The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-15
COUNCIL CALLED TO ACT
ON LICENSE ORDINANCE
Special Meeting "Wednesday Night to
Hear Again the New Tax Paper
Recently Referred to
Finance Committee.
FEW CHANGES ARE MADE
Liccnse of Doctors and Lawyers Slight
Iy Lowered. but No Action ON Labor
Agents Ordinancc--Surycy Cues
ton Up.

A meeting OF the common council
has been called for Wednesday night
to receive again the new license tax
ordinance. which will be considered
for the second time in practically lis
original form. This was decided at
a meeting of the committee on finance
last night, called primarily to give
final consideration to the ordinance.
An important change. however. Will
be in the license tax On doctors, law
yers and other similar professional
men, who will be assessed at $40 for
the first 1000 income, and one-half
Of one per cent for all income over
the first $1,000
Soda fountain operators, il was
stated last night. will have their tax
cut almost to half of the requirement
~ originally set out in the new law
Few other changes are recommended
in the paper, which has met with stiff
opposition from many quarters since
il was made public. 1t Is thought
that many citizens will appear to-
morrow night to oppose j Is passage
in its present form.
Consider $4,000 License Proper.
The finance committee last night
considered the other tax ordinance.
placing $4,000 license fee on labor
agents operating in Richmond for the
purpose of securing local laborers for
work in other states. Representatives
of tobacco Industries Of the city ana
other business men appeared before
the committee to urge the passage
OF the ordinance and TO take this step
| toward stopping the flow OF common
! labor out OF the state. They empha-
sized the seriousness Of the situation.
and impressed upon the committee the
fact that 1t is now impossible to Sc
Iah n u tfla
| in Richmond factories
H. T. Gofvtn, representing the labor
| unions, appeared again in opposition
to the passage Of the measure. and
j declared that the only way to hold the
| laborers here is to pay them as high
wages as they can receive elsewhere
John Kerr Branch further urged the
| committee TO pass the new law. and
| 10 stop these outsiders from coming
in and disturbing the best labor
situation in the country The COM
mittee took the matter into consider
! alton for later action.
| Survey Question Reopened.
| At the insistance of Carter G. Jones.
councilman from Madison ward, the
finance committee reopened the civic
survey question and heard John Kerr
! Branch in support of the proposed
municipal survey. 4 lively debate
pfcEsued MI. bFaNCn speech. WneIi
| Mr.. Jones asked the committee TO
! suspend the rules and take the sur
| vey pap whereby the Civic associa :
| tim pledged themselves to pay for
| the survey If it were done by the
New York bureau, off the table and
open ii for action. Mr.. Jones declared
that unless the committee was will
/ ing to take some action on papers
OF that nature he was going to insist
so long as he was member OF the
committee. that they hold no more
executive sessions, but that all their
dealings he made publicly.
| Mr.. Branch told the committee he
/ had been opposed to the Civic as
sociation's principles until last night.
but that he had at last Surrendered"
and had come to ask the committee
! to delay no longer In pa. sing the &C.
| sired resolution. He declared that
| 500 people of Richmond demand
| that action be taken in the matter.
and that they he given the survey.
| Furthermore. they have offered to
pay for il. and there is nothing for
the council to do but to authorize it.
the speaker said. He spoke at length
! in favor of the measure. and urged
| that IL he passed Immediately. II was
taken under consideration, but the
committee had already pointed out
/ that the paper would have to come
up In It's regular order and would
not be likely to be brought from the
IA BILE aeain until the next meeting OF
| the body.