The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-07-22
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stores at s1,100 each per annum,
s5S,30O.
tD They pay for light and heat
for SO stores at $500 each per an
mum, s26.5O0.
Total, $252,2S0.
The above estimates are made on
the most careful information attain
able The amount credited as pay
ment for light and heat will undoubt-
! eddy cover the personal and real es-
| tate taxes paid by the saloons. In
addition to the above, there ought
to be credited the amount paid for
the free lunch, the bar glassware,
and the expenditures of the proprie-
tors and their families.
What the City rays.
1t will be seen that the saloons,
admittedly, pay directly to the city
$53 ,000 and indirectly $199,2SO. OF
| course. it is very apparent that the
amount of $199,2S0 will be reduced
by the sums received for rental of
the buildings now occupied by the
saloons, if the saloons are made IL
legal, and by the amount paid for
wages. to the total that the saloon
employees receive in other business
in which they engage. On the pre-
sumption permitted by the expert
ence of other anti-saloon territory
cities) that the buildings used as sa-
looms will be rented, where they are
suitable. for other business and the
proprietors and saloon employees
will find other occupation, it is
scarcely fair to credit the saloons
with anything more than their direct
payment for their licenses to do
business
The only possible difference of
opinion as to the foregoing will arise
as to the probable rental of vacated
buildings and the employment in
other vocations of saloon employees.
Let us consider:
1.-THE debit side of the city
ledger. that is, the amount of money
the city pays to the saloons, directly
and indirectly, to get from them the
$53 900 they pay as licenses and the
$199,2S0 they pay for wages, rentals,
etc. 1t is apparent, in order to pay
their license money, their employees,
and their rents, that the saloons
must sell enough liquors, at a profit,
to earn the money thus paid; viz,
$252,2S0. Allowing that the saloon
4 industry pays a profit of so per cent.
| (if it does not, then, of course, the
sales must be larger) it will be
/ plain
(1) That the city OF Rockford
pays into the tills of the SO saloons
$504, $50. For so per cent. of that
amount is s252,2S0, which the sa-
looms pay for licenses, etc. But no
allowance has been made for profit
on the capital invested in the SO sa-
looms and for the expenses Of the sa-
loon proprietor and his family. If
this amount is estimated at $1,000
for each saloon, or 100000 for the
50 saloons, it will be plain
60 That the city of Rockford
pays into the tils of the SO saloons
an additional $4,000. For 80 per
cent of that amount is 100000,
which the saloons pay their proprie-
tors for profit, that is:
CD The city of Rockford pays di-
rectly into the tills of its SO saloons
per annum s716,560. This amount
is pays to receive directly $500
and indirectly (if it does) s199,2S0.
OF course, the amount the city
pays into the saloons would be of no
importance if what 1t received back
came as partial repayment for some
thing that made for civic righteous
ness and manhood. s716,5G0 would
be nothing for $4,000 people to pay
per annum to purchase happiness
and veal. sobriety and peace, But
the saloon business is not carried on
for that purpose. A saloon keeper
frankly admitted to the writer very
recently that he was in the business
for the money he could get out of
it; that the people who patronized
him must take care of themselves.
/ Il would seem to the most casual
thinker that the city council of Rock
ford had made a very bad bargain
for the people OF Rockford when It
gives them only s252,2S0 for s71G.-
$50. In common parlance, it has
/ handed ont a lemon"
A Trail OF Debts.
But the debit side Of the ledger
shows much worse. There were
2227 arrests in the city during the