The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-20
LOCAL TALENT FREE
SCOPE OF FEDERAL TAX On
MUSICAL AND THEATRICAL
ENTERTAINMENTS
LAW HAS BEEN M1scoNsTRUED
Recent Order Was Due to Laxity on
Part of Some Deputy Collect
Ors i'm Levytng Reg
uIar Tax.

Considerable agitation among club and
musical circles has been stirred up, as
related in the G 10 b yesterday, by
the report that an order had been issued
by Internal Revenue Commissioner
Yerkes at Washington which would
compel all owners of halls churches or
other places where entertainments were
held. not for a charitable purpose to
pay tax of 500 yearly in all cities of
over %, 600 population.
The order has evidently been miscon-
strued and although late yesterday after
noon 1t had reached the local office of
the revenue department the officials there
stated that it was probably being con-
fused with the law compelling travelling
entertainment companies to pay tax OF
$40 yearly in each state in the union
There Is in existence now a law which
compels these travelling entertainers to
pay this tax in every state in which they
exhibit and the revenue department EVIL
IDENTIFY has troubles of it's own in collect
ing it, as the managers of entertainment
companies all over the country fight 1t
and try to evade 1t at every opportu-
nifty.
Deputy Collector Vars stated yester-
day that in this district the law was
strictly enforced, and that this enforce
ment had caused some hard feelings
among different local people in the enter
tainment business. He stated that there
were districts where the deputy collectors
had been lax in the matter and the Or
ders were probably for their benefit
popular place of entertainment in
the city has long fought the enforcement
of the law, even going so far as to state
that the department was prosecuting
it, but it is not the intention of the
department or of the government to do
any such thing. 1t is simply matter
of enforcement of the law, the same as
in hundreds of other instances where a
hardship is apparently involved.
There is probably no law that is
cursed so heartily as this one" said Mr..
Vars yesterday. I'VE have our hands
full trying to enforce it, but in this dis
trict we don't let many of them get
away. There is one district in the
southern part of the state that has It's
headquarters at a point where all these
companies come in from Wisconsin and
Iowa. and the collector there makes it
his business to gather up the manager
as soon as he strikes town. He is in
pretty bad repute among theatrical and
entertainment people, and has to put up
with abuse quite often. They threaten to
report him, saying he is oft1cious and
overzealous, but he is simply doing his
duty, and if he can get them before
they get very far into the state he saves
a great deal of time and trouble for US.
Frequently we have to get the route of
these companies and mail letters ahead
of them, and we receive some very sp1r-
tied replies. However, this season we are
going after them strong, and / think we
win make an example OF one or two
of these managers who attempt to evade
us and arrest them if they refuse to
pay the tax. Of the 500 a year matter
can say nothing, as we have at present
received no orders from headquarters
bearing on the case