The Detroit times., 1910-01-13
sAlOONKEEPERs IN
BUSINESS NOW TO
HAVE PREFERENCE
Will Have Better Chance To Secure
Licenses Than New Applicants,
Announces Aid. link, Chair
man Of Committee in Charge.
Warner -Cramton Law May Cut
Down Number Of Liquor Places To
Thousand the First Year.

There will be some anxious NOM
ents for the saloonkeepers OF Detroit
before the council committee on liquor
regulation makes Its report 10 the
council next May as to the list OF ap-
plicants who shall be granted saloon
licenses. So absolute Is the power OF
the council under the new law that
the aldermen might put out OF busi-
ness every saloon now running In De-
troit and give the corresponding IL
censes to other persons.
Such will not be the policy OF the
council. however. in even a remote
degree. Aid. Herman F. link, chair
man OF the committee, states that the
established saloonkeepers, unless there
Is something In the conduct OF their
places to- justify ruling them out, Will
be given preference over new appli-
cants who desire to break In.
The rush OF men now In the saloon.
business TO get their bonds In Is.
therefore, unnecessary. since link
says that the bonds will not be taken
up by number. but altogether. There
Is still a rush, however, about 600 ap-
plications having already been filed.
or these, half were in the last two
DAYS, the brewers having notified their
saloon customers to get busy.
City Clerk Nichols has offered every
accommodation to the applicants. His
clerks fill out the application blanks
and swear the applicants free OF
charge. BY this latter concession
Nichols is giving up about $500, as
the fees would amount to that on 1000
applications, the number which Is ex-
pected
No one knows how many licensS>
can be issued No more can be issued
than the number of saloons In oper-
alton last April, which Is 1858. The
real maximum number of licenses will
be far under this figure, however. In
all cases where saloonkeeper dies,
voluntarily goes out OF business or Is
twice convicted OF violating the liquor
law, or where a saloonkeeper Is a wo-
man or not q citizen. the number OF IL
censes is reduced that number. No
one knows Just how many saloonkeep-
ers have died or-gune out OF business
since Sept. /, the date that the War
ner-Cpamton law went into effect. 1t
Is also uncertain as to how many who
were then saloonkeepers and not citi-
zens have since failed to gain citizen
ship.
Another matter Of considerable dis
pute is as TO saloons which have
changed hands since Sept. /. II be-
ing contended' by some that these sa-
looms must be closed after May next.
Estimates as to the number Of sa-
loon licenses which will be allowable
next spring run all the way from 1000
to 1.550. II Is certain that the brew
ers Will discontinue number or
places located in districts where there
Is not a great deal Of trade.
The exact number will be deter
mined only when the applications are
all In. The committee of the council
will first compare the new applica-
tions with the list OF saloons in busi-
ness Sept /. as furnished by the
county treasurer and shown by the
bonds filed with the city clerk. The
names OF the old saloonkeepers who
have applied for new licenses will be
gone through and, II any are ineligible,
these will be thrown out. Then the
cases where a saloon has been trans
ferred will be taken up. The same
test will be applied. Combining the
totals OF these two classes, the coun-
Gil committee will have the number OF
licenses which may legally be granted.
Wherever an application is not filed
to continue any business which was
running last September. It will be con-
sidered that the former owner OF the
place Is dead, ineligible 10 license
or has voluntarily gone out Of busi-
ness. This does not mean that only
the old saloonists will be considered;
A. hox he hytt 10
new men who file applications will
have a right to be considered also, and
Continued on Page Ten.)