Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-13
SENSA TIONAL
IN CHARGES
AUDITOR DECLARES COLLECTOR
is NEGLIGENT
SAYS CITY HAS LOST MANY
THOUSANDS
z. E. johnson Must Appear Before
Council Next Monday and Ex-
plain Failure to Collect
Certain Licenses
CONTINUED from Page One,

CONTINUED from Page oneI
from this source should be 1890, and the arrear-
age owing to the city amounts to s925O.
Billiards
In this department we find the record is
fairly clean, there being a delinquency of
only $3.50 a month"; which represents an in
crease OF twenty-one tables previously over
looked.
Bottling of Non-Intoxicants
Under this ordinance, until its amendment
two or three days ago. quarterly tax of IS
was required.
On investigation we find that fourteen are
paying the license, but three not. This
would make an increase of SIS a month under
the old schedule, and a delinquency of $1s5.
Hotels, Boarding Houses
We find that about % per cent that come
under this classification for reason
or other not paying any license whatever.
That of those who do pay there has been a
marked discrimination in favor of some in that
the amount collected is not at all commensu-
rate with the facts of the cases.
For instance: house which should pay SIS
will be asked to pay $3.50.
In the case of the large hotels of the city.
some of them not paying one-third of what
their fair proportion would be under this
ordinance.
In this, eliminating those houses from which
about so per cent of the revenue which should
be coming to the city. which will make n
quarterly loss of nearly $500
We experience great difficulty in getting peo-
pie in this class of business to state what thei.
gross income is, and 1t is owing to this fact
largely that the city is being kept out of many
thousands of dollars that, should be coming 10
1t were the tax collected strictly in accordance
with the ordinance.
In case this ordinance is changed in any
way, 1 will request that a saving clause be in
serted therein exempting from the provisions
of the ordinance all pending suits and exist
ing debts due to the city under this license.
Amusements
1 wish to call your special attention to the
matter of the Chutes which is operated by the
Lehigh Investment company.
According to the ordinance these people should
be paying for the different amusements for
which separate charges of admission are
charged the sum of sS27.50. AS a matter Of
fact they are paying $12i, or about one-third.
Mr. Lehigh however, states that they pay
ing $3.50, there being discrepancy of S36 be-
tween the statement made by Mr.. Lehigh ID
his payments and the amount turned into the
city treasury.
We took I'D the matter of the discrepancy
between the amount which the ordinance called
for-viz., S3275O-and the amount which was
actually collected, with the license collector,
whose duty 1t is to collect this license, and
found from him that his method of assessing
the Chutes was to average the thing up and
get much he could out of them.
He stated that he had succeeded in getting
about 800 month more from the Chutes than
they were paying before he took hold. II this
is so, they must previously have been paying
$24 per month instead of SS275O per month.
that is. providing they had the same number
of attractions for which payment charged
in operation at that time.
He further stated that he considered 1t most
unjust to enforce the ordinance and that ne
felt he was collecting much as they ought
TO pay.
Unable to See Receipt
In addition to detailing one of the field men
to make an investigation of the Chutes, Mr.
Palethorpe himself has taken this matter VI