The sun., 1893-07-23
LICENSES AND WHISKEY.
koUH FACTS aEsdnDrNo RoTH IN NEW
TORH CITY.
Ereet- or the Restrictions Upon Lioenre-
Tho had whisk-y which IL Served In

Tho had whisk-y which IL Served .,
Almost An OF New Yora's Barroom ms
sinco tho Board Of Excise established thu
ouston OF restricting the number OF license.
in New York the character Of the liquor bust
ness has greatly changed. There Is no re-
strfcion by law on tho number Of licenses
which the Excise Commissioners may issue
The Board OF Excise In 1897 raised the license
foe. and established a custom that the num-
ber OF licenses would not be increased. Since
then. II man wants to 20 In the liquor busi-
Z ness he must buy out some place already ex-
listing or get tho license OF some man who
fs going out OF business and have 1t transferred
to the new place which he has opened.
This rulo has put the llquor Du ,iness on a
very different footing. 1t has established n
monopoy not stringent or rigid mon nopoly.
because the number Of licenses is so great that
tho people going out OF business from natural
causes afford a reasonable opportunity for n
new man to buy u liccnse-Lut the number Of
licenses lie restricted and the license itself be-
comes a property worth having. something
not to be forfeited without reflection. The IL
cense OF tho man who owns n saloon stands
among the assets to be considered valuable to
realize money on, in like manner with his
stock and his bar fixtures Its value naturally
Increases from year to year. for tho number Of
licenses being restricted with a constantly in
creasing population. the number Of licenses in
proportion Is really less every year. and the
value OF tho license proportionntely increased.
There are now 1888 licensed drinking places
In N,w York. OF those 23l are hotels of the
first class. which pay the highest lica, sc fee OF
$3.50. The second-graie license fee OF 5000 Is
paid by saloons which sell liquors. wines. ale.
AMI beer There are 6.844 OF them Then
there arc 30 restaurants licensed whore
li1uors are sold In connection with food and
there is no bar. These pay license fee OF
Sl0o The lowest license fee is $50 for ale and
beoc. They are issued to 63S places. Restau-
rants whore liquor is always sold over a bar
have to take out saloon license. Tho restau-
rant license permits the sale OF liquors at
table with foo! only. Besides those saloon.
restaurant, and hotel licenses there are
1.409 orekcepers' licenses. These are
not for drinking places. since storek eeper's
license permits nothing to be drunk on the
premises and no sales are allowed in quanti-
licenses are ranted to the whoesale V and re
tai iellers, grocers. and others W ho supply
the 5sTe and Tho sell by the paekags and
strictly observed. because these houses. will
sell by the easo. and there arc not 1--WE gallons
Through this refusal OF tho Board OF Excise
on the decrease instead Of the increase. The
man whose license is forfeited loses his claim
iicenses also loso their claims and those who
60 out OF business and allow their licenses
oso right %s' rhs has made ss
percentage of drinking places in New York
less every yenr In the last six years the num-
tation to 49, to the thonsand The i absolute SG'n
loss has not been so great. but it amounts to a
fanrnnts and hotels has increased. there are
23S fewer licensed places than there were six
The rule that the old license must be sur
rendered before now one Is issued applies
sans 1. ~as thoueRt nndeions nsd to estend
This rule to hotels and restaurants. as the num-
nrid Der q tn them MS, Is increased every year. and it
or resta urant license only, where the applicant |
Gould surrender an old hotel or restaurant |
storekeepers licenses was not restricted. as |
the Wholesale liquor business is constantly in |
censes would keep new houses out Of the bus- |
ness. since the old ones would not be 80 likely |
there are almost oo IS saloons soae
stnantly changing nroprietore.
,oas as os, b LICENSES the popu
hish there as up town. This Comes m from rom the he
fwG fNti iacts that there Is larger floating popu
sections whore the population is small. and |
that a the tho growth Of the city has been up town.
license Of some other place has. been surren-
come from down town. The holders Of fhcene iicens
SEES also are more likely to continue in busi-
business up town or to sell their licenses and
60 out Of business.
:, With this constantly diminishing mum ber OF
licenses tho amount OF revenue received has
beer; been steadily increasing. In 1886. with -y,574
ceHnses H!ss the revenue, was sl5G3,525.
10 lower IN hew York than in any. city Of i'm.
Hor'ahse Hn NE Ia me state. EXCEPT possibly Brook
low; because so great part Of the sdS nopulatioSS
Of Brooklyn spend the daytime In New York.
Hs
falo. uticn. Long Island City. Syracuse. Hud.
ess Ii"H thSre Apsny and nnber Of other
tFoo9s 10 the population as there are in New
fn, fh%rfi .t No allowance @ Is made in THE estimate
but Only for tho people who actually live in
Ns% York and are 50 returned in the. census.
lation has elevated the liquor business It has
r,f1treted r, eompcttion. md It has put the sale
caDltni and business reputation to sustain
Outside Of the smaller places whore licenses
ioro the new regime, " the s"'p prSprietoes Se o
fheis s'oSns Snsbs hays enough money invested In
in country town from .0i It's ne incame TO 1tiYis
n2t rare to Id pd eases where the good win bar
fixtures have been sold for S s55oo6 Ge@aSSo ssSS6o
and or, StpOW. Drinking placos have been fitted
as much as $4,000 and even the most ordi-
nary saloon represents cash expenditure Of
from $4,000 to slO,OOU. without counting the
credit account for the liquors and cigars. which
are rarely bought for cash
This good financial standing OF the liquor
a deaters 10 shown by the credit which they read
ily obtain. Any firm or Wholesale man Will
stock bar for the proprietor who has a
license: iI O. lease and has paid for his fixtures.
also buy his, cigars on credit. This Is more
nan man IN almost any other kind Of bus
lness In New York could do No cigar dealer
could get his stock on credit no restaurant
man maj could obtain all OF his supplies on credit.
anu no hotel keeper or dry goods man could |
ssSrt n business wholly on credit 4 his only
place and the right to do business legally.
n, INT. ans men who have the means to pay for q
License are ablo to tlt up their places Il great
deal q. letter than the Old-style saloon. They
put p IN hard wood trimmings, plate glass, com
Iorta0ie tables and chairs. with private rooms.
n NEWSPAPERS. and free lunch. and The Illustrated
RnpeIs {ar ana amagaznes Many saloons are bet
saoon sae Iot,sa hespsr Tna social
not anord to have drunken or disorderly ner |