Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-17
MOVIES CUT INTO
SALOON PROFITS
Jersey City Liquor Dealers Urge
Open Sunday Because Gus
toners Are Dropping Off.

of Hudson county, where demant
has been made for the enforcement
of the Sunday excise laws, say the.
are being hard pressed, not only b.
those who have an idea that law
were made to be enforced, but b.
the movies the high cost of living
and other things that eat into thu
profits of the liquor business.
at don't know what's going to hap
pen to most of us If the lid is really
clamped down on Sundays any tight
err than il is said Jersey City
saloonkeeper yesterday and the sam,
dismal view was expressed by Other
cafe proprietors. In the first place.
he explained, I'VE can't shut our eyes
to the fact that these five and ter
cent moving picture houses that have
sprung up like mushrooms in the last
few years have been taking custo-
mers away from us by the wholesale
Theatres Replace saloons.
How? In the good old days, be-
fore the movies craze men OF small
means would drop into a barroom and
spend some small change before they
got out. Now most of them go to the
motion picture shows and stay there
an hcar for nickel or a dime. Per-
hans they take their wives or chill
dren or best girls. They get all the
excitement they want and then go
straight home and we are the losers.
when you count up the thousands
of men who do this every night you'll
get an idea of the extent to which
this craze for the movies has cut
into the saloon patronage.
Then, again, take the question of
the high cost of living that has been
l.. . hi a
mighty hard through our free lunch
counters. Customers Insist in these
days upon having something to eat
when they take a drink. That means
that we are Obliged to put in a supply
of beef, vegetables and other food
stuffs every day.
Sunday busiest Day.
SUNDAY is the best day of the week
for business. 1t is the day we do not
serve free lunch. 1t is the day when
we plan to make up for the inroads
made by the movies the free
lunches and the increased running
expenses.
"Many of us are now going to the
wall and If the church people keep
after us there's no telling what will
happen to the trade as whole.
The complaint of this saloonkeeper
is typical of the wall that is going
up among the liquor dealers of Hud-
son county, where for many years the
authorities have closed their official
eyes to the enforcement OF the ez-
else law and where most saloonkeep-
ers have done rushing business on
the Sabbath.
When the campaigning was on for
commission government in Jersey
city the liquor interests as a whole
were opposed to the adoption of the
commission plan. They openly de-
clared that the commission govern
ment would operate In favor of those
who wanted the law enforced. as the
commissioners would be subject to
the recall and would therefore do
nothing that would invite opposition.
Recently a movement was started
to compel the authorities to shut
down the lid on Sunday. Complaint
was made to the county judges and
Judge George G. Tenant in a spe-
cial charge to the grand jury. said
that It was not only the duty of the
Jurors to indict saloonkeepers who
sold intoxicating liquors on Sundays,
but also those police officials who
didn't compel obedience to the law.
Usual Business Yesterday.
One day last week many repre-
tative citizens, including members of
the Anti-Saloon League, visited the
City Hall and demanded that the city
commissioners enforce the Sunday
closing law. The problem was put
squarely up to Frank Hague, the d.
rector of public safety, who never
took a drink in his life.
Hague Issued his weekly orders to
the police. On Saturday night the po-
licemen notified the saloonkeepers
that they must expose the interior OF
their barrooms and shut up shop.
Many liquor dealers got scared and
directed their bartenders to take a
day off. The great majority. how
ever, did business as usual yesterday
despite orders and no arrests were
reported during the day, according
to Chief of Police Monahan.
Charles d. Ridgway, one of this
city's most prominent citizens, who
is taking a leading part in the cru
sade of the Sunday laws, said yester-
day:
"This is simply citizens movement
to demand better things. We want a
decent control of administrative af-
fairs. The Sunday excise laws are
observed in other parts of the State
and they can be enforced here. The
secret of IL all Is decent grand Juries.
If we are not satisfied with the work
ing of the new. grand jury system
we Will work for and get better
system.
II is believed that at the next ses-
sion of the Legislature a bill NAV be
introduced providing for the legal
opening of saloons during certain
hours on Sundays. Advocates OF this
measure say that it would solve the
now troublesome Sunday problem
The bill will be opposed by the anti
saloon element and by Legislators
from many counties, who are salts
fled with the present conditions.