The herald., 1894-08-24
FIGHTING AGAINST LICENSES.
Complications Of the Latest Or
dinance.
Kicks From Nearly Every Kind of
Business.
Tho Council Committee OF tho
Whole Fails to Take Any De-
oisive Action In tho
Matter.

The license ordinance which the city
council passed on the 2lst day of last
June is causing great deal OF rum pus
at the present time. Many OF the mer-
chants and business firms are not pay
ing the license tax imposed by the ordi'
nance. Most OF them assert that they
will not pay the amounts called for and
manifest disposition to fight the mat
ter to the bitter end. The dissatisfac-
ton is not confined to any line or class
of business, but extends to nearly all.
Yesterday morning the council met
and resolved itself into q committee OF
the whole for the purpose of considering
several amendments to the ordinance,
and after session lasting nearly oil day
the committee OF the whole arose and
reported progress, and no action what
ever had been taken.
After the adjournment City CLERK
Lucksnbach stated to HERALD reporter
that he should proceed at once to force
the collection Of the license taxes from
every firm which has failed to pay. 1t
is certain that il this is done the city
will 6nd itself knee deep in legal strife,
and the impression is that it will get in
over its head before the trouble is over.
! Seven members OF the council were
| present when the committee OF the
whole began work, with Councilman
Strohm in the chair.
The entire morning session was con-
sumed in the discussion of the amend
ment to reduce the license TO $40 per
month imposed on the wholesale liquor
Dealers
Oscar II. Kieier of the firm of Kiefer
IL Go. made long talk in favor OF the
reduction, setting forth the fact that the
local wholesalers only do about 20 per
cent of the business OF the city and
that the dealers from outside, who sell
by sample, are not required 10 pay any
license, nor are the druggsts who sell
liquor by the Wholesale.
1t was resolved to defer action until
the afternoon session. when more MEM
bers might be present. No more mem
bers were present, however, and the
afternoon session passed as the morning
had done. in discussions and inactivity.
Councilman Smith spoke of the OBJ
lection of the merchants to the Cheap
John racket on street corners at night.
These Cheap Johns have some little
amount of grey matter in their brains.
Their license ia SIS per month, and the
auctioneers' 50. So the said gentle
men sell pins and suspenders aud hand
kerchiefs and pocketbooks at auction,
after fashion-iust enough auction
tinge to it to make their license So in.
stead OF $l5.
The Consolidated Electric Railway
company has entered a protest paying
| 800 for furnishing light and power.
The Consolidated company says it
only does $243 worth OF power and light
ing business q month, and to have to
pay 500 license is an outrage.
Mr.. w. II. Burns OF the Los Angeles
Electric Light company appeared and
talked against the amendment to the
ordinance. He wants it to stand so the
Consolidated company will have to 90
out OF the lighting and power business.
| Without having accomplished q soli-
tary thing the committee OF the whole
arose and the council did little busi-
ness on the side.
Councilman Pessell moved that the
City Water company be directed to con-
meet the sources of property owners on
Santee street with the 4.inch pipe re-
Gently laid, and the motion was adopted.
| The supply committee reported that
the bids for barley and bran had been
rejected. Also that the city pay the en-
gineer 81 for assistance, and that the
city attorney draft an ordinance for an
alley on the recent acquisition of the
park committee. The report was
/ adopted.
The finance committee reported ap.
proval of the demands OF laborers on the
outfall sewer, and the report was ap-
proved.
Maria s. Bowman petitioned for q
cement sidewalk on the south eide of
Adams street, between Hooper and
| Naomi streets. which petition was re-
l. ferred to the city engineer.