New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-11
EXCISE IRREGULARITIES.
COMMISSIONER MITCHELL EXPLAINS.
CAUSE OF THE ANNUAL LossEs-A REVENUE OFF,
GERS CRITICISM.

COMMISSIONER MITCHELL EXPLAINS.
cAusr OF THE ANNUAL LossEs-A REVENUE OFF,
GERS CRITICISM.
whsn tho Excise Commissioners learned from the
newspapers Yesterday that Mayor Edson would de-
mand an explanation OF the irregularities COM
planned of by the Commissioners ot accounts .nSy
In the afternoon Commissioners Morris and
Haushtop called wish on tho s Mayer Furnished sed
s ss oncs With copy Of his in get
their explanation before the public. The Mayor
said that his letter would reach the Excise Board
Com%lss S i of Accounts. Mr. Morris and Mr..
Haughton informed the Mayor that the report deal
only with the transactions of the, Excise
willing to assume equal responsibility with Com;
missioner Mitchell. who was president OF lhe OLD
of tho was S%'s sRDss'd e sS
is two months since his sney When
they went away they told me they found every
thing all right. Now they send out to the PUBIC
baTe besn satsfactoriIy explained them had they
taken the trouble TO make inquiries OF US IN REGARD
to the matter Moreover what they now ccp,sa
nd they have only Just discovered the
fact 1t they just matters OF complaint some
excuse must be needed for the ialure OF t1o oG,n-
uissioners of Accounts to report on them before"
"What is your explanation of the allegation
that the city lost $6411 63 last year by the pras-
tce of your Board in dating the dehnitive ccrilh-
cate of license month after the time the hconse
was actually grantedf asked the reporter. ~,
"The charge is without foundation, we 40
commits saw that we ought to ante-date the incense.
If we did that we would commit crlme, anu 10
liable to punishment for malteasance IN ONCE.
SIS it not true then, that the city loses consider
able revenue because liquor dealers are aliowed 10
sell for longer time than that for which tney pay
hcenseT ..,,. W. ;,
no license until 1T is paid for Then 1T is issued for
one year, according to law: ~ is irue tnat mauy
in time TO receive their new license before the old
one expires. In the intervening time they proba-
bly, continue to sell liquor, aud that Is what the
Commissioners of Accounts mean to complain OF.
That is no fault of our Board. In such cases the
dealers are selling without any license and 1t is the
business of the police to arrest them. 1 thlnk the
matter is overstated. however"
els it not the business of your Board to inform the
Police Department when a dealer Is selling with
out licensef ]"
Yes but it is the business of the police to arrest
without waiting tor a complaint from us. esend,
weekly to the Mayor and the Police Board, list OF
all unlicensed places reported by our inspectors"
How do you explain the fact that the United
States authorities collect license tax from 433
more liquor dealers than your Board icensesi"
1.-The United States authorities Issue license
to anybody that applies for 1T. with
out regard TO character or place. We can only
license persons of good moral character who can
furnish bondsmen. The Federal authorities have
summary powers III seizing and closing up place
not licensed by them, while we have to depend upon
another department OF the city goyernment-the
Police-to close places not licensed 10y us. Hence
probably every dealer takes out Federal license
but when refused one by ns,a dealer takes his
chances of escaping police vigilance. To say that
there 433 places IN the city where liquor IS sold
in some shape which are not licensed by u.s. is
probably TO place a low estimate on the number of
such places 1t should not be forgotten that whole
SAFE liquor dealers do not require license FROM us.
but they have to. be licensed by the Internal
"Tne Commissioners of Accounts call attention
to the fact that the Federal authorities collect tax
se57 s ss5a ss dealers i'll aS distilled as@
beer. while your Board licenses 1928 dealers in
ale and beer and only 6.934 dealers in distilled
liquors. How do you explain the disparity in the
din the first place do not believe the dsparityIs
90 great as made out by he Commissioners of Ac-
counts. Instead of getting late and original data
for their comparison they have merely copied FROM
report of the Society for the Prevention OF Crime,
which report WAS made last year and may or may
not he correct. However, am willing to admit
that there was q large difference, but II is not so
great under the aneuded Excise law, passed by the
last Legislature as before Previoust to that time
wo could not grant license to person TO sell spirit
uous wines liquors unless he had accommoda-
lions, to entertain travellers Persons having one
story buildings or being without such accommoda-
toDs look out ale and beer licenses, making afda-
vii that they would not sell stIlled liquors. Inc
difference between the cost of the two licenses Is
S45 The Federal authorities make difference Ut
SIS only, 1t often happens that person paws the
Federal authorities the extra 30, thinking they may
want to get lceuBe from us during the year Tor
the sale of distilled liquors. And a good many
persons pay the Government the S25, not knowing
that an ale and beer license DO had for 50 less.
But when 1t comes 10 paying $40 more, that IL a
different matter"
aWhat about the Recommendation that you
should keep an alphabetical register OF the bonds
men 7"
"That is foolish. we keep an alphabetical regis
ter of the persons having license, with the names
of their bondsmen attached. That is the proper
way to keep 1t. No person Is allowed now TO 70
on more than two bonds"
One of the Commissioners of Accounts explained
that In their previous examination of the Excise
books they found that one lagerboer dealer was
bondsman for about .tweuty other dealers. IL the
names of the bondsmen were alphabetically ar
ranged IL would be easy to detect such matters but
under the present system IL is not to do He
also said that there doubt that the city was
losing q large sum because the Excise Board
allowed dealers to sell from to four weeks after
the old license had expired and before the new GER
tifcatc issued. He said that the records OF the
Police Department would no doubt show tnat such
cases were not reported 10 that department
An officer in the United States Internal Revenue
Department said that 1t was rather IA feeble ex-
PLANTATION which Mr.. Mitchell gave OF the disparity
in tine number of dealers from whom the Govern
ment collects tax for selling distilled liquors and
the number licensed by the Excise Board. "The
fact u.s." said he. the Government is prompt to
punish dealers who sell distilled liquors all
beer license. No Alderman or other politician can
interfere to get the dealer of, which makes 1T
dangerous for HIM TO take the risk. There Is no
danger in taking the risk with the Democratic city
authorities, many OF whom are in COLLISION with the
dealers"
dismiss any inspector OF the Department who shall
in the failure report favorably upon an application
for license for the sale OF malt liquors only when
the applicant is known TO hayea United states In
ternal Revenue license for the sale of spirituous
liquors.
INSPECTING THE CITY SECURITIES.
The committee appointed by the Mayor, at the
request of Controller Grant, to examine the securi
ties in the Finance Department and report upon