Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-19
INSPECTOR OF BILL
BOARDS NOT BUSTED
MAYOR DELAYS SIGNING OF
ORDINANCE PASSED
Measure Said to Be Worth Much to
Varney G. Green at Expense
of Small Advertising
Operators

Mayor Harper is holding up the or
dinance passed by the city council
Monday that abolished the Office Of bill
board inspector. The mayor believes
there is small son of Ham lurking
in that particular woodpile somewhere
and he does not propose to be hasty in
giving it his sanction.
On the plea that he was no longer
able to earn his salary, on account OF
the councils failure to pass an or
dinance several weeks ago that would
have put more work on his department,
Billboard Inspector Allen introduced an
ordinance into the council that amended
the ordinance in effect. There was
nothing said about the position of bill
board inspector. AS this ordinance re-
pealed all existing ordinances the ONCE
of inspector was abolished because no
cognizance was taken of it.
But there were other amendments IN
the ordinance also and it is into these
amendments that the mayor is probing.
Section 10 of the former ordinance ls
amended to provide for new method
of paying license tax, and If TINS Or
dinance becomes law Varney q Green
of San Francisco, known as the bill
board trust will have a comparatively
easy time of it as compared to condl-
tions under the present ordinance. The
pa Usage of this ordinance means about
$500 a quarter to Varney & Green.
The new ordinance provides for the
payment of billboard licenses under dl1-
ferent classihcations. 1t also provides
that all persons in the business OF
passing dodgers, distributing advertis-
ing samples and in any way adVertls-
ing by pasting bills or distributing
them, except advertising for theaters'
be included In the classification.
Heretofore the license feature or the
ordinance has only applied to those IN
the business of bill posting.
Under the new classification anyone
doing a $4,000 business quarter in post
ing or distributing bills will pay go
quarter. For $4,000 the fee is $780, Tor
$4,000 1t is 500, for $4,000 it Is Slot.
and so on up to $4,000 quarter ana
over, for which a $3.50 license Zee q
quarter is eXacted.
Taxed by Square Foot
The amount of business done IS
gagged by the aftidavits of the persons
in such business. The methods hereto
fore have been to assess tax according
TO fine square foot of billboard operated
by the company, Il of cent square
inch being the fee exacted. .,..u
For the current quarter, beginning
with October. Varney & Green paid
$500 80 into the city treasury as their
license tax. Under the new law me
most they would be compelled 10 pay
would be $3.50 a quarter, and TINS only
;f thew should make affidavit that their
Income for the previous quarter IRON
The use OF their billboards was SzO'Ooo
ar more. This is considered an eX-
cessive amount of business for one Dill
hosting firm to do in the city OF Los
Angeles in three months and II is more
than likely that Varney q Green WIN
not have to pay even the maximum
amount, which is about S4VO less lA'''h
they have paid hitherto; n,
The amounts paid by Varney q Green
have been decreasing each quarter ro. ..
the quarter beginning April they palu
more than $500; for the quarter oegih-
ming July they paid S7SS
The friends of the new oIulillic '
claim that by taxing the little men
who mass dodgers and distribute auVer-
Using samples the income FOR the city
win he greater under the new or
dinanoe. in spite of the amount cut on
from the bill posting trust.
The object of taxing blilboards IN
the first place was to discourage thelr
increase and, as there was no way in
which they could be abolished, it was
thought that, If the city must suffer
these unslghtly disigurements, some
ravenue should be derived from them.
The first bill was passed over the veto
Of fine mayor. He objected to it on the
ground that a of a cent square inch
was not high enough
Whether or no the recent visit of
Varney. the senior member of the bill
hosting trust, to Los Angeles had any
Thing to do with the reduction of the
trusts license is a subject of discussion
at the city hall. Mr. Varney took a
couple of city eouncilmen and city
official interested in the matter quail
hunting, in the most friendly fashion
What Mr.. Varney said to these city
officials they refuse to disclose.