The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-03-12
CLARKS ATTITUDE ON LICENSES
AS GIVEN IN MESSAGE TO COUNCIL

featuring it about as cheaply as 1t
can be produced here.
Again, | fail to understand why as
sayers. surveyors, draughtsmen and
like professional men should be Ii
censed. which they would be under
the proposed ordinance. and not law
yers. doctors and dentists. To my
mind, all of these professional men
belong in the same class and 1t ap-
pears to me to be special legislation
to license a few and not all.
In the matter of amusements. YOU
have fixed a license fee of $40 per
quarter upon merry go rounds. II
this were a large city with several
of these machines in constant opera
ton. such a license might be proper.
but we never have had a merry go
round in this city and probably will
not have for years to come with such
a license fee attached.
A merry go round is primarily for
the amusement of children. and ii is
my belief that someone should cireu-
late a subscription asking bonuses
from the citizens and especially from
the parents of this city for the cree
tion of a. merry go round. Everyone
solicited would be not only willing,
but glad to pay a bonus to encourage
something of this kind for the amuse
ment of our children.
You have made the license tax on
our skating rink so high as to make
its operation prohibitory. We have
so few places of amusement, especial
ly for women and children, that all
sorts of innocent. amusements should
be encouraged rather than discour-
aged. | would not object to a rea-
sonable license upon merry go
round and a skating rink, but | GER
tainly consider $50 a quarter en-
tirely too high.
am opposed to licensing such
businesses as bakers and milliners.
1t is a fact that several bakers have
failed within the past few months,
which is evidence to me that the
profit in that business is extremely
small.
If cleanliness is next TO goodness.
we should encourage clothes cleaners
rather than compel the people to
either wear soiled clothes or send
them to Salt Lake for cleaning.
In general. it is my idea that no
business should be taxed where the
article dealt i'm is sold in direct COM
petition with similar articles which
are or can be purchased from agents
who represent houses situated with
out the limits of the city.
Nor should what may be termed
small businesses, where the profits
afford only poor living be licensed
for the reason that these parties are
paying more than their proportionate
share of the expense of the city gov
eminent
For the purpose of supplying any
: deficiency in funds that might result
! from removal of licenses, | would
! raise the real estate tax rate, thus
! making all property owners stand a
: proportionate share of the city's ex-
penses. Where we license a man for
conducting a business and also tax
him on his property, we are placing
upon him more than his proper share
! of the burden.
, There are few businesses and oc-
! equations, such as auctioneers, for
tune tellers, solicitors for certain bus
inesses. peddlers. pawnbrokers and
public utilities. which can in no wise
be forced into competition with non
resident concerns. that should be
compelled TO pay reasonable license
tax: but when you go outside of such
businesses as those just mentioned
you are not only forcing the persons
licensed to contribute more than their
equitable share of the city's expense
but you are discouraging local con-
Germs which make a town or city a
desirable place in which to live.
Respectfully submitted.
F. NJ. CLARK. Mayor.