Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-15
HIGHLICENSEVS. LOW
EFFECT OF THE TWO METHODS IN
VARIOUS CITIES.

The Proposed Reduction In the Number
of Saloons In New York-Ratio of sa-
looms to Population - Views of Liquor
Dealers.
Two methods have been tried in various
parts of the country, with different de-
greos of success, for reducing the number
of licensed liquor places. The first and
most familiar Of these is the application of
the principle of high license, so called,
under which the rates of license fees are
so far raised as to become almost prohibi-
tory to the minor number of saloons, while
the local revenue Is not reduced substan-
italy, though the number of saloons is.
The highest license fee charged any
where in the United States is at Haverhill,
Mass. where it costs $2 900 to get license
for IL saloon. There are 20 saloons in Hay
erhill, Il town of $1,000 inhabitants, or in
the proportion of one saloon to about /, 100
persons Several other Massachusetts,
towns, particularly Lowell New Bedford,
Springfield and Worcester, have the high
license principle in operation, and there is
also IA stated license fee of 81, 600 in these
cities in other parts of the country-Phila-
delphiu, Pittsburg, Minneapolis, Atlanta
(whero the exposition now isl, Duluth
and st. Joseph. In Boston, with Il license
fee of 81 900, there are fewer than 800 sf-
looms, and in Atlanta fewer than 100, in
the proportion of about one saloon to ev-
cry 1000 inhabitants.
In st. LOFTS license costs 5000, and in
Denver the foe is tho same In Chicago
and Detroit it is $500, and all cities in
which that rate is eXactcd from saloons are
put usually in the category of high license
cities. Among these high license cities
Chicago with more than 5000 licensed
places, stands first and then comes st.
Louis, with 1000; Philadelphia, with
l, 500 (CXclusivc OF speak casics), and De-
truit, with 1900 Tho number of saloons
to the whole population is greater in De-
troit than in any other large city Of the
country in which "a license fee of 5000 is
charged. The proportion there is one sa-
loon to 2lO of population.
Seven large cities of the United States,
Washington, Providence and New Haven
among them, have license fee of $500.
a dozen large cities have license fee of
5000. Then follow 80 large cities with
license fee of $3.50, and then como New
York and Milwaukee, two towns in which
the consumption of beer and liquors is
very large with license fee of 5000.
The cost of liquor license in this city,
$500, puts it low down in the category of
low license cities, for the few which
charge as little or less are, nearly all of
them, in the south, where the rate of bust
ness does not justify much higher figure.
Besides this many of the southern cities
in which u low retail license rate is charg-
ed are in districts or counties which con-
tribute many thousands of dollars to the
federal treasury in the form Of internal
revenue duties. Up to u year ago Brook
Ign had IA license fee of $780, but it has
been raised since. There is Il $50 license
in New York for the sale of ME or beer,
and hotels pay either S50G or $500, their
classification being regulated by the num-
Der of rooms they have for guests. New
York has 9, 900 liquor saloons of all char
aCtcrs and descriptions, and this is nearly
1000 fewer than tho number of licensed
places in New York nine years ago. The
population Of the city has very greatly In
creased during that time, and the proper
ton of liquor saloons To the whole pOpula-
ton has therefore been steadily declining.
The present board Of police commission
ers of New York believes that n still fur
thcc decrease in the number of saloons can
be- brought about without inconvenience
to customers and without radical injury
to the retail liquor business, for it is well
known that the number of saloons in town
is larger than the present condition of
trade justities and that many of them
have been in financial difficulties in con-
sequence. New York has about one liquor
saloon to 800 of population. Milwaukee,
with /, 900 saloons, has one to 100 of pop
ulation. In the city of Buffalo the num-
Der of saloons to the total population is
greater than in any other city Of the coun
try.
The New York board of excise commits
sioners believes that 5000 saloons would
supply all the wants of New York custom
ers and that beginning on Dec. l the num-
Der could be gradually reduced until the
reduction reached 5000. This view of
the case finds some support among the
liquor men themselves, who know that
the present competition is gradually do
priving the retail Jrado u the profits which
were formerly thought to be assured 70
any proprietor who had a thorough knoNl-
edge of the business and diligently attend
ed to it. Should the number of New York
licenses be cut down to 5000, Chicago
would exceed this city in the number of
its saloons, though Chicago drinks in a
year only 2, 800, 600 barrels of beer to New
York's 1900 900, with whisky in proper
ton, Chicago men say.-New York Sun.
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