The evening world., 1920-12-06
New Orders to Collector
Edwards viii Give Man
ayers a Jolt, Too.
LAW EVASION TO CEASE.
Government Takes Steps to
Put End to the "Rubber
Stamp" Trick.
By Sophie irene Loeb.

arc determined TO give all possible AID
to William H. Edwards, Collector OF
Revenue, IN experimenting violators OF
the law as to theatre tickets, is ev1-
denced by dispatches received from
the capital that will be nothing short
of a bomb in the camp of the theatre
ticket prohteers.
The most important OF these new
orders will wipe out the graft at ho-
tells and such similar places, where
tickets are purchased for as high Gs
500 per cent. and more over the price
printed on the tickets.
The proceeding has been as follows:
You go to a hotel to purchase a
ticket for a theatre. and IL the hotel
hasn't the ticket on hand the hotel
gives you an order" for tho seats
And you pay the hotel the price they
ask. which is always considerably
above the actual price of the ticket,
according 20 tho popularity OF the at
traction at the theatre.
You take this "order" around
to a theatre and they give you
the seats. All that the hotel has
done for you in this instance is
TO telephone, for which you have
paid a usurious rate.
The violation Of the law in
this case, according TO the Wash
ington authorities, is that the
price you paid the hotel or some
such other place has not been
clearly set forth somewhere on
the ticket, which must be done
in accordance with tho revenue
statute.
After this order is made to-day,
eliminating this process. there is only
one way to meet the requirements Of
the law, and II this way Is resorted
to by the managers Of the theatres
II will be ample proof to the Wash
ington authorities that the theatre
managers themselves are in league
with the spectators and sanction
these high prices which theatre man
ayers generally disClaim.
Upon the presentation of such ar
order" from a hotel or such simila'
place TO the theatre box Office tht
official OF the box office, 10 meet th'
requirement Of the law, should write
the actual price you paid the hotc
man or such other agency on the
BACK OF the ticket Then it is very
simple to understand that tho man
ager is aiding the speculator to gel
the higher price from you.
For IL the spcCulator can tclephon,
and hold a ticket for you at the boz
office, there is no reason why yOl
should not be able to do II yourself
especially by sending around to thu
theatre the price of your tickets
which you did at the hotel. a time
limit might be readily put upon you
tickets, after which they will be SOLO
if not called for.)
But as II is now, there seems TO b'
no chance for you to buy those sam
tickets except through the specula
Tor who telephones for them. There
fore the box office man must b
keeping them for the speculator 70
his benefit.
The law in this case is very clear
These provisions Of the act ant
due administration OF other pro
visions require that there must bt
oonspicuouBly and indclibiy printed
stamped or written on such part o
every ticket or card OF admission
whether paid or free, IS is not al
ready covered with printing or writ
ng, and as Is taken up by the man
.F hA
mission Of the person admitted, tn
following: a In case OF every suCl
ticket or card, on the face of sue
tcket the established price OF tn
admission for which IL IS valid, tn
admission tax to be paid based OF
that established price, and the tota
OF such price and tax. (2I Wheneve
suoh a ticket or card Ia sold at
price other than its established price
then, in addition, on the back Of sue
ticket the actual sale price the ad
mission tax paid and the total O
such price and tax. (3) Whenever a
admission ticket or card is sold at
place other than the ticket office O
the theatre, or other place for ad
mission to which Il is valid. then, 3
addition, on the back OF such tickct
the name and address Of the seller"
The other order, which will furthe
compel the actual final price paid 70
the ticket TO be indelibly written %
printed on the back Of the ticket,
explained as follows:
Several dealers in tickets have ha
rubber stamp print placed on IN
back Of the ticket, presumably I
meet the requirements of the law.
This print usually says: sold a
80 cents advance" or "SOld at 7
cents advance" or some such iigure
as the case may be. This method
now held by the Washington authori
ties TO be Illegal.
All the theatre agencies will 70
ceiyc notice to-day that the exat
price paid by the person udmittc
to tho theatre viii have 10 bc In
delibly stated on the back Of III
ticket
Thus. if tho theatre price Of N
ticket Is $3.50 and If YOU have pui
- cents more thnn this price q
printed on the ticket then Il
amount indcNaly printed on the baC
VIII have to re0d S3Oj, together Wit
tho name Of the person from whol
YOU purchased the ticket.
These and other measures are bt
ne developed by Collector Edward
nd his associates 10 insure q prop
return of tho revenue due tho GOV
crnment, which will eventually cliIn
nate spectators and reduce tho gou'
ing OF the public in this Conncct!o