The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-28
THEY ARE PERSISTENT
REAL ESTATE MEN WANT AN Or
DINANCE REPEALED
ANNUAL BUDGET NOW READY
Committees Report Will Be in the Ma
ture Of a Message-Auditor's Bal
ance Shows Heavy Overdraft

Another effort was made yesterday to get
the finance committee to dispose of the
real estate dealers petition for the repeal
Of the ordinance which imposes a license
Of 81 per month on each member of their
firms. Messrs. Smith of Nolan & Smith,
Keeney of johnson & Keeney, McGarvie
Of McGarvie and Bronson, Clark of Clark
& Bryan, Bradshaw Of Bradshaw Bros, and
NJ. F. ODea were before the committee to
argue the question and insist that justice
be dealt out. Order was in favor of rec
ommending that the petition be granted,
but Toll, the conservative, did not feel him
self capable of voting on the matter at this
time, and as Matthews felt That further in
vestigation would be proper, 1t was finally
determined that the recommendation would
favor bringing the matter before the coun-
ell as a committee of the whole. A day
will be set on Monday for the hearing, and
as the real estate dealers seem to have no
word- spinners among their number. they
may be represented by an attorney.
The real estate men are beginning to be
more serious in their contention that the
license is an imposition. They take the
ground that when the ordinance was orig
inally passed 1t Included merchants, doctors,
and lawyers, all of whom have been re-
leased from its provisions years ago; there
fore, 1t is an injustice that real estate deal
ers be Disseminated against They state
that it gives them no protection against
''fakirs.' who will be found lining the side
walks from the city hall to the court house,
ready to hop onto any customer who is
seen coming out of legitimate dealers
tba Of I, i'm
against some friend" Of theirs who has a
property to sell. The parasites, the realty
men claim, are just as bad as man who
would stand in front Of a saloon with a
flask of whisky and offer drinks for sale
without paying the saloon license. But
they cannot be caught so easily. and there
fore ply their business undisturbed.
Another class against whom the petition
ers are indignant are the real estate law
yers," who cannot make living at the
bar, and resort to dabbling in realty be-
hind the disguise of their profession. 1t
is contended also that the ordinance really
raises less than 500 per month and that
many Of the realty men would not sign the
petition circulated because they were not
paying the license and did not want 10 be
placed on record.
On the other hand. Councilman Toll ar
CUES that these petitioners base their re-
quest in part on the point that other lines
of business have been relieved from the IL
cense; If they are relieved others will make
the same request on the ground of prece-
dent in this case. and ere long the entire
license system will be attacked. The city
treasury Is in no condition to stand such a
thing, and Mr.. Toll therefore favors an cx-
tension of the license system rather than
reduction Of 1t. If other lines Of bust
ness are brought within the requirements
of an ordinance Of this character, the real
estate men will be satisfied 20 withdraw
their petition, so municipal statute Of
broader scope seems to be tie key to the
situation. 1t is stated that the city attor-
ney has held such ordinances TO be entirely
constitutional.
The finance committee has decided to rec
ommend the allowance of the $50 prayed for
by the police department for the purpose of
paying its annual membership fee in the
National Bureau of Identification.
The committee will also recommend the
transfer of $500 from the cash fund of last
year TO the library fund.