Evening star., 1923-07-26

Those are our busy hours" ''Oo'''
Nor could the guide be blamed
VINO VINO would inpart information at the
when lie can retail the same fnfor-
nation to so persons for sl2.5O! It's
just simple bit of mathematics.
On the way out the reporter stop
ped to talk to his old friend the
guard.
all for % cents"
Twenty-Five cents is the printed
figure" replied the guard, shifting in
his chair. You don't have TO pay
any more unless you tip them. and
you shouldn't tip 'em. for they mako
enough money. anyway"
L. S. Guard Gets - n Day.
The guard spoke with feeling. Nor
could you blame him, either. He gets
1920 a year. whether he works on
the am. to 4 pm. shift. pm. TO
midnight shift or midnight to s a m.
shift.
On the other hand. the lucky thir-
teen" work only from 9 o'clock TO
4:30. and nobody knows how much
OF sightseers being shown through
the Capitol today, certainly a steady
crowd OF three hundred persons
would be moderate estimate. Prob
aDIy IL was sie@t oeoA 'iioo
But counting only two hundred
heads at twenty-five cents apiece,
it would mean $50 every hour at
lit would m can 1850 a day. Split that
! thirteen ways. and 1t means almost
/ s25 a day apiece. ,,.
/ Maybe the above calculation Is right,
maybe IT is wrong, but officials at the
Capitol themselves can only guess al
what the thirteen guides rake in, aS
| there is no accounting. The men are
not paid by the government, aInougn
4 they are given their appointments py
the sergeant-at-arms of the House ana
Senate. David Barry, sergeant-at-arfns
| Of the Senate, appointed seven OF tnem
and Joseph G.. Rodgers. sergeant-at-
arms of the House. appointed SIX. Mr:
| Rodgers could appoint a seventh: Out
{ he saws he wont do 1t, as he beleVeS
| the system is all wrong.
| How much do the guides make!
said Mr. Rodgers. Il don't know. NO
! bedy knows except the guides, and they
sons and good seasons. The head man re-
ceives the money each day. and at night
he splits II with the others
Only such System Here.
Mr.. Rodgers says that the present
system of having the pay guides in the
! CAPITOL was established in 1876, and
has fingered ever since. The Capitol is
the only building in washington "here
| the practice prevails. he said toda!.
! Free guides are provided In otner gov
ernment buildings. and Mr.. Rodgers
| feels that free guides, for the people or
! the country is the only system that
should prevail The Capitol belongs TO
! the people, and the federal government
should be able to show them through
| the building without charge, with pro-
per explanations of the main points OF
interest.
! The guides have an agreement with
| the sightseeing bus companies, the
| sergeant-at-arms Of the House SAID
whereby the company pays 10 cents
for the sightseers who ,s;S,1 come IN IN. Fuof o.
| course, is included in the ticket
which the automobile man charges.
Mr.. Rodgers declared that there iS
no examination made Of the men, all
[! this being left in the hands OF tne
| guides themselves. New guides are
/ supposed to go around ten days with
an experienced man before they are
allowed to pilot parties "on their
own"
| Ex-service men. Mr.. Rodgers be-
! lieves, could learn the work OF guld-
/ ing in three days. and could MI the
positions admirably II placed on onty
| as guides, at fixed salaries
Next December the sergeant-at-
arms of the House will take up with
! the appropriations committee the
J matter of abolishing the present
! guide Syndicate" and establishing
| In their stead ten policemen guides
| who will guide the people OF ther
| country through their national cap
| itol without money or price.