The Sentinel=record., 1911-03-05
AssAAk AND HERMAN.
Answer c. c. LemIy's Communication
Regarding the Saloon Business.

Regarding the Saloon Business.
| Editor Sentinel Record:
Mr.. Lemly has, in communication
reproduced in your paper of the sec
oId instant, made some extravagant
statements regarding the saloon bust
ness in Hot Springs. We, as saloon
men of this city. believe it would be
an injustice to US and others engaged
in that business, to allow such state
ments 10 go uachallenged.
II Mr.. Lemly is sincere in his as
sertions and We have no reason to
say that he is not, he is sadly misin
folmed, not only as to the volume OF
business done by the saloon men of
this city, but also as to the expense
necessary to conduct the same. 1t is
not our purpose to engage in a con
troversy with Mr.. Lemly, nor to criti-
else his communication beyond its
reference to the saloon business. We
know tits vocation from A to q, and
are familiar with all of its angles, and
If there is a saloon man in Hot
Springs who can stand one dollar
more expense than he now has to
pay, we don't know who he is, or
where he can be found.
| Mr.. Lemly attempts to justify his
suggestion as to increasing the IL
oense to $4,000 a year by the intima
ton that it would curtail the numser
OF saloons TO 20; or in other words
would force out of business about 35
saloons leaving 20, which could
stand $500 a month to the city Oh an
alleged income of 500 a day Upon
our knowledge of the business in Hot
ISpring We take issue with him on
this statement and most positively as
sert that 20 saloons would not aver
age 500 a day the year around nor
could they AFFORD to pay a license 10
tae city of $500 year unless they
We're so distributed over the city as
to be five or six blocks apart.
| In estimating the gross income to
! leach of the 20 saloons, of $36,500 a
year, upon a basis of 500 day, Mr..
Isemly has evidently overlooked the
fact that there are 50 Sundays and
| five or six elections each and every
year when the saloons are closed, or
supposed to be, and generally fined ii
they are not; SO there are about So
days OF every year, or about one sixth
of the time. that the saloons are
closed, losing, on a basis of 800 a
day, $500, completely wiping out the
net profit of $3.50 according to Mr..
Lemlys figures. with $3.50 to spare for
the loss account.
Another evidence of the fact that
he is totally unfamiliar with the sa-
loon business, is his assertion that
one-half of the gross receipts CON
stitutes the profits We don't know
the source of his information on this
point, unless it comes from the drug
business, the profits of which, are by
no means a criterion by which our
profits can be estimated-since it is
a generally conceded fact that the pre-
scription feature of the drug business
cannot be discounted as a money
maker
Again Mr.. Lumley tells tle public,
with as much assurance apparently.
as If he had been reared in the sa
loon business, what it costs to run
saloon the receipts of which are 500
day, or 500 a year. A saloon
with such an income could not get
along with two barkeepers very well,
and. If 1t did, would not have man
whose services We're worth less than
$500 a month, which would be $2.4o0
q year for two more. or $500 above
Mr.. Lemley's estimate He places
the owners expenses at $4,000
year, which is much smaller than II
should be If he lives as most men do
IN the saloon business. The rent he
also places at $4,000 This would force