The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-06
THE NEW SYSTEM
Saloon Licenses in Shreveport Revenue
ProduCers-Chcck oil the Dives

The article following. an editorial in
the Times Democrat of April !, may be
perused with interest:
The Times-D cmocrat has already given
some facts in regard to the saloon ques-
ton in various Louisiana towns. Monroe.
Lafayette. Ahbcville and others. We pre-
sent elsewhere an account of the expe-
rience of high license in Shreveport, the
second city in Louisiana. and the pros
porous metropolis of the northern por-
ton of the State. 1t gives history of
the high license movement in that town,
the arguments presented pro and con.
and the experience of Shreveport with
the new system. 1t should be read by
all who are interested in tile question.
Briefly summarized, it shows the fol-
lowing striking facts:
The saloon license in Shreveport in
1850 was $Ioo (wlat it is in New Or
leans today. 1t was then raised to $500
and again, in 1904, to $1,000. This was
a compromise, some of the advocates of
high license favoring $500.
There were ITO saloons under low
license ($Ioo). The number fell to "a
under a medium license $500, Or five
times as much as New OrIcans). but
finally increased to 1872: there are or
will be before the year closes 1O7 sal
oons under high license (SIo0o). High
license has, therefore, not ruined the
saloon business.
The revenue under $1oo license was
ST 600: under a $500 license $4,000:
it will exceed $Ioo.ooo this year. as
against $Io5,ooo in New Orleans.
had by the census I5.oI3 pop
uIation, New Orleans z87,To4, or eight
cen times as many. If it did as we'll as
is doing with its liquor il
censes it ought to get $780, ooo from
this source-it gets. as d matter Of fact.
barely 9 per cent of that amount
Every one in Shreveport agrees that as
l revenue measure high license is a mag
1ifcent success. Even Mr.. William
Winter, formerly a member of the po
ice jury of Caddo parish, now chairman
IF the finance committee of the Louis
an House of Representatives, who op-
posed high license when il first came up,
recognizes how successful it has been in
towards the expenses of the
:ity government.
What it has enabled Shreveport to do
he mayor, Mr. Ouerbes, tells in all in
erview, every word of which should be
aid before our council. If Shreveport
lad not raised the revenue it now enjoys
from liquor licenses, it would have been
Mayor Querbes declares, to
increase its tax rate in ordr to meet its
expenses, whereas. this year the re-
,eipts from liquor licenses have so far
by expectations continues the
mayor, that it will probably enable the
,ity next year to reduce taxation'
Let the people of New Orleans think
If this What would be the effect on
his community if Mayor Behrman were
o announce in a proclamation tomorrow
he the tax rate of New Orleans was to
,e reduced next year because the retail
iqur licenses provided more money than
he city actually needed.
'As matters stand" continues May
Dr. Querbes, Eve are enabled to sweep
md sprinkle the streets
How does this sound in New Orleans,
where sweeping is almost unknown,
where sprinlling has to be paid for by
he taxpayers, and where the great ma
ority of the population who can not af-
ford to pay this sprinkling tax are COM
oelled to submit to having dust blown
n their eyes. their clothing and furni-
ure injured by the dust storms, and dis
case scattered far and wide from the
dust heap?
"We have been enabled to undertake
improvements in the way OF
paving and water and sewer extensions,
Mayor Querbes says of Shreveport
Here in New Orleans the property own
ers have had to pay for this paving out
Of their own pockets, and when they
wanted sewer and water extensions they
had to levy special tax for that pur-
,ose
I'VE have been enabled to so improve
he fire department that Shreveport is
now rated as a city of the first class IN
he matter of fire protection. Mayor
0uerbes of Shreveport.
In New Orleans the fire department IS
poorly equipped, and the National Board
If Underwriters has warned It's that un-
less some improvement is made in our
service there will be an increase IN Our
insurance premiums. We have not
enough engines or horses or men, OF any
IF the equipments we, need. And the
explanation is always lack of money.
AS consequence we are threatened with
increased taxation for fire protection.
1 Thanks to the revenue derived from
he increased licenses on saloons, the
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