Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-11
ADDS $4,000 TO
GOLFERS YEARLY
Saloon and Wholesale Liquor Ordi.
nance Amendments Means More
Revenue for Rock Island.
MAYOR EXPRESSES CRITICISM
Executive Makes Statement Declaring
That Commission Must Look on
Situation Here Broadly.

Ordinances amending the saloon.
cafe and wholesale liquor dealer ordi-
nances, as adopted by the Rock Island
municipal commission yesterday after
noon, will mean an increase in city
revenues of $15,100 annually. Follow
ing are the increased fees:
Ninety-six saloon licenses increased
from $500 to 5000 per year. $500.
Thirty-two wholesale licenses in
creased from $50 to 5000 per year,
$4,000.
Exposition park, which must be H.
license, $500.
General total-s15,100.
| In introducing the amending ordi-
nances, Mayor McConochie intimated
that he expected some criticism direct
ed at him. He said:
Before l submit these ordinances l
want to make a statement, not by way
Of apology, for l have no apologies to
make I am making no excuses and
neither do l care whether I am criti-
| tlLtb VI ilOl' lACHSi NdI GU WIFI
criticism was directed at me.
Some people will criticize but they
are narrow minded. The council must
look on this situation in a broad way
We have a peculiar condition here.
There is to be dry territory on all
sides of US, and we owe a duty to the
public to look and act upon this situa-
ton in liberal manner.
II suppose the liquor interests will
censure us, but l have this to say: that
if the liquor interests do not obey the
law to the letter, there will be revoked
licenses in the path of the violators.
We mean business. Are there any
other members of the council who
wish to express themselves?
Il think what the mayor has said is
the sentiment of the entire council"
Commissioner Liedtke declared.
Eve would have liked to have made
the saloon licenses higher" the mayor
added, but we could not without max
ing discriminatory zones, and We
couldn't do that very we'll"
The mayor then introduced the fol-
lowing ordinances containing these
amendments, all of which were unani-
mously adopted by the commission:
That the saloons close at II o'clock
at night instead of y as at present.
That the saloon license fee be 5000
instead of $500
That the wholesale liquor license
fee be 5000 instead of $50
That the cafes close at II o'clock at
night instead of y as at present.
That the operator of a saloon be re-
Iquired to secure the consent of the
majority of property owners and resi-
dents within a distance of 900 feet
from the saloon, on both sides of the
street, in cases where saloon has not
been licensed for period of FIVE
months. Present ordinance provides
the term of seven months.
In Peculiar Situation.
This places the Exposition park sa-
loon in a peculiar situation. Under
the ordinance in force heretofore,
when the period was seven months,
the Exposition park saloon was Ii
censed only six months during the
year, from May until Nov /. During
the winter when there were no attrac-
tions at the park no license for the sa-
loon was taken out. On May l the
owners could present an application
and secure a license But with the
five months. the owners must do one
of two things: either secure license
for the entire year or else each spring
secure the consent of the majority Of
property owners and residents on
each side of Eighteenth avenue for a
distance of 800 feet from the bar.