Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-03-04
NOTES FROM THE HUB.


When the circulars ISSUED by the
Board of Police To the licensed liquur
dealers of the city ruurcrning the ru>t
Ol licenses for the year beginning
win May !. ami asking rhp dealers Ia
nave their applications ~ h-adquar-
tgrS early in March. were distributed.
II WAS noticed that the Increase in the
cost of special club licenses iS nOt the
only change thai has been decided M
ON this year 10y the commissioners.
BN the circular il appears rhar the
hoard has done away with class B
under the head of mnholderS' licenses.
Heretofore such licenses have been
under TWO CLASSES. \ and Il. Those in
the former class were the licensed
hotels within the limits Of the city
proper; those i'm class Il were the no
tells in the outlying districts. Those
in the former class have had To pay in
the past $4,000 for license. and thuS"
in class Il $1,000. il being estimated
rhat the district hotels do not have
anywhere near 81 much business aS
those down town. Under the new
rule the fee in all cases will hC $1,000.
That this change will create Il bad
feeling among those heretofore in.
cluded in class Il there is no doubt.
hut the commissioners are determined
in the matter. us well as they are that
the charge for special club licenses
shall he raised from $50 to $500. I'm
der the new classification nineteen ho-
tells will be affected. Six of these ar"
situated in South Boston. five in
CharlestOwn. -four in RoXbury and
Two each in Brighton aud East B"S-
ton. \ hotel licensed under the inn
holders class has the right Ia do huSl.
ness after eleven o'clock every week
day night, and all day on Sundays
and holidays. 1t is argued uhai these
places should pay much more than an
ordinary saloon. and the change was
not made until one of the commits
SionerS had visited certain of these
district hotels ana watched the man
ncr in which the business is con
tlurtcd. In talking On the subject this
forenoon this commissioner stated
that his visits had been productive of
n great deal of information. He said
he was satisfied rhat rhe hotels in the
remote districts did more business on
Sundays and holidays than such first
class hotels aS the Brunswick. Ven
dome and Parker House. He be-
| lieved that the hotels whose prices
! have now been raised made enough
| profit on those days alone to pay
| double rhe $1,000 that they must pay
| this year for licenses. Referring Ia
! hotel that he visited in CharestOwn,
one sunday forenoon. Il few weeks
ago, he found that forty-tWO names
could be written on page. and upon
the statement of the proprietor that
| he generally filled more than twenty
/ five IageS with the names of guests
ON Sundays and holidays. the commits
/ Si0ncr calculated that more than 1000
persons were served with liquor on
those days Figuring that the aver
age person would spend at least tif.
teen cents in the place, he came To the
conclusion that the profits must
reach more than 500 on such day.
Reckoning that there are about sixty
Sundays and holidays in the year. the
commissioner reached the conclusion
that the dealer in the case in question
made profit of fully $4,000 on those
sixty days alone The commissioner
in question is not especially in favor
of the licensing of such places; hut as
long aS it is the rule of rhe board that
they may exist, he for one believes III
making them pay aS much for thelr
! licenses as any of the downtown hO-
! tplS DaV,