New-York tribune., 1918-09-09
Larger Corner Places Will
Bring More Revenue When
Divided, One Predicts
Values Will Stand
Only rs Per Cent of Drink
Shops Will Renew Licenses;
States Loss $1O,O0O,0OO

tate men, as we'll as experts in the De-
partment of Taxes and Assessments,
the 10000 saloon properties in the
metropolitan district which Colonel
Jacob Rupert, president of the New
York State Brewers Association. says
will go out of business on October l,
at the time their licenses expire, will
be altered into three or four small
stores in each instance, and the work
of changing them will begin almost at
once
"The owners of saloon properties" "
said prominent real estate man with
saloon holdings yesterday. will be
somewhat up in the air for a year or
Two, but they are not as badly off as
Colonel Ruppert's statement would in
dicate Take the Rupert and the
Ehret saloon corners, for instance, and
we find them, as a rule. on busy cor
ners. The brewers have shrcwd bust
ness men in their employ, They would
ne foolish to allow their corner prop
critics to remain idle long. Nor will
they.
Depression Not Expected
THE best corners. as soon as it is
found to be impractlcable to continue
them as liquor stores, will be converted
into small stores A corner store will
bring better rental for almost any
sort of merchandising than store in
the middle of the block And small
stores or the side street fifty or sew
enty-fve feet from the corner also will
bring good rentals The owner who is
going to suffer most is not the owner of
the liquor store corner. AS soon as he
has altered his property into small
stores the liquor man will draw tenants
from the middle of the block. The
owner who will suffer, generally speak
ing, will be the owner removed from
the corner. His tenants will move to
the corner"
Colonel Ruppert's contention that
real estate valuations will suffer great
~ Is not fully sustained by the judg-
ment of the people in the Department
of Taxes and Assessments. They may
suffer during a readjustment period.
One of the commissioners said:
1919 Valuations Already Made
Shutting down the liquor stores on
October 1 probably will not depress
assessed valuations for the year 1919.
October l. the dav when the 10000
saloons close, is the very day the as
sessed valuations, subject to reduc-
tions on hearing, become lien against
real property. The assessed valua-
tions for 1919 are already made, as
the assessing deputies in charge of the
various districts have practically all
1t is too late to change them for the
year 1919, except for special reasons.
THE brewery owners will assert, no
doubt, that closing the business is a
special and impressive reason. The
answer of the Tax Commissioners is
likely to be that there was nc way of
telling to a certainty that the saloons
would close October l and, anyway
the properties mostly being corner
they cannot be made to earn theil
keep by changing them into stores.
$100OO,0OO Loss to State
Besides, the Tax Department viii
they have to. The city needs ever,
dollar of revenue it can scrape up
With the shutting of the saloons the
state will lose, perhaps, 10000 ,O00
year IN excise revenues. AS New Yorl
City now pays about 20 per cent of tn,
direct tax levied by the state, thi
loss in revenue will be dumped int,
the city budget a year from now, anc
I.
"The people hostile to the liuuo
saloon will argue that in year or tw,
the readjustment will have beer
effected, and that business will 20 or
as usual. or better than usual, with ;
smaller expenditure for the upkeep O.
the charitable and correctional insti
tutions maintained at the expense O
the city, the smaller charge being du,
10 the absence of the liquor traffic"
Only 25 Per Cent of Renewals
Scarcely 25 per cent of the saloon.
keepers in New York City will appl,
for a renewal of their licenses on Sen
tember Is, when applications must be
made, according to William McClena
han, president of the New York Liuuo,
Dealers Association.
In statement yesterday Mr.. Nc.
Clenahan pointed out that the compul.
sorry discrimination of beer brewing
provided the finishing stroke for a lone
series of Gripping reverses which have
speedily been reducing the number OF
saloons in this city.
Fifty per cent of the saloonkeepers
were contemplating the closing up OF
their shops" said Mr.. McCienahan
"due to the tremendous rise in the price
Of beer and ale. Beer cost from $5 tc
81 barrel in 1913, while recently tho
piSWSiS nave sent IL soaring TO SD
Ale, which cost 50 in 1913, now bring.
$50.
Unions to Apply to Gompers
About $500 men between the age.
of fifty and sixty will be thrown upor
the unskilled labor market by the whole
sale closing of salons, Mr.. McClenahar
added. These men have been bartender.
or saloon managers all their lives ant
are not equipped by training or ply
sique for any other type of work. Many
have large families.
"The work or fight order. which tool
men between the ages of twenty-on.
and thirty one from behind the saloor
bars" declared Mr.. McClenahan. cha.
resulted in considerable hardship
personally know of instances where
young men with families were deprived
of their positions and found themselve.
physically unable to work in muntion,
factories or shipyards. Their familie,
we've soon in destitute circumstances.
John Sa4livan,, district representativ,
of the International Union of Unitet
Brewery and Soft Drink Workers, lef
for Cincinnati yesterday to attend
special conference of the executiv,
board of the organization. Before de
parting he said that the convention
would probably decide to appeal to Sam
uel Gompers to intercede in an effor
to save the brewing industry.
Will Decide Labor DISPUTES