The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-15
BICYCLES TO BE TAXED.
COUNCIL DECIDES TO MAKE THEM a
SOURCE OF REVENUE.

The Tax VIII Probably he One Dol
Inr-The Number of Bicycles in Sa-
vannah Estimated at G,UOO-Thc
Tax VIII Probably BE Fought by
the League of American Wheel
men Unless an Agreement Is
Reached in Regard TO the DISPOSE
ton of the Revenue.
A tax on bicycles will be one of the
features of the city tax ordinance for 1898.
The tax will probably be 81. The means
of enforcing the ordinance have not been
considered yet, but the fact that such
feature viii be included in the ordinance
IS practically assured. Acting Mayor
Hamilton so stated yesterday.
1t is needless to say that the step win
not meet with favor with the bicyclists.
There was some talk when the Meldrim
administration assumed the reins of office
eleven months ago of placing a tax upon
bicycles, but no action was taken The
discussion of the movement, however, de-
veloped the fact that there was very gem
eral opposition to any such move by coun-
ell. 1t is hardly to be doubted
that the spirit of opposition is
no less now. There are generally esti-
mated to be about COCO blcyclists in the
city, and it is safe to say that nine out
of every ten of the number will consider
the tax an unjust imposition. The lady
riders will certainly not take to it kindly.
One of the reasons why council is dis
posed to place a special tax upon bicycles
is that 50 few bicycles are returned for
taxation. out of the several thousand in
the city not half a dozen have been return
ed for taxation this year. The owners do
not seem disposed to regard a bicycle as
property until one is stolen, when there is
the police to recover. it. Those aldermen
who favor the tax hold that the bicyclists
make constant use of the streets and that
the large expenditures of the city for paw
ing rebound more largely to their bene-
fit than that of any other class. Under
these circumstances they hold that it is no
more than right that the bicyclists should
pay for the privilege of using the streets
just as other people are taxed for the same
privileges. 1t will probably be provided
in the ordinance that the receipts from
the bicycle tax be kept as a separate fund
to be used exclusively for the purpose of
road improvements, and in this way the
y
be used for their own benefit.
The taxing of bicycles, except as prop
erty and at the regular rate of taxation,
has been fought by the League of Amer
lean Wheelmen wherever it has been at
tempted Macon undertook to establish
a bicycle tax. The L. A. w. took up the
matter at once and defeated the tax.
Without some agreement is reached, the
Savannah council win have a legal fight
on it's hands if it attempts to enforce a
tax on bicycles.
A conference of the L. A. w. officials
will be held to-day to consider the matter
If the council will agree to set aside the
amount received from the tax as a sepa-
rate fund to be used in street and road
improvement, by which bicyclists will be
benefited, the improvement to be in ad-
dition to that which would otherwise be
made by the city it is quite probable that
the tax would be submitted to without
fight. Otherwise it will be vigorously OPP
posed, and the city council will have set
a large majority of the 5000 or more BIZ
cyclists in Savannah by the ears.
The giving away of valuable franchises
to the street railway combine without
any appreciable consideration and placing
the city at the mercy of the consolidation
was an unpopular move, but the move to
tax bicycles without some return for the
tax will raise a howl against the aldermen.
The question will probably be raised also
as to the citys right to tax bicycles with
out taxing carriages and other vehicles,
which are granted the same privileges
with fewer restrictions.