Smyrna times., 1950-08-31

could not be sounded; exhausts
must be muffled; babies must be
kept quiet and singing had to
cease. But no one seriously be-
lieves this can be enforced.
Arriving and leaving Italy is
perfunctory. Customs officials ap-
parently have been tipped off to be
kind to Americanos. They greet
us with smiles and bow when we
leave. One is of course required
to fill out a currency declaration
on entering the country which pur-
ports to give the amount of for
eign currency being imported. The
oretically each time dollars are ex-
changed for lira a notation should
be made in the declaration by the
bank. But no one bothers and
when leaving the country no one
even asks to see the declaration.
The official exchange rate is 625
Ira to the dollar. But try and get
it for much advertised travellers
checks. The banks pay $40 and
the hotels less. some as little as
610. Take it or leave it. OF course
if one has greenbacks the rate is
more favorable, most places pay
ing 635 Ira to the dollar.
Italian hotelkeepers have the art
of picking the tourists pocketbooR
worked out to an exact science.
Prices are fantastically high for
everything. Rooms may be had
from $500 to $1,000 per diem,
sometimes with Continental break
fast included. Meals are also ex-
pensive. An American breakfast
costs $1.50; luncheon and dinner
will average $3.50 to $4.00 per per-
son, not including service charges.
But this is not all. Servants are
notoriously underpaid in italy. So
mine host" has obligingly ar
ranged for the tourist to pay the
salaries of the help. This is done
by adding Is to 20 per cent service
charge to the final bill, which also
includes small municipal taxes.
likes the guests to be
cooperative by having all meals,
cables, laundry and other service
the price for which usual
ly already includes service
of 10 per cent, thereby
it possible to charge the
service fee a second time on the
bill at time of departure.
Another choice way of entang-
ling the unsuspecting guest is to
render no checks for meals or
drinks. Just order. The cost will
be on the final bill-frequently
several times for the identical
meal or round of drinks. The
bookkeeping is so antiquated that
the clerks are seemingly unable to
apportion the charges accurately.
In the beginning this procedure is
rather annoying but after several
days one enters into the spirit of
the game and says nothing. If
some intrepid soul should make a
point of refusing payment. for
items overcharged, mine host"
will always fall back on the cliche,
what is a few thousand Ira to
you, a rich Americana" And so
one feels instantly ashamed of
daring to question the bill and
pays.
The best policy to follow is to
think in terms of lira-not in dol
lars. Gradually one becomes accus-
toned to tossing about thousand
Ira notes which, after all, are
worth only S1.60 each.
Italians must stay awake nights
figuring ways and means TO ex-
tract dollars from the American
tourist. Some hotels make a
daily fixed charge for telephone,
regardless of whether it is used.
This is a charge for the dubious
honor Of having an instrument in
the room, Try and use it, espec-
tally on long distance calls. 1t
takes several hours to get through
from Genoa to Rome. Frequently
the connection is broken in the
midst of the conversation and one
feels rather silly talking into the
ether.
In the first class hotels rooms
generally are comfortable and
nicely appointed. Bathrooms usu-
ally are luxurious having marble
floors and walls half way to the
ceiling. Hanging over the bathtub
against the wall is a long cord.
Try pulling it. Nothing happens
Immediately. But if the door is