The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-10
NEED THE MONEY.
TOpeka's New License Ordinance
Is Comprehensive.
Big Circus Fees Are Raised to
$500 a Day.
AIMED AT GRAFTERS.
1t However Reaches a Good
Many Others.
Will Probably Be Adopted at
Next Meeting.

In some towns the need of money is so
great that you have to pay license if
you live, and if you die the undertaken
has to pay license to bury you.
In Topeka, this is all changed. Under
the new license ordinance which has fin
ally been completed by the license com
mittee, the dead are allowed to go scot
free.
This new ordinance is intended to in
crease the revenues of the city by sew
eral thousand dollars year. If it is
passed in its present form, it viii doubt
less get what it goes after. It is about
twice or three times as long as the old
ordinance, and it puts the fixings to a
number of gratis and enterprises of
more or less respectabiiity with a firm
and impartial hand. The big corpora
patent finger nail cleaner is taxed too.
and so everything is lovely.
On the whole. there is not much
ground for people to complain about the
new ordinance. 1t is aimed especially
at the ''grafterS at people whose bust
ness is of doubtful value to the com
munity The light companies, express
companies and insurance companies of
course don't come under that head. but
the city figures that these institutions
have so much money anyway that they
Will never miss the amount assessed.
Although there are many new kinds of
| licenses imposed, the ordinance is still
only a feeble imitation of the Kansas
lily ordinance. ana some OInef OIut-
nances, which fix & tax of rs cents upon
each office room in the city. 80 cents on
each hotel room. an ocCuDation tax OF
S12.50 on every merchant, $Z5 apiece from
photographers. coal dealers. ice dealers,
laundlies and score OF other things
that the Topeka license committee never
thought of.
The penalty for violating the ordi-
nance is fine of from s. to $500. and
the following ordinances are repealed;
I 1888 1CS5 91Q4 q p900 The following
are the provisions of the proposed or
dinance:
Auctioneers, $25 per year.
Astrologers, clairvoyants. palmists,
fortune tellers, mind readers and pnre-
biologists, 50 per Gay. IS per week, SIS
per month Transient chiropodists, g
per day, IS per week, SIS per month
Circus and manageries. street parade
alone, or street parade and circus, one
ring 800 per day, two ring $50 per day,
three ring 5000 per day, sideshoWs $l3
per day; sideshow is any show or en-
tertainment, under main tent or not, to
which charge for admission is made
Clipping horses, 81 per year.
Fee buying, $50 per year.
Free lectures to advertise goods other
than patent medicines. So per day. SIS per.
week.
Street vender of patent medicines. SIS
per day. $3.50 per month.
Itinerant doctors, or doctors who adj
vertise business by dodgers, placards,
lectures or operations. $40 per day. $40
per week, $500 per month.
Street vender of merchandise. 81 per
day
Solicitors for all articles of merchan-
disc, 81 per day, IS per week, $15 Per
month.
Grain exchanges. 800 per annum
Hucksters and all persons selling gar
cen truck from house to house, S. per
year, 81 per quarter.
Fire Insurance agencies, each com
pany s25.
Life insurance agencies, each com
pany $50
Plate glass insurance agent. accident
insurance, surety agent. steam boiler in
surance agent, 500 per year.
insurance brokers who solicit i,mur-
ance which IS written in another t%Nn
S25 per annun.
Junk shops S25 per year.
Billiard halls. 81 per month for each
table. SO per year for each table.
1 Public bowling alleys, SIS per year for
each alle--
Merry go-rounds. all tent and street
shows museums and entertainments
upon or adjacent to the streets of the
city not Otherwise named in this ordi-
ne nee, So per day.
! Transient shows in any building in the
city of Topeka, 81 per day. SIS per week.
$40 Der month
Opera houses and theaters. $50 per
/ house --ear-
Outdoor or summer theaters. $40 per
4 reo----ss:.
/ Dog shows and animal shows of what
ever kind for which an admission fee is
/ charged. $50 including street parade,
street parade alone $50.
Pawnbrokers and chattel mortgage
men, 500 per year.
Peddlers of cider or any product
thereof, $40 per annum.