The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-04
WOULD TAX EACH
BARREL Of BEER
SOLD IN JERSEY
Excise Commissioners May Rec
Ommend Fifty Cent Assess
ment to Help Out State.
Especial to the Evening STAR


PLAINFIELD, Dec. Possibility of
a State tax was alleged as a reason
yesterday to justify a recommendation
by the Excise Investigating Commits
sion hat a tax of fifty cents a barrel
be placed or all beer that may be sold
In the State. This proposition was
made yesterday afternoon at the meet
ing of the commissioners and it caused
another row when the motion was made
to incorporate 1t in the report to the
Governor.
1t is believed the suggestion came
originally from Governor Fort and
other leaders Of the. dominant party,
treasury, and the possibility of taking
extraordinary means to increase the
States income so as to be able to
meet the great expenditures that have
been made the last few years, and are
continuing, and which wiped out the
surplus.
The commission is under orders to
submit the report by December Is,
but one Of the members, Mayor r.
Frank Appleby, of Asbury Park, is in
Europe, and will not sail for home
until December 16. Before he sailed
lie gave " tll0 OtllcI HlciifOCIS a SyllOP-
sis of his views on the subject and
these nave been considered in the for
mutation of the report.
May Cable Authority.
The question of authority to use his
name when the report is submitted was
brought up, and it was agreed that the
only way to do was to mail him a copy
of the report by Saturdays steamers
and let him cable his agreement or
disagreement with the whole or parts
Of 1t. He will be asked to cable au-
thority to use his name. This can be
done before December 15.
The ground vas taken by opponents
| of the beer tax during the discussion
that it Is not beer or ale that causes
trouble among the patrons of saloons,
but whiskey and other ardent spirits,
and that these should be blamed for
| saloon troubles.
1t was argued that the opposition
to the breweries was blind and that
the selling of whiskey should. be taxed
more heavily than beer and other malt
liquors. The point was made also that
the breweries are local industries and
should not be hampered by the imposi-
ton of other h a reasonable regula-
tons.
Another proposal under considera-
ton, and which caused a row, was
that brewers, wholesalers and bottlers
who sell in more than one municipality
should be compelled to pay a tax in
each municipality where their goods
are sold.
On the proposition to permit Sunday
selling, two of the members, John
Howe, of Newark, and Caleb al H.
whitbeck, of Hackensack, are desirous
of Incorporating in the report a recon-
mendation that Sunday selling be al
lowed during certain hours.
Sunday Closing.
The other commissioners at the con
ference, President Charles j. Fisk,
Peter Backes and ]. Kearney Rice, are
unalterably opposed to Sunday selling,
and they believe that George H. Smith.
of Lakewood, and Mayor T. Frank APP
pleby, of Asbury Park, who is now in
Europe, are also opposed. 1t is prob
able that Mr.. Howe and Mr.. Whit
beck may submit a minority report to
the Governor on this and the other
points in which they disagree with the
other commissioners.
They differ with the majority on the
question of the license fee. Mayor
Fisk wants 1t made 81, 200 a year, min
imum, all over the State; Messrs.
Howe and Whitbeck believe some
smaller sum should be fixed for small
places. They might agree to s $1,000 for
first and second class cities, out think
$500 would be more reasonable. At the
same time they do not want the fee
too disproportionate, because small
towns adjacent to big cities would
benefit in comparison with the cities
If they were allowed to operate under
a low license fee.