Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-20
REVENUE BILLS
NOTLIKELY TOGO
Dawson Thinks That There
Will Be No Necessity Be-
cause of Snyder's Activity

Harrisburg, Pa, Feb. 2O.-"No
revenue raising measures now on the
statute books will be repealed at
this session." Representative Hugh
A. Dawson, of Lackawanna, chair
man of the ways and means commit
tee of the House said today. II
anything there will general tighten
ing of things all along the line. The
mercantile tax is to remain law.
Auditor General Snyder has made
it plain that the merchants must pay
a tax based on the amount of busi-
ness actually done, not on nominal
sum as has been the case in years
gone by. With this being done, the
state will hardly miss the million
and one half dollars now received
annually as the commemorative
share of the money paid for the priv
ilege of selling liquor in Pennsyl-
vania," Dawson added.
Mr.. Snyder has already launched
his plans for securing a complete mer-
camille appraisement in every county
in the state. In my own county,
he has named special appraisers to
assist the appraiser named by the
county commissioners and he has
done the same thing in LuZerne. I un-
derstand., special appraisers are to be
named in every county," the Scran-
ton legislator observed. "The Audit
or general is not going to stop with
the mercantile appraisement. He is
out to see that the state gets every
dollar that is coming to it from the
direct inheritance and from the other
revenue raising measures that are
now laws One has but to study
the figures in the auditor generals
office to learn the work that has al
ready been accomplished along this
line" Mr.. Dawson said.
ut will be difficult to estimate the
revenue the state will receive through
the issuance of liquor licenses this
year because of the country's going
bone dry" July I, and because OF the
national prohibition being scheduled
to become effective next January.
In a number of counties. the license
year begins January l. In other
places. the license dates as of April
l. With the legislature likely to pass
a bill permitting licenses to be is
sued from month to month and per-
mitting license holders to have paid
years license to have a portion
of their money refunded because of
the closing of the saloons in July,
the revenue will be curtailed con-
SlucTdDlN. III Will Idll away SHOTI
of the $1.535.556.43 that the state
received from this source in 1918.
Those communities where liquor
is now sold will be hard hit with
the approach of prohibition" Mr..
Dawson went on. Last year, a total
of s4,024,57S.94 was distributed
among the cities, boroughs and town
ships of the state as their share of
the license money paid by the brew
ers, wholesalers and retail liquor
dealers from their profits.
In 1917, figures taken from the
records in the auditor generals office,
show that there were q total of
1898 retail liquor licenses issued in
Pennsylvania. OF this number, 1901
were in Philadelphia 724 in Pitts
burgh: 264 in Scranton; 1886 in cities
of the third class; 16 in cities oper-
ating under special charters; 399S
in the boroughs and 2046 in the
townships. A total of $4,922,500
was paid in license fees, the state re-
ceiving s607.55O of this amount.
Philadelphia got S1,901,0 900; Pitts |
burgh $651,600 and Scranton, S237,-
600, In cities of the third class 1884,
400 was distributed. The boroughs
were given $479.760 and the town
ships shared sI22,760. The counties
received as their share $3S4,630.
Lackawanna's share was $26,4OO.
In 1918, the liquor people paid
total of s5,560,1S5.37 for the priv
ilege of selling wet" goods in Penn
sylvania. The state got s1.535,556
of this amount and the balance $4.-
024,57S.94 was distributed among the
counties, cities, boroughs and town
ships. The states share from the
various licenses follows: retail,
$574,90S42; wholesale. s612,472.59;
brewers, $271, ,2S0.50; distillers, $15,-
542.70; bottlers. $35, 5,102.22; and state
brewers. to whom licenses were is
sued direct by the state treasurer,
s26,250.