The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-01
A MERCHANTS LICENSE.
Measure Favored By the City Council
Other Business.


At the session of the city council last
night the members put themselves on
record in favor of merchants Ii
cense.
All the members We're present ex-
cept Brewer and Pingree An ordi-
nance providing for a license was sub
mitted by Councilman Woolley 1t
was a lengthy document covering over
eight pages OF closely typewriter
matter, and said to be modelled after
the merchants license of Salt Lake
The ordinance proposed fixes a license
on all business houses or institutions
large and small. 1t includes merchants.
bankers, hotels, lodging houses, livery
stables, dentists, assayers, exhibitors
or all kinds, including freaks, balloon
lists, and professional men of all kinds,
including electricians, doctors, attor-
neyS, opticians.
The license ranges according to the
amount of capital invested, and also
according to the class of business in
which the person licensed may be en-
gagged. For instance, a merchant do
ing business of $4,000 per year will
pay a yearly license of $500: a person
doing business of $500 a year will pay
a license of IS per year. The license of
bankers varies from 5000 10 $50 a year
The ordinance passed to first and sec
ond reading and was then referred to
the committee on laws. with the CITY
attorney added, in order that it might
be prepared for it's final passage.
Other business transacted was as
follows:
The committee on laws reported ad-
Versely on the ordinance creating a poll
tax collector for each ward, and like
wise on the ordinance making the poll
tax collector, also the dog tax collector
in each ward. An adverse report was
entered on both ordinances on the
ground that they were unconstitution-
al The report was adopted. Later in
the evening a resolution was passed
providing that the committee on streets
have power to employ temporarily per
sons to look after the collection of the
poll tax. and that the sanitary COM
mittee have power to employ tempo
Tarily persons to look after the collec-
ton of the dog tax.
Claims amounting to $1S5.40 were al
lowed, Ind claims aggregating $107
were withheld by the committee await
ing consideration
The claim Of the Press Publishing
company for 5000, for publishing the
mayors message, was rejected, as not
having been authorized by the coun-
Gil.
a petition was received from Reese
Howell and 10 others, asking for re-
that the claimants had property abut- |
ting on TweDty-fifth street, and they
paid the special paving tax but that |
the tax was afterwards declared lille |
gal These parties cannot now bring |
an action against the city, the same |
being barred by the statute of limita- /
claimants got together to get the tax de |
claimants together to get the tax de- !
clared illegal by the supreme court of |
the United States. and consequently |
got Judgment against the city for the |
amount Of their claims. These petition
ers have no redress except to throw
themselves on the mercy of the council. |
Their claims amount to about $4,000
Rev. Father Cushnahan was given |
the privilege of the floor and made a /
strong plea for the refund of this tax |
as an act of simple justice to parties |
who had endeavored to stay by the city |
without questioning the legality of the |
tax. The matter was referred to the |
committee on claims.
Regular claims for rebate on the nav |
ing tax. amounting TO S232, were like
wise received and referred.
William T. Pickett and 40 others
asked the council to grade Patterson
avenue west of Washington to Pacific.
Committee on streets.
William Binford put in a claim for
800 as salary for February, acting on
the theory that he is still chief of the
fire department. Committee on claims.
a petition was received from d. E.
and 90 others, asking that
Pacific avenue be opened and graded
from Twentieth to Thirtieth street Re
ferred TO committee on streets.
A communication was received from
H c. Wardleigh, president of the
former city council calling attention
to the fact that the members of the
old city council were each entitled to
three days pay for services this year.
Referred to committee on. claims.
Orson Riser and 81 others petitioned
for the location of q fire hydrant on
lower Twenty eighth street Commit
tee on fire department.
After the merchants license ordi-
nance had been disposed of. Councilman
Williams asked to reconsider the action
taken by the council at the last session.
wherein the report of the committee of J