New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-02
ION THE PACIFIC SLOPE
fRy Telegraph to The Tribune.

fBy Telegraph to The Tribune
San Francisco, Feb 1.-The Johnson adj
mnistration Is planning 10 add s2,JOO.Op
to the yearly state revenues by means OF
additional taxes on big public service cor
porations. The natural increase i'm these
corporations would be about 10 per cent
but Il is proposed 10 make the railroads
pay nearly 100000 additional. the gas
and electric companies moro than 100000
each and the telegraph and telephone
COMPANIES $4,000 increase. This extra
money will be used largely to provide for
many new commissions which have been
devised by the Johnson administration.
Whether the scheme can be put through
is uncertain. as the tax rate now seems
TO have reached the limit. As IL requires
q two-thirds vote In each house Of the
LEGISLATURE to raise the corporations tax
rate there is doubt whether the Governor
will be able TO carry through his plan.
Among the bills which have been intro
duced in the Legislature. and which will
surely pass, is a drastic measure 10 put
an end TO the professional prizeiights.
which for so long have been a disgrace 10
San Francisco. The latest bill forbids
even the four-round contests which are
permitted in many parts Of the country.
What has made the lawmakers OF the
state wellnigh unanimous In their opposl-
/, ton To these fights is the gross fraud
that has been practised by many of the
promoters. The first strong feeling
against prizehghts here was aroused at
the time Jeffries and johnson were add
vertised to fight for the heavyweight
championship OF the world. II was an
nounced then that the promoters Of the
contest would divide $3.50 0oo profits. Gov
ernor Gillett put quietus on that fight
In San Francisco. and the public sentl-
ment aroused by his action has finally re-
suited In this measure TO prohibit all pro-
fessional fights In the state. One strong
argument used is that this city cannot
afford 10 have such exhibitions held dur
ing the worlds fair.
The retirement OF the Rev. Dr. Bradford
Iraftt from the pastorate OF the First
Unitarian Church will remove one Of the
most eloquent and popular OF the pulpit
orators OF San Francisco. For moro than
thirteen years DR. Lcavitt has been in
charge or the church which Starr King
maze famous during the stormy DAVIS of
the CIVIL War. He resigns now hecauso
MS eyes have weakened so much that be
feels unable TO do the reading which ro,r-
lar pastoral work demands lie has oh.
ta'Eed an interest in an Undertaking firm
OF the city and will do what he can m
make death ceremonies less forbidding
DR.. Leavitt believes that the present
| methods Of burying the dead are too
gloomy and that radical reforms are nee.
cssary.
Many Inquiries have been made recently
oy agents OF American and European
steamships for dock privileges here in an
ticipation Of the opening of the Panama
Canal. The latest 10 apply for a pier on
the waterfront is the East Asiatic Steam
, ship Company, OF Copenhagen. The com.
pany proposes to put on a two weeks
service between this city and Europe
after the opening of the canal. 1t is now
operating a sixty-day service for freight
via Cape Horn. The new service will in
| clude passengers. and 1t is expected II
Will carry large number OF immigrants
One OF the noteworthy real estate
transactions OF the week was the sale Of
the old Hoffman Cafe corner, at Market
and I'd streets. The property has been IN
the hands Of Selim Woodwork or his
heirs for the last sixty years. II Is IS feet
on Market street by 1876 feet on I'd street,
with a small IL" The price paid was
$4,000. The original price paid by Wood
worth, who as a naval officer, In 1919,
was $500.
The directors Of the Oakland Chamber
OF Commerce appointed committee TINS
week to ask the Legislature to allow them
| to issue bonds for 100000 for Oakland's
exhibit In the Panama exposition. When
the fight was on in Congress for the ioca-
| ton OF the fair at San Francisco the
president of Oaklands Chamber OF Com
merce sent kilograms promising for that
city 100000 to aid the fair. and that
promise Is now to be redeemed. Oakland
will have It's own line Of water trans
portation direct to the fair. and the city
is planning to entertain many guests who
Will prefer suburban location to the
| noise and hustle Of big city.
The excessive price charged the steamer
| Cleveland for water on her last visit to
this city may result in the change 10 Los
Angeles or Seattle as the port of call for
this excursion boat. On the last trip the
steamers water bill was $3.50, or at the
rate OF 70 cents 100 gallons. For years
Senator Perkins had the monopoly here
OF supplying vessels with water. but he
charged such high rates that the Spring
Valley Company took the privilege away
| from him and sold the water themselves.
| The rate has been cut several times. but
no material reduction can be made until
the wharves are in better condition. The
manager Of the Hamburg American Line.
to which the Cleveland belongs, warned