Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-07-28
MERCHANTS GET
DECISION IN SOFT DRINK
WAR.
RETAILERS NOT SUBJECT
TO SOFT DRINK LICENSE
Sales Of Root Beer and Grape Juice in
Bottles Not Subject to Provisions Of
City ordinanee-Many Violations Are,
Found, However, Big Wholesalers
Dodsins Tax.

Davenport, July 2S.-Grocers won
their point IN the grape juice" license
question at a meeting of the commit
tee of the whole when the city attor-
ney was instructed TO prepare new
ordinance amending the one on the
books at present.
Il grocer sell soft drinks by the
glass or if customer drinks the bev-
the grocer viii have to pay a license.
But if grape juice, soda water. root
beer or like drinks are purchased like
groceries intended for home consump
ton the seller Will no, he required TO
pay the $40 beverage license. The ordi-
nance will be presented an6 voted on
at the next council meeting
Tax Dodgers Found.
Violation of the beverage ordinance
on ! large scale was discovered in the
debate on changing the ordinance. II
developed that Armour & Co. and
practically all of the wholesale grocers
have been selling large quantities OF
soft dringks and paying nc license
whatever while the D. Fl. Baker Bot
Ting works and other distributors have
been paying The tax yearly.
All of the firms which have lodged
the tax UP to this time are to be hunted
up and their licenses, il IS estimated.
viii add nearly 5000 TO the city treas
ury annually. Firms located in Rock
Island and paying no tax here are a. .
selling TO Davenport consumers and
they will also be compelled to pay the
tax.
Schaefer Makes Plea.
Plea for the grocers and also for
the iobbers against the payment Of
the beverage tax was made by J'hn
Schaefer, president of tho Iowa State
Retail Grocers Association. He ar
sued that the local merchant was now
heavily burdened with taxes and that
under the proposed ordinance the Chi
cago mail order houses would profit
greatly. being able to sell TO Davenport
consumers without paying any tax,
while the local manufacturer. dis
tributor or iobber would &c caught.
The local merchants are taxed to
death now he stated. We pay a
business license; a milk license; a
gasolene license and beverage Ii
cense. Seventy five per cent OF the
grocers in Davenport are only making
a bare living. They ought not to be
bounded to death. There ought to be
some limit TO this taxing.
What About Lemon Extract?
| If we have to pay a special IL
cense for selling grape juice. which is
an article of food, you might as we'll
compel US to pay for selling coffee. tea
and lemon extract. They are all bev-
erages, more SO than grape Juice. Bust
ness all over the country is suffering
from too much taxing. YOU hit your
own people and allow outsiders to come
IN and reap the benefit
II was pointed out that the ordi-
nance was drawn up years ago TO reg
ulate SALONS. City Attorney Lambach
| stated il was broad enough to take in
all the grocers and should either be
amended or impartially enforced, AL
| derman Gosch contended there Should
| be a prohibition from the soft drink
| being drunk on the premises where sold
Alderman Waterman introduced a drafl
/ Of a new ordnance, put withdrew i,
after debate.