QUEER CUSTOMS IN VIENNA

New Zealand Mail, 29 January 1902, Page 23

QUEER CUSTOMS IN VIENNA

An American lady, who is staying in Vienna, has written a letter to a friend in New York, giving her impression of u® Clty ’ L* the course of her remarks she says:—The street-car service is execrable. The prices for living “and all else” are absurdly high. Apparently it costs fully a third more to live in Vienna than in any part of Germany. We thought the tipping system was rather cleverly done in London and Paris. Here it is carried so far that even the car conductors are tipped. They look f ° r fj r°! u everyone. Then there is ' another Viennese custom, brought from the Dark Ages, surely, which requires the paying of 20 heller (about 5 cents) to secure admission to your own house after 10 o’cloc kat night. If you are calling on a friend after that hour you also pay 20 heller to be let out of the house. There is but one way out s£ it. By paying 3 gulden a month (l.Jb’lols) you are allowed to carry a night key and let yourself in. All this is by law-, mind you, and you can be prosecuted at once if you try any “American kicking. Another £ ‘pleasing little variety they offer here is in the purchase of theatre tickets. If you buy them in advance of the performance you are charged an extra sum for the privilege. | GOVERNMENT CONTROL. I At the restaurants there “is another I peculiar proposition,” but it seems out I keeping with the business streak that i runs through all else in this city. Ap- | pareutly no account is kept of what you I have ordered, but when you are through i your luncheon, the waiter comes w it)i pencil and paper and asks you ! what you have had. He asks how many I beers, how- many other articles, and liow ; many biscuits or pretzels you have taken from the plate. The tram cars are | small and dingy, and are controlled by the Government. If you infringe upon JnnJ tV’i however slightly, you find the good right hand of Franz Joseph elutch- , V lg you by the neck. As aa instance, I the windows of tho cars can only bo opened on one side; there is a law to that effect, as the Austrians regard a draught even in mid summer, as something deadly The passenger must alss sea to it that his fare is paid; thr ~pty I s not on the conductor at all otiould he happen to pass you, you must keep you eye upon him, as th® Government inspector is liable to jump on the car at any moment, and if you hava no ticket showing that you have paid, yon are arrested then and there. Another thing, you are allowed to jump off and on a horse car, but if you do the same thing in the case of an electric car you are arrested. The water system is under Government control. If a family uses too much, consequences follow-. In our pension the bathtub was removed by order of the Emperor because of our being too profligate with the w-ater. Our landlady offered to pay extra, but no money consideration would avail. The tub was taken away. Perhaps some neighbouring public bathhouse tipped the imperial Franz in order to get the trade of the pension.