The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-04
BUTTE News.
THEY PAID NO LICENSE
Startling Revelations Made by
the Special Collector.
FOUND MANY VIOLATIONS
Months Work Has Greatly Increased
the Revenues OF the County-Many
Merchants Added to the
List.

The value of special license colec-
tor for the county was brought out yes
terday through a correspondence be-
tween the collector. T. J. OLeary. and
County Treasurer Holland and the
board of county commissioners. Some
time ago, at the request of the treas
urer. the commissioners made an or
der authorizing him to appoint, tenn
porarily, special deputy for the pur-
pose of making canvass of the county
and locating persons who have been
doing business without paying county
license. Mr.. Holland appointed Mr..
OLeary, and the result of the mans
work has been astonishing. Not in
Guiding professional men. Mr. O'Leary
found 121 persons in the city alone who
had been doing business without pay
ing county license. This. too, in the
face of the fact that the commissioners
have pOpulist detective" of their
own, who is paid a monthly salary for
the special purpose of seeing to it that
no one escapes paying a license. Mr..
OLeary was appointed for one month
only, and he was notified that his ap-
pointment ceased with the LIST of July.
His work, however, is not finished, and
Mr.. Holland is anxious to retain him
until he has had time to go over the
entire county, and the following cor
respondenCe on the subject passed yes
terday. The first letter is from Mr..
OLeary to Treasurer Holland and
reads as follows:
''T6p l.
work accomplished by me as special
license collector and deputy county
treasurer from May 23 1899, to June 30.
1899:
Under your direction. I commenced
a canvass of the entire county to as
certain the number of licenses that
should be paid to the county, and from
whom such licenses should be collected,
The territory which l have covered to
this date does not quite comprise the
limits of the city of Butte, two or three
In South Butte remaining to be can
vassed
In the district I have listed 12o2
places from which the county license
should be collected. In listing mer-
chants | have taken new affidavit of
business transacted in every case and
find there are 1913 places liable TO the
county for a merchandise license On
the affidayits made. 81 of these mer-
chants have increased their licenses
in the aggregate of $6SS per quarter
Il found 60 merchants doing bust
ness without a county license and Sc
cured an affidavit from each of the
business transacted. / found so other
places subject to county licenses for
various vocations from which no coun-
ty license was paid.
Incidentally have collected Al de
linquent licenses, amounting to $3.50
I haX t,ta
county treasurer"
Mr.. Holland sent the following to the
board of county commissioners:
Herewith copy of report of T. j.
O'LeaTy, special license collector and
deputy county treasurer. embracing
the period from May %, 1899, to June
30, 1899.
You will observe from this report
that canvass of the county has been
commenced for the purpose of bring
ing on to the books of the county all
licenses that may be due, as well as
regulating those licenses which are
now being paid to the county. The
work of making this canvass has been
urged; nevertheless, we have not been
able to complete the entire district
comprising the city of Butte, and no
other portion of the county has been
visited. BY taking new affidavits from
the several merchants, the county Is
a permanent benefit of S6SS per quar-
ter of increased license from merchants
who have been on the books of the
county, and it is startling fact tha {
50 merchants and SO others have been
found that We're not paying a license
to the county.
while the time allowed the special
collector by your honorable body has
expired I would respectfully urge that
an extension of time be granted in Or