Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-05
After n Long and Spirited Debate,
the Finance Committees Recom-
n,e,dation Is Rejected-Street I'm
provements-Contra for Lights.

Tanner, Wallersten, Whalen, Williams
Witte. and Woody.
THE MAYORS ANNUAL MESSAGE.
communication was read from the
Mayor. stating that the reports of the
various departments had been submitted
10 him and that he found. so far as he
could judge, that the city's institutions
etc, were being well conducted, ana were
In a thriving condition. The communi-
cation and reports were received and
ordered to be filed.
A resolution was adopted. appropri-
ating SIN, for paving with vitrifed brick
the road-bed of Broad street between
Tenth and Eleventh streets. The
! following other resolutions were
also adopted: Appropriating 1854 for
I paving with granite spalls the road
bed of the sOuth-side Of Broad street be-
| tween Belvidere and Laurel; appropri-
| ating S226.30 TO pave with granite spalls
| the rOad-bed Of Fourteenth street from
! Cary TO Mayo's bridge; appropriatlng $Sol
for laying a granite curbing on the
! north side of o street between twenty
| sixth and Twentv-seventh; approprating
/ 1903 TO construct granite gutter on the
north side of Marshall street between
| Thirty-secOnd and Thirty-third streets;
/ appropriating A450 for laying granite
/ curling and granite gutter on the east
/ side of Thirtieth street between Clay
and Leigh: appropriatng $4S4.50 for lay
/ ing granite curbng and paving with
/ granite gutter on the east side OF
/ Thirtieth street between Leigh and NJ (;
| apprOpTiating $3.50 for paving with grano-
| Hthic the sidewalk on the west side Of
/ Twelfth street between Main and Bank;
/ $40 y to construct sewer on Walnut
| street between Grove avenue and Han
| over street; 500 TO tap three inlets at the
corner of Grove avenue and Lombardy
l tvt4at IN ipln q 10
southwest corner Of Main and Fourteenth
streets: $500 to construct inlets on :he
south and northeast corners OF Broad
and Fourteenth streets: s29O9S to con-
struct a sewer on Broad and Thirty
second streets.
WILL NOT RECOGNIZE IT.
An application from the Southern Bell
Telephone Company to run wires, con-
struct poles. etc, was read.
Mr.. Wallerstein moved that the Clerk
be instructed to return the application,
He did not think the corporation should
be recognized in any way by the Council.
The motion was adopted.
An ordinance was read providing for
creating the position of Accountant and
Book Keeper in the office of the City
Engineer. 1t was referred to the Finance
Committee.
a resolution from the Light Commit
tee was read, recommending that a con-
tract be made with the Welsbach Lamp
ton, TO light certain portions Of the city.
1t was referred to the Finance Com
mittee
THE LIQUOR LICENSE TAX.
Upon a suspension of the rules Mr.
Ebel pr scented a petition from the liquor
dealers, asking that no change be made
in the license tax charged for the sale
Of ardent spirits. Heretofore all retail
liquor dealers were placed in the $50
class. while, according TO the action Of
the Finance Committee, the license had
been increased TO 800 Some of the rea-
sons given for asking such n reduction
were that trade was dull, and the Vaude-
vile parks. during the summer season.
attracted good many people. whose
trade was thus lost TO the saloons i'm the
city Following the reading Of the Pc
utiOn. resolution was submitted by
Mr.. Ebel, providing that the license tax
for the sale of liquor be made the same
as last year The resolution was ruled
by the president not 10 be In proper
shape, and after some little discussion as
To how IL should be expressed II was
properly drawn and then placed before
Mr.. Bioomberg offered as a substitute
an ordinance making all retail liquor
licenses $50.
Mr.. Rountree of the Finance Commit
tee, said he thought II would be very
unfair to the committee if the Council
lowered the license. The tax was not
hardship, he declared. and was eX-
tremely low, when compared to that Of
other cities. In Atlanta IL was 81 600 |
Mr.. Bloomberg said he did not as a
rule, oppose the Finance Committee in !
any action, but that in this case he |
thought il was unjust to require uni |
form tax from all dealers, without re-
gard 20 the amount of business done |
by them.
Mr. Cottrell said the Finance Commit
tee had in 1897 made the license $50 with |
the understanding that the tax was 10 |
fFnlan IN
license tax that was not uniform was |
He did not believe any
such tax would stand the test of the |
courts. The lowest retail liquor dealers |
license tax in any town in Virginia was |
$50. In Norfolk IL was 500, and in |
Danville IL was $500.
Mr. Ebel said the reason for the high |
licenses in other cities was simply that |
those corporations desired to regulate |
the liquor traffic by requiring an unreal
sonabe tax
Mr.. Gunst declared that no business
could stand an increase of 100 per cent.
in taxes. Business had not increased in
the same proportion.
THE OLD TAX REMAINS.
Mr.. CARRIER spoke i'm favor of the pro-
posed ordinance reducing liquor license.
He did not think business justified such
action as recommended by the Finance
Committee.
Mr.. Wallerstein said he thought the
liquor dealers were standing i'm their own
light in protesting against the increase
In the license.
Mr.. Pollock spoke in favor of the ordi-
nance, saying that no good reason had
been shown why the license should have
been increased.
The vote was then taken, and the ordi-
nance was adopted by a vote Of 10 to g.
recorded as follows:
For the Ordinance-Messrs. Blanks,
5loomberg Ebel CARRIER, Gunst, O. A.
HObson. Miller, MOsby Noble
Pollock Ryan, Whalen. Williams and
Woody
Against the Ordinance-Messrs. Briggs.
Foster, HARRISON, Horace a. Hawkins.
Rountree' Tanner, Wallerstein, Witte,
and Caske
The ordinance fixing the scale Of rates
'harged consumers for the use Of water,
rs already published I'm the DISPATCH |
VAS submitted and adopted.
MR. FERGUSON ELECTED.
Mr.. Woody placed IN nomination for
councilman to fiji the vacancy caused by
he death Of Mr.. Branch r. Allen the
name OF A. b. FERGUSON. who was
'hosen for the next term at the recent
~ Urinary. Mr.. Ferguson was elected TO
III the uneXpred term Of Mr. Allen.
Upon the motion of Mr. WaIlerstein
ne action by which the resolution pro-
ldins for giving a contract for lighting
ertain streets 10 the Welsbach Company
vas referred, was -reconsidered and the
natter was then taken up. The resolu-
dopted.
The body after disposing of several
outline matters OF minor Importance. adj
burned.
Contract for street-LIghtIng.
The Committee on Light met last night
he following being present. Me-.