The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-11-15
OCCUPATION TAX
ELECTION POSTPONED
Meeting Of Business Mems League Re-
suited in Temporary Postponemeni
Of Election and Pledge to Aid thu
Commissioners in the Matter.

At the meeting Of the Business
Meme league last evening the actor
taken resulted in the postponement Of
IN proposed election to be held mex
Tuesday to vote upon an occupation
tax, and n plc6ge of the hague Z,
get behind aud cooperate with III,
commissioners in Treseusng an oe
eupailoa tax ordinance which woult
appeal to the electors IN measure de.
signed to bring success
The sentiment was no. against an
occupation tax. In fact the need Of sue.
tax was unanimously acknowledged
and there was q general desire t.
bring about some remedial ordinance
that would result in additional revenu,
for the city.
Tho sentiment which S,as brought
ont at the meeting was largely tha
the proposed ordnance calling for {
tax Of one-half OF one per cent o.
the amount of business transacted
without definite understanding as t
the amount OF money this percentagt
WOULD raise, or the manner in wbic!
the commissioners proposed to equal
ize a number of inequalities whic
would 6e certain to result, was TO
vague to present to the electors 70
decision at the polls
As a matter of fact, the ordinanc
proposed was in the nature Of a con
etitutton under WHICH tho commiss
ions could kter evolve an auXiliar
ordinance equalizing the burden o
taxation and lIingiHg alout a rev
enue Just sufficient to meet the needs
OF the city il had always been th
expressed purpose of the commission
ers to pass this auxiliary and remedia
ordinance, but the ordinance had nc
yet bee prepared. and could not bt
prepared until ~ lines of bushes,
had been consulted.
Under this auxiliary ordinance I
one half per cent was too much. tn
amount could be reduced to one-four
tn or one eighth. or any other fig
ure that would produce the require
amount of revenue. This ordlnanC
would also 1Ire any radical ineQua.
| tiles of TAXATION az make the bur
den as nearly equitable as possible
Addresses were made by City Man
uger Beldilg. N A. Eiaele, +. }
SteaIns, L. L. Sawyer, Z N Roth l
Burgauer G.. A. Callahan. c. j. Horne.
c. G. Sparks, Dr. Holland Robert Neil
w Z Massey } \. Stallcup and 9th
ers.
A motion Of C. J. lIorner to rejcc
the ordinance. was superseded by
motion by G. c. Sparks to POSITION
| the election until such time as a NOR
suitable and understandable ordi
nance could be drawn, This motio
carried
| a motion by DE- Holland that tn
LEAGUE pledge its united support to tn
commissioners to draft and promulgIt
an occupation tax ordinance NJ,
which the business men and voter
could agree. was also carried
While the meeting resulted in tn
postponement of the proposed elect
ion next Tuesday. 1t crystalized tn
interest Of the business interests 0
the city to the stern necessity OF som
such ordnance, with the probable re
suit iNat an occupation tax ordiI<@
win soon be proposed for adoption b
the yoters-one which win go befor
the electors with excellent prospect
Of adoption
The meeting brought ~-< the unite
sentiment that the five city c0mmiss
toner's in whom the business men an,
citizens have every vonfidcIcc, wer
| trying honestly and hard to brt-
hbout a botterment Of the condition
In Hot Springs The objection raise
to the ordinance proposed ~ then
Vas that it was not sufficiently def
mite in its provisions. but the 47yiol
was freely expressed that ;his coul
be cured. and the m0surc eventual
made into laN