The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-03-10
Tax Roll Shows That Little of the Per.
sonaI Properly Of Big Milwaukee
Companies is Returned
CITY TREASURER INVESTIGATES.
Companies Alleged to Have Property Val
ued at Nearly 100000 Return
Lees Than $4,000


practiced with as much regularity as
in other cities but the city treasurer
has begun an investigation into
ring of tax dodgers which may result
in the taxes of the city being consid-
erab1y increased within the year. The
tax dodgers in question are none
other than the great Milwaukee brew
ing companies and it is alleged that
the failure of these companies to pay
taxes on personal property in the city
is costing the city of Kenosha from
one to two thousand dollars a year.
The matter was referred to the city
attorney this morning and he stated
that there was no local or state law by
which these companies were exempt
from taxation and strong pressure
will be brought to force the companies
to pay to the city the stipend which is
due from them. A half a dozen out
of the fifty saloons in the city have
paid taxes on the furniture and fix
lures in these saloons and the remain
der of them seem to be free from pay
ing into the exchequer of the city
It is possible to force the payment of
these taxes on personal property by
bringing suit against the compan-
les in the justice court but this action
would be followed with such cost to
the city that it is more than probable
that the city will have to wait until
next year to force the companies to
pay reasonable tax on their personal
property in the city. The companies
included in the accusation are the
Pabst Brewing company, the Val
B1atz Brewing company, the Sch1itz
Brewing company, the Miller Brew
ing company, all of Milwaukee; the
Ernst Klinkert Brewing company, of
Racine, the Brand Brewing company
and the Fortune Brewing company,
of Chicago.
These companies practically con-
troll fifty of the saloons of the city
and own all the furniture and most
of the stock in the saloons. This
furniture by competent men has been
valued at from fifty to seventy-five
thousand dollars and it is claimed
that the stock held by the breweries
in these saloons is valued at nearly
half this amount. The companies
have made no efforts to pay even a
reasonable tax on this property and
the amount returned to the assessors
as the value of personal property is
not by any means sufficient to cover
the value of the live stock and wagons
owned by the companies. From the
books of the city the following are
shown as the assessments returned
against the big brewing companies as
the value of their pei sona1 property:
Pabst Brewing Company. IS $50 90
Val B1atz Brewing Company. 2630 90
Miller Brewing Company. 275 90
Brand Brewing Company. -. SIS 90
Fortune Bros Brewing Co. 49,. 535 90
Total. $4665 90
The Joseph Sch1itz Brewing com
pany and the Ernst K1inkert company
both controlling many saloons in the
city do not appear on the tax roll.
This loss to the city is not made up
in any way and the fact that the sa-
loon men pay license into the city
treasury does not in any way relieve
them from the payment of the taxes
on personal property. The fact that
this property is owned largely if not
entirely by non-residents should be
an added spur to force the assessors
to make move to get every cent of it
on the assessment rolls in another
year.