The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-12
WHO is TO BLAME?
Thousands Lost to the City
By Northumberland
of an 0rdin-
anCe.
CONCERT HALL pROpRIETORS AROUSED
CONCERT HALL PROPRIETORS AROUSED
Discovery That Their License
Should be $500 Per Annum-
Relief Proposed.

Concert hall licenses this year VII
cost $500. The price is steep and a how
is being raised by the proprietors of the
few halls who are now operating
under police surveillance and trying te
earn a livelihood by conducting then
places as respectfully as circumstance
will permit.
The concert hall license fee of SIS per
month, or $500 per year, is not a rule
of the present Board of Aldermen. An
ordinance fixing that sum has been IN
existence four years; but never since us
passage has it been enforced.
On February 10, 1891, the ordinance IN
question was passed. 1t was presented
to Orestes Cleveland, then Mayor, ana
It became operative without his sigma
ture. That portion of the ordinance al
fecting concert halls reads as follows
Where there is playing OF musical IN
struments, singing or performing, where
liquor is sold the license fee shall not
exceed and be at the rate s25 per
month"
VISITING THE HALLS.
The discovery of his ordinance is due
to Alderman Vermilyea. He is a mem
Der of the exhibition committee ana IN
that capacity he visited several of the
concert halls in various parts OF the city
and with zone exception was satisfied
tha the places were properly
That which did not meet with his entire
satisfaction is located in Washington
street. 1t acquired considerable motor
iety on several occasions by the uneA-
pected invasion of the police.
While O the Alderman expressed a
willingness to grant licenses to many OF
49, o~,11r+ halls ha q leo m96a IN his
mind to find out what the fixed license
fee was. 1t was while making such an
Investigation that he unearthed the ordi-
nance that is now causing such a row.
He. it is said, realized the injustice of
such an enormous license fee and to
satisfy himself that he had not placed
a misconstruction upon the ordinance
he appealed to Corporation Counsel
Blair for an opinion.
COUNSEL BLATR'S OPINION.
Verbally. that official declared the fee,
under the ordinance. could be only $50
per month. His attention was called
to the fact that the fee was $50 in ex-
cess of a liquor license.
Mr.. Blair remarked that he believed
the fee exorbitant, but at the same
time. there was IN ordinance fixing the
price and the only way to avoid trouble
was to enforce it.
Alderman Vermilyea proposes enforc-
ing 1t. although it is against his wishes.
The ordinance has not been enforced
since its passage and the city, by the
carelessness of the Aldermen of previous
boards has been a heavy loser.
In the year It was passed concert nall
licenses were only So per month. In 1893
the fee was raised to IS per month and
last year the price was increased to 80
per month. The fact that the Aldermen
have openly Violated an Is
causing considerable comment. The con-
cert hall proprietors intend appealing TO
the Aldermen for relief.
EFFECT If ENFORCED
Speaking of the fee one said
THE ordinance is one that viii close
every concert hall in the city. We are
required TO pay $3.50 for a liquor license.
That is hard enough to struggle under
and the Aldermen well know that the
high license fee has closed a number of
saloons this year. Now We are to be
compelled to pay. $500 additional for a
concert license and i should like to know
o we are going to live. Thousands OF
people find enjoyment in properly con-
Quoted concert halls, but that enjoyment
to pay such an exorbitant fee. We had
Just paid the city $3.50 for our liquor IL
censes and now we are asked to hand up
$500 more. We will simply have to close
our doors" &
Now FOR THE THEATRES.
The discovery of the ordinance has
again raised the question OF imposing a
license fee upon the theatres. 1t is con-
tended that the theatres should be made
to pay as much as the concert halls, If
not more. The concert halls are free and
the proprietors pay as much as any other
liquors dealer for the privilege of selling
liquor. The theatres have thus far es-
a stiff fight will be made for the impo-
sition of a fee before many weeks have
passed.
The ordinance that fixes the concert
hall license at $25Dper month also pro-
vides for places of entertainment and
says the fee shall not exceed $500 a
year" This is Interpreted as leaving IL
discretionary with the exhibition COM
mittee and the result so far has been no
fee at all.
The situation is an interesting one and
with a view to remedylng the hardship
concert hall licenses are going to be
granted for one month only at $25 per
month. In the meantime an amendment to
making it discretionary with the Exhi-
bition Committee to fix a just fee. The
proposed amendment will probably be in
troduced at the next meeting of the
Board by one of the members of the Ex-
Committee.
AS a whole the Aldermen favor the re-
of the $25 per month fee.
HAS NOT STR0TT.ED RAnY m