conclave assembled were representa-
,ives Of the big hotels OF Philadelphia
and upstate New York. The latter
registered fervid 'amens' to all that the
members Of the Hotel Association OF
New York had TO say regarding the
present crisis"
showdown Approaches.
For II seems that unbeknownst to the
general public things back Of the din,ns
room screens have been rapidly shaping
themselves for a showdown. A more or
less acute attack OF the general COM
plant Of not enough money has been
running the entire gamut Of hotel help
according to the proprietors. with
visions Of a recurrence Of the strikes OF
1912 and 1913. when scores Of windows
and strikers heads we're broken nightly
in nearly every first class Manhattan
hostelry, the hotel men feresathered yes
terday TO map out plan Of action.
The plan finally adopted Is decid-
edly simple one. In case the workers
push matters to the breaking. or rather
the striking, point the hotel proprietors
will simply say Very we'll" or words
of similar import and close their dining
rooms and restaurants and keep them
closed until President Wilson or Sorne-
body persuades the workers to return.
What will happen TO the hapless pa =
tron in the meantime nobody at the
conference seemed to care. but the pro-
prietors did respectfully ask: In case
this condition should arise the patient
consideration OF the public until the
situation is remedied
In preyious strikes the hotel men have
waved vigorous counter offensives that
cost them fortunes. Next time there
will be no strike breaking and no armed
guards for every diner
They VIII Close shop.
What with taxes what they are. whole
sale food prices away UP and labor
scarce and costly, the hotel men are un-
able, they say, to meet the demands OF
"a certain coterie of agitators." and
equally unable to night It out with them
on the old basis. SO they are just Eoing
to shut up shop II the worst come to
pass.
1--WE feel we have been harshly and
unjustly Disseminated against" declared
President Thomas d. Green OF the asso-
ciation. There are certain agitators
with pronounced ]. w. w. and ultra
socialistic tendencies who are seeking tO
stir up a spirit of unrest among the un-
skilled hotel workers, many Of whom are
neither citizens nor sufficiently long In
our country to appreciate the troubles OF
the hotel managers
"Where just grievances have appeared
they have been quickly and voluntarily
remedied by the managers. but this has
apparently not been satisfactory to the
they cannot explain the cause Of their
dissatisfaction. II the hotels are to be
kept open we can 20 no further In meet
ing the demands of some Of the EN-.
ployees and agitators."