Arizona republican., 1914-06-06
ORDINANCE SIX ID BE AMENDED
 N0T REPEALED
Mayor and Commissioners Are Agreed That Meas ure Will Require Many Changes Before It Will Meet With Own Ideas

Mayor George L. Young and every member of the city commission is de- termined that ordinance No. 6, pro- viding license tax upon businesses and professions, shall become law. The mayor and the commissioners are also agreed that amendments shall be made to the ordinance as soon as it
 becomes effective. the earliest mo- ment it is legally possible to amend. Such amendments as are now planned will be made effective under an emergency provision. One feature of which will be corrected was due to a clerical error and discovered by the commissioners and the mayor before the public knew it was there at all, will never become operative. Not one of the commissioners, certainly not the mayor, has made any expression that could De construed as d weakening from the stand originally taken. The fact that amendment of several points has been virtually decided upon does not mean at all that the ordinance IS to be annulled or even emaSculated.
 There is no desire on the part Of the commission to ignore the important ties of the citizens to change the or dinance where changes are needed. Enough has been said at the meetings of the commission to make it plain that the determination to carry the ordinance through to the point where it will become law is no manifesto
 ton of d spirit of unfairness.
 The willingness with which the mayor and the commission extended an invitation to the Merchants and Manufacturers to meet with them and discuss the situation and the request for suggestions and ideas has shown the business men that the mayor and
 the commissioners are fair, and that
 none of them intends to work hardship on any individual or concern or to foster inequalities where it is possible to avoid them.
 The threat of referendum petition did not have the effect of turning the commissioners from the course which they consider right and necessary. In fact the commissioners have expressed entire willingness that the matter be adiudicated before the highest court, the people, if it is not possible other wise to convince the public of the practicability of the measure.
 While no offical statement was forthcoming yesterday as to the prob able changes the commission will ad- vance when the ordinance becomes effective, it is quite certain that the word gross" will be changed to met" where it appears in the para = graph imposing a tax of one-fourth of 1 per cent upon the gross sales and receipts" of business establish
 ments. More than this, the com- mittee from the Merchants and Man ufacturers does not seem to have m- sisted upon.
 l President A. A Betts of the Ro- l tary Club yesterday stated that or ganization has not taken any officia action with relation to the ordinance and as an organization has given nc
 expression of opinion relative to tht merits or demerits of the measure. A committee. uninstructed, did con1el
 with the Merchants and Manufac'
 turers, but MT. Betts said that noth- ing this committee said or dld coui'
 be construed as favoring or crltlciZ l ing the ordinance. Any expression
 any member of the committee may have made, said MT Betts, could no
 be taken as voicing the sentiment O the Rotary Club as whole, TOT h' expression has ever been given pA | the organization.