The San Francisco call., 1899-04-15
SUPERVISORS
WILL IGNORE
THE STATE LAW
Prize Ring lie gislation
Not Favored.
LEGAL OPINION SET ASIDE
NO ANNUAL LICENSE WILL BE
DEMANDED.
City and County Attorney Lane
Advises That Members of the
Board May Become Law
Breakers.

At the meeting of the Board of Super
visors next Monday the Health and Police
Committee viii present an adverse report
on the proposed ordinance to place an an
nual license of $1,000 on athletic clubs de-
string to conduct prize fights. The report
will also recommend that the Board of
Supervisors ignore the provisions of the
new State law regulating prize fights and
boxing contests, and proceed with the is
suance of permits for boxing contests
which are now held to be contrary to the
law.
This very remarkable report was formu-
lated yesterday after the members of the
Health and Police Committee had been
advised by the City and County Attorney
that if the Board of Supervisors granted
a permit to an athletic club to hold box
ing exhibition without first eXactng the
payment of an annual license by such
club, then the Supervisors would be liable
70 arrest and prosecution for aiding and
abetting a prize fight. This offense under
the provisions of the new State law, is
defined as a felony
The members of the committee who
voted to place themselves and their BROTH
er Supervisors in this position as regards
the State law are Chairman Collins and
supervisors Heyer and Lackmann. The
decision was not arrived at without some
discussion, though Supervisor Heyer con-
uehueu from Jnt DebnnInS tnat lne state
law should be ignored and that the board
continue to deal with fights and lighters
in the future as it has in the past.
City and County Attorney Lane was
sent for and asked to make clear some of
the points not covered by his opinion on
the subject of the new law which was
given by him some days ago. In reply to
questions Attorney Lane said that the
new law prohibits all kinds Of prize fight
ing and boxing contests, but adds pro-
Viso which permits the holding of Inn
tied round boxing contest, provided the
club holding the contest is incorporated
under the laws of the State and has first
paid in advance an annual license fee to
be fixed by the Board of Supervisors of
the county in which the contest is held
He said the law does not require the
Board of Supervisors to fix this annual
license fee, but if the amount of the fee
was not fixed and its payment required
then a boxing contest could not be held
without violation of the law If the
Board of Supervisors granted a permit
for the holding of a boxing contest with
out first having eXacted the payment Of
an annual license fee, then the members
Of the board would probably be liable to
arrest and conviction for aiding and abet-
ting an act that is by the law prohibited
and defined felony.
Attorney were not convincing to Super
visor Heyer. He seemed to think the
Legislature had invaded the rights of the
Board of Supervisors by tinkering the
ignoring the new statute and allowing
things to drift along in the same old
channel There was some talk OF post
poning action, but at the suggestion of
Supervisor Lackmann the committee
agreed to report against the proposed
ordinance on the ground that the eXaction
of an annual license fee was impracti
cable" and also that in future permits
they have in the past. without regard to
the provisions of the State law