Evening star., 1932-10-16

rub an Aladdin's lamp and not tumble
in a lean-looking wallet when your
/ hotel bill was presented. And except
! in atmosphere" an American seldom
received value for his money, even IN
/ the inexpensive places. They were
often incredibly uncomfortable and
| lacking in sanitary conveniences.
! 1t is as lavish spenders that Ameri-
cans have gained their reputation in
Europe the foreign hotelkeepe- IS
refuse to believe they have any other
virtue. They can't conceive Of the
United States being ''on its uppers
as their own countries have been since
the war. That all the wealth has
positively vanished is unbelievable So
they are holding on. hoping against
hope that another tlGai wave of gold
will sweep over them in the wake of
a new rush of Americans
Knows Change Of Attitude.
But the returning Americini knows
better. He has lived through the slump
in the United States and realizes that
Americans are coming out of it with a
{ IIt" SCllSc VI Values. Tic Is CUIlNlllCbU
/ that never again will they consider
money so lightly. and that the day will
never return when the ultra smart
+ hotels in France. Spain. Italy and the
new Colonial capitals in nearby Africa
will be kept prosperous by a steady
stream of god from the United States
/ He also knows that numerically there
! have been more Americans in Europe
this year than ever before. 1t is true
/ they are different type from tine
/ free-spending Americans for which the
/ hotelkeeperS are waiting. They have
come over in the tourist class and not
in the de luxe suites of the fast liners
They have a limited amount of money
to spend. but the sum total of wha;
they must inevitably pay for hotel &C
/ commodations is not to be sneeZed at
! ,eXcept by the naughty proprietors OF
expensive resorts.
/ But the Americini who has lived with
them in their own country has no such
contempt for them as prospective Gus
toners. He knows exactly what they
want in the matter of hotel service
and that at present they can't get it
in Europe.
One man. fresh from America. re-
Gently arrived in a small Riviera resort
which already boasted two pretentious
hotels, catering to the wealthy visitor
from abroad. He bought huge ram
shacke old building overlooking the sea
then third-class Italian albergo: al
ready occasionally patronized by Amer
leans fond of good food An Americini
contractor has converted this place into
comfortable modern hotel. with plenty
OF bathrooms. hot water always in the
taps and central heating system that
really works. The native cook. famed
far and wide for his pasta" and scala
pino.' has been retained. and a carafe
of good wine is served with each meal.
Far from being an isolated case. this
is one of many in which Italians,
Frenchmen and Greeks who have
worked for years in the United States
are returning to their own countries.
and becoming proprietors of comfort
table. inexpensive hotels.
Invests in Fishing Business.
: Nor do opportunities end with build
ing and hotel keeping. A little fishing
/ village near the Gulf of Spezia hung
out gala banners not long ago to cele-
brate the return of an Americini He
had been janitor in San Francisco
apartment house for years. His savings,
as a result of labor, thrift and good
luck amounted to $4,000. At the
present rate of exchange this is over
$4,000 lira. In his youth he had been
a fisherman in these waters. and even
as janitor he had never lost sight of
the sea. So he now intends to invest
his capital in a fleet of fishing boats,
and with his knowledge of how. in
America. they do things co-operatively
instead of each man for himself. as in
Italy. he has visions of revolutionizing
! the local fishing industry
Coming over on the steamer another
Americini outlined his plans for the fu-
| ture. He was born in Frascati, near
Rome, in the heart of the wine coun-
try. As boy he had gone to Cali
fornia and worked in grapes" ever
since with the Swiss-Italian colony in
Asti. SonOma County. He intends to
organize an export business which he
expects will flourish when the Volstead
act has been modified.
And so it goes, In place of the regi-
; mentS of forelorn emigrants that have
taken themselves off to America in the
last SO years. Europe is now getting
back small army of trained men,
with money and experience to con-
tribute to the various industrial prof.
ects which every country has launched
| In an effort to stage a comeback
Also. these returning Americini are
keeping the native young people con-
tent. For more than half a century
the youth of Europe have had but one
ambition-to go to America and make
fortune. But now the land of the
gold has lost some of its magic Tales
of hardship have come from across
the sea, and the Americini have brought
warnings that things are not as they
once were for the immigrant.
And, finally. these Americini are
proving the best interpreters of Amer
leans to Europeans that We have ever
had They have no fantastic illusions
about us. They know us as We actu-
ally are, because most of their lives
have been spent among us. Already
they are doing much to correct the i'm
preston created by Americans who
have been scampering through Europe
for years. boasting, shouting advice
concerning political situations Of which
they knew nothing and scattering
money in every direction to insure
themselves q pop-eyed audience. In
time they will eradicate the deep
seated conviction of most Europeans
that easy-spending is the chief Ameri7
can virtue.