The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-01

Even the Commissioners OF Excise
were surprised at the comparatively
small decrease-comparat only In
the sense that the decrease was eI-
pected to be SO much greater. As a
matter OF fact the liquor business In
New York received terrific blow. Al
most one-third Of the saloons and fam
lily liquor stores shut up shop. Father
Knickerbocker has now only two
chances to get a drink where he had
three yesterday. Tomorrow. what will
the answer be? That at least was what
Mr.. Ehret and Col. Rupert were ASK
ing themselves yesterday.
The falling of in cash receipts was
not quite 30 much in percentage as the
falling of in the number OF licenses
| taken out. For example, the total sum
paid in to then Commissioner of Excise
for New York county last year was
| ss.lss,6oo. Last night the total was
s5,061,300
All Collections show Decrease.
In The Bronx the excise offfce took in
| 81. 0Sl 900 last year. This year 1t will
| have $4,000 to turn into the State
| treasury. In Richmond the collections
last year amounted to S236.77s. But this
year Richmond will contribute only
s1s4,se2 in liquor license cash to the
I ctAte tIh. Aho iato HoiuS Soou eise-
| where.
The period for renewing State liquor
licenses, both saloon and retail stores
| expired last night at midnight after run
| ming a month. AS usual there was a
rush on the final day and even In the
| final hours, SO much so that the office
STATS Of all i've Offices were busy until
after midnight checking up The figures
presented by THE SUN this morning are
therefore. necessarily approximations
only, though they may be relied upon
pretty strongly as percentage bases In
a day or two the. excise OFFICES will be
able to give the exact figures.
1t was observable in all Ave countie.
that the cheaper saloons were the one:
that gave up the ghost. II was the
cheaper ones, the saloons in the outskirts
of the city and in the small side streets
the saloons without brewery support
that did not dare take a chance with s
dark future. With beer soon TO cost 81;
a barrel, with the new tax, and will
hard liquor at all sorts OF fancy prices
many such saloon keepers didn't trouble
to renew their license.
Find situation Looks Bad.
George Ehret Jr., said last night thai
OF the 500 saloons controlled in New
York by his brewery he expected only
about 100 to quit, and these were tn,
cheaper ones. lie figures the decreas,
In business at i2L5 per cent Col. Rup
pert thought It would be about Is PEI
cent. and made his estimate on the basil
of the 500 odd saloons controlled by tn,
Rupert brewery
"Oh, it's a bad situation and it's 60
Ing to grow worse" groaned tine Colone
last night. Many saloons will clos,
when the beer gives out, and that won
be long now. The rest will 20 whei
the national prohibition law goes int,
effect. There Is simply no silver linini
to the cloud"
|. "Its tho real estate problem that wor
rles me-" said George Ehret. Jr. wv
own outright most OF the places wher
our beer Is sold. Now We have at ieas
100 of these sites thrown upon our hand
and soon many more will come back I
US What are We to do with them? W
can't rent all of them as cigar stores
It's too much for me! !"
Last year New York derived abou
Sl3, 900, 900 from the liquor traffic.
was estimated last night that IL tn
state Treasury gets 100000 this yea
= 1t will be a mighty lucky little treasur,