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A Southern Newspaper For Southern People FORTY-FIRST YEAR.—NO. 2. i CITY FIRES UP AND RESUMES OWN PUMPING SPECIAL TAXES RAISED BY CITY IN MANY LINES License Ordinance Mate rially Revised Upward By Council A new schedule of special licehses went into effect today, following the action of the city council last night in approving the new license ordi nance presented by the ordinance committee, submitted by Chairman W. E. Taylor. The reading of the ordinances proved hints and predic- ; tion of yesterday incorrect, reveal ing that taxes for the coming year were raised in nearly all lines of business, the increases ranging from 12.50 to $35. No estimate was offered as to what increase in revenue from this source could be expected for the year, but the raises were general enough and i on sufficient scale to assure a consid erable increase. The city treasurer’s records reveal that the special li censes for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1919, yielded $20,950. It was believed by some that the new sched ule will brim he revenue from this source up to r .obably $25,000. The changes in the schedule, with several new items, are published in an ad-1 joining column. Rigid Economy Forecast. Although only in an informal way, the council last night indicated that it was determined to conduct the af fairs of the city in a much more rigid and economical manner during the coming year. This was indicated when Chairman J. E. Poole, of the finance committee, offered a resolu tion that it be the sense of the coun cil that the labor payroll for the str department be reduced to an avenge $250 for the yen - Few figures I t. offered to give isis for the saving. It was stateu by City Superintendent Ansley that the payroll is running between S4OO and $450 per week, including the sanitary force. Mr. Poole declared his maxi mum was not meant to include the sanitary force nor the salaries of the street overseer nor half of the salary of the city superintendent, which is charged to the street depart ment, the other half being charged to the water department. He told the Council, however, he had learned that the street payroll carried the ■nes of 33 laborers, and he was of ...<5 opinion that this number should be reduced to 20 or 22 regular men, to be supplemented when conditions 1 fire, with extra forces hired by the day for necessary periods. He declared that the short days at this season of the year did not seem to warrant carrying so large a force, and that it would be a great economy to reduce it to a minimum and sup plement it during the season of long er days when necessary, maintaining an average for the year of the $250 maximum suggested. Pronosal Goes Over. R. E. Allison, chairman of the streets and sidewalks committee, stating that he was uninformed on the subject, asked that the pronosal be held over until the next meeting, which was agreed to. 4 nother example of economy on the part of the council last night was' the decision not to sunulement ie salary of the ccunty health officer for the coming year, as had b°en done during the last six months. The matter came un on recommendation of Dr. J. W. Chambliss, chairman of the city b n ard of health, who request ed that the council provide for the payment during the coming year of $75 per month to Dr. B. F. Bond as city health officer, to supplement the of $125 per month paid him j the county. The information was given the body by Mayor Sheppard that under the Ellis Health law the county is re quired to maintain a county health officer, and that, as the city is a part of the county, it is the duty of this officer to act in the city as well a> outside of it. He explained that the city had appropriated this sunnle ental salary in the past, realizing .nat the amount paid by the county was not sufficient to retain the serv ices of Dr. Bond, but he expressed the belief that the matter was one for the county board to handle here after without city assistance, espe cially in view of the necessity for rigid economy on the part of the city for the year. Dr. Bond’s report up to the end of the year was submitted by Dr. Chambliss and ordered filed for ref erence. I T HEJMEsBR® RDER [fefl PUBLISHED IN THE HE ART OF DIXIC OLD SANTA CLAUS UP-TO-DATE; HE MADE TRIP BY AIRPLANE I ry • *t ’ ** a/? -Tirr'nanwrnriw-"- t Fashions change. Reindeer aren’t the thing any more. When Santa Claus visited Washington, D. C., he swooped down from the sky to land in Potomac Park. He is seen here standing in his airplane, distrib uting presents to a crowd of school children. Santa happened to be an army aviator who had time on his hands and a number of his brother officers helped him to pass out the packages. When his load had been dis posed of, four other aviators alighted in succession at the same place, with machines ladened with gifts. LABOR AGENTS ARE UNWELCOME* Council Protests Against Further Invasion Os This Vicinity Mayor Sheppard was authorized by the city council last night to pro test on behalf of that body, and to secure the co-operation of the Cham ber of Commerce to the same end, to Georgia’s senators and representa tives against further invasion of this city by government agents seeking to recruit labor here for projects elsewhere. The matter came up when Mayor Sheppard informed the council that he had received a letter from a gov ernment labor agent at Florence, Ala., stating that he would be here shortly to recruit labor for the Wil son dam at that point, and asking in advance the mayor's co-operation. “Os coarse he wont get it,’’ Mayor Sheppard stated to the council. “I think this community has suffered sufficiently already along this line, and I am in favor of protesting to our representatives to see if they cannot stop it. I realize that the government must have labor, but we have already suffered a great deal. Not long ago a government agent, visited here and I am told he took about 75 negro laborers away. The police department tells me that the Seminole never leaves here without i carrying from one to five negroes I bound for Chicago. I belieVe we have suffered unduly and that it is time to stop.” 4 CHILDREN DIE AS HOME BURNS Christmas Night Trage dy Reported From Virginia ROANOKE, Va., Jan. 2.—Four children were burned to death, their grandmother’s eyes were burned out and their mother badly burned when the home of Arthur Cole, a farmer, was destroyed by fire Christmas night ] in Grayson county, Vi., according to reports just reaching here. Cole was awakened in time to save his three-day-old twins and rescue his wife and mother. Italian Drys See Big Victory In Decree ROME, Jan. 2.—The prohibitionists claim their first notable victory in Italy in the issuance of a decree bv which the sale of liquor containing more than twenty per cent of alco- 1 hoi is permitted only between 8 o’clock in the morning and 3 o’clock lin the afternoon. Sales must cease |at noon Sunday and arc completely prohibited on hol’davs WEATHER FORECAST. For Georgia—Fair tonight and j I Saturday; continued cold; freezing ’ i temperature. AMERICUS, GEORGIA, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 2, 1920. Schedule of Special Taxes - ’ As Revised by City Council Following are the changes in the special license ordinance as enacted by the city council, applicable to the new year and payable at once: Old New License License Automobiles—garage selling agency for cars and parts of cars or sales agent and for storing and repairing and filling station $120.00 $125.00 Bakery - 35.00 40 - 0( * Barber Shops, for each chair set up 5.00 7.50 Billiards or Tool Tables —for each table set up and used directly for profit or to attract trade 35.00 40.00 Bill Poster or Distributor 30.00 50.00 For six months - 15.00 25.00 Bicycles—dealers in or agents repairing and hiring 20.00 30.00 Blacksmith, per forge 10.00 20.00 Boarding houses taking more than four adults 12.90 15.00 Boots, Shoes, Hats and Umbrella?— Retail alone - 50.00 60 00 In connection with other business 25.00 30.00 Wholesale and retail 50.00 60.00 Boot and Shoe repair shops (hand) 10.00 20.00 Bootblacks (not to apply to bootblacks in barberships that work inside) 2.00 ♦ 5.00 Bottling Works 40.00 50.00 Bowling Alleys, tenpins or box ball, per alley 20.00 40.00 Butchers : 30.00 40.00 Case or Restaurant serving Coca-Cola or other soft drinks 75.00 85.00 Carriage or Wagon Repair Shop only 15.00 25.00 Cloihing( retail, to include gents’ furnishing goods, shoes, and ladies’ ready to wear , 50.00 60.00 In connection with other business 20.00 30.00 Coal Dealers - 20.00 35.00 Coke, alone or in connection 15.00 20.00 Cold Storage and Refrigerating Company 30.00 50.00 Contractor for electrical work, wiring, etc 15.00 25.00 Cotton Warehouse 60.00 70.00 Drugs, retail - a—„ 25.00 40.00 Drugs, wholesale —,,, ——.— 35.00 50.00 Dye House; resident or In connection with otMdr business ...’. 6.00 15.00 Electric Light Plants, selling current to customers 125.00 150.00 Electric Supplies and Wiring 40.00 50.00 Electric Theater; moving picture show, per annum 75.00 100.00 Per month .u 10.00 15.00 Engines, gasoline, steam or electric, to include pumps, etc., dealer in or agents for (unless licensed under some other classification) 20.00 50.00 Farmers’ Supply store 60.00 75.00 Feather Renovator; carpet cleaner in connection 15.00 25.00 Fertilizer, dealer in, or selling agent for; alone or in con- nection with other business, retail or wholesale 25.00 35.00 That all agents or. brokers selling fertilizer, kainits, acids or cotton seen meal, guano to be shipped direct by railway, or merchants carrying o» selling same in connection with ;thsr business and in same store or warehouse -I—- 35.00 40.00 That all agents for of brokers, persons, firms, com panies or corporations,carrying consignments as above and delivering from warehouses 125.00 150.00 | Fertilizer Factory; or and Acid Plants 125.00 150.00 , Flowers; sold for nurserymen in connection with other business 6.00 10.00 Fish and Oysters; o: e orboTi 25.00 35.00 ’’oun.iry or Machint Shop 25.00 35.00 lying Jenny, per w ek 50.00 75.00 'urniture; wholes*! 60.00 . 65.00 Furniture; retail 60.00 65.00 'urniture repair short 12.00 25.00 Gas Works or Corf, any 125.00 150.00 Gasoline Filling Stati n, alone 25.00 75.00 In connection! with other business 15.00 25.00 Granite Works, stone or Marble yard 35.00 50.00 Groceries, Wholesale .. ’ 150.00 175.00 Guns; empty or load d shells in connection with other * busine. s (araw gns excepted) 6.00 10.00 Gunsmith; repair snop only .' 10.00 20.00 Hall for hire ;.». ....- 6 00 10.00 Hair Dresser or Man urist 15.00 25.00 larness in uonnebSo 1 with other business already licensed -w*-’ 6.00 10.00 Hardware; retail ...J '"G-y- 50.00 75.0 p Hats, clean ng and iocklng 5.00 10. Op I Hides; dealers in, her than junk dealers 10.00 25.00 I Hotels fr-wg 65.00 lOO.Oi Ice; factory dr wb> «le distributor for non-resident man- . ~Z i ■,» • 1 COTTON’REACHES 40 CTS. HERE FOR GOOD MIDDLING Highest Figure Since Fol lowing Civil War Paid In Americus Good middling spot cotton sold in : Americus for 40 cents today, the highest mark seen since the days im mediately following the war between the states. About 150 bales were sold to one buyer by two warehouses, and several small lots which had been held for that figure were closed out. r A large amount of the cotton held here will not grade good middling, it is said, and much of this is held in lots for 40 cents, which means that the market must advance still fur ther to secure this staple. One ware house reported having sold about 300 bales of low grade cotton this week at a basis of better than 40 cents for good middling. LOCAL SPOT COTTON. . Good middling 40 cents. NEW YORK FUTURES. Prev. Close Open 11 am 1 pm Close Jan. 37.88 38.10 38.20 38.25 38.34 Meh 35.83 36.16 36.10 36.26 36.50 May 34.05 34.50 34.68 34.71 34.98 July 32.40 32.90 32.93 32.91 33.08 NEW ORLEANS SPOT. Middling, 40c; good middling, 42c. NEW ORLEANS FUTURES. Prev. Close Open 11 am Ipm Close Jan. 39.05 39.45 39.50 39.60 39.80 Meh 36.50 36.08 37.27 37.37 37.67 May 34.51 34.96 35.27 35.46 35.70 July 32.07 33.25 33.35 33.16 33.70 Carranza Mav Grant Amnesty To Fugitives MEXICO O<TY, Jan. I.—(Thurs day.)—Amnesty mav be granted by the government! to Mexican fugitives in foreign countries, President Car ranza declared at the New Year’s recention at the palace. He advised petitioners to “await tranquilly for disposition of the matter.” ufacturer - 125 00 150 ’ 00 Ice; dealer in connection with other business 6-00 10.00 Ice Cream Saloon, Soda Fount or Bottled soda water and Coca-Cola . Jewelry. reunZZL. «■«» 60.00 Jewelry; in connection with other business 10.00 20.00 Junk; dealers in - i °°- 00 Laundry; run by steam or electricity 60.00 Yb.oo Laundry; run by hand 35.00 40.00 Laundry; agents for y- 60.00 75.00 Lunch Stands, per annum - 20.00 30.00 Per month OO 0,00 Per day ■— - 2.00 - 4-06 Lime Dealers; to include plaster paris ar.d cement 30.00 40.00 Lumber Yards; or dealers in lumber, agents or brokers.... 30.00 40.00 Mattress Maker 15.00 25.00 Metalic and Sheet Iron Goods -- 15.00 25.0 ) Motorcycles; alone or agents for : 15.00 25.00 Musical Instruments; dealers, pianos, organs or other mus- * ical instruments 35.00 50.00 Plumbers; each and every person carrying on the busi- ness of plumbingfi gas fitting, etc 50.00 75.00 Pressing Club 10.00 25.00 Real Estate; agent or broker, individual or firm 20.00 25.00 Seed; wholesale or retail seed store 25.00 40.00 Sewing Machine Companies 50.00 75.00 Shop Keeper; meaning dealer in general stock of miscel- laneous goods, not to include cigars, tobacco, cigar- ettes, or cigarette papers where amount of stock does not exceed S3OO 15.00 25.00 Soda water; or other bottled soft drinks in connection with other business, except restaurant 10.00 15.00 Storage Warehouse; alone 10.00 25.00 Jtables; sale and feed only 50.00 75.00 Stables; each and every person or firm other than reg- ular been ed liveryman or sale stables dealing in horses and mules within the city 50.00' 75,00 Tailor, merchant 15.00 25.00 Tailor; meaning a person or persons that have an office or shop in the city and taking orders by sample or price of cloth, for clothing, to be made outside the city 100.00 50.00 Undertaker, or Funeral Director -a. 50.00 60.00 Vulcanizing Plants 25.00 35.00 and gas engines, whether dealers in or resi- dent agent for non-resident companies 25.00 40.00 Wood Yards; or dealers in wood, whether with or with- out vard in the city . .. 10.00 20.00 NEW ITEMS ADDED. Th? following additions to the special tax list of last year were made: Automobile—accessories and tires, in connection with other business $25.00 Automobiles—making and repairing tops, not in connection with rarage 15.00 Battery Shop —« 50.00 ' ! ’>ycle dealers, in connection with other business 25.00 Boot and shoe repair shops, machine. 40.00 '■'arnot and ma’ting dealers, in connection with other business 15.00 Yoda'-s and films 5.00 Parcel Delivery i 10.00 S”run refining and canning 25.00 P'ffffly-wiggly —...-- 100.00 Senate Leaders Seek Agree ment on T reaty WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.—Republi can and democratic leaders of the senate &ave their attention again to day to negotiations for a peace treaty compromise. Senator Lodge, major ity leader sent for Senator McNary, leader of the mild reservation repub lican group, and discussed how far the republicans could go in modifying the reservations approved by the sen ate majority at the last session. Sev eral other senators also saw Senator Lodge. On the democratic side, Senator Hitchcock, administration leader, con ferred with Senators Swanson and King. BRYANTOENTER MICH. PRIMARY Name of'Nebraskan To Go On Democratic Bal lot For President DETROIT, Jan. 2.—William Jen nngs Bryan will be entered in the Michigan presidential preference pri mary as a candidate for endorsement as the democratic nominee for presi dent, according to local friends of the former Secretary of State. The pri maries will be held April 5. Rail Bill Conferees * Pass Over First Snag WASHINGTON, Jan. 2—ln resum ing conferences today on railroad re organization legislation, senate and house managers met the first wide dif ferences over the house provision au thorizing the interstate commerce commission to establir.’a minimum rates for transportation, partly by water and partly by rail. The ques tion was passed over temporarily and provisions regarding state and federal freight regulations taken up. 85,000 Enumerators Os Cemifo Begin Work The fourteenth decennial census was begun 'here and all over the United States today with 85,000 enumerators engaged in coupting in habitants and collecting data on the resources of the coutry. News of The Whole World By Associated Press PRIeE FIVE CENTS. REFUSES RAISE IN RATES AS OLD CONTRACT ENDS Will Work Big Saving, Says Ansley; It Won’t Says Johnson Announcement was made to the city council last night by Chairman Mashburn, of the Lights and Water Committee, that the city had fired up its own power plant, out of use for some time, and at the stroke of 12 o’clock midnight at the begining of the new year had begun pumping its own water and furnishing its own power for lighting the fire depart ment, city hall, town clock, etc. At that hour the * contract with the Americus Lighting Company expired and the committee, having been au thorized to act and having refused to accede to the new contract offered by the company at an increased rate, had ordered Supt. J. B. Ansley to fire up the municipal plant and proceed with furnishing power. The report of Chairman Mashburn was' accepted and ratified by the council. Chairman Mash' urn also reported that the Lighting Company would submit a new contract at the old rate, which the city could sign, for light ing the streets. The current for this purpose is furnished at the commer cial rate by the company. The dispute between the city offi cials and the Lighting Company has resulted in some interesting predic tions as to what the results will be for the city during the year. The Lighting Company during the last year has furnished power for pump ing, city hall lighting, etc., at 1.7 cents per kilowatt hour. Increase of $4,350. The city consumed, at this rate, about $9,333 in current, but the con tract contained a clause calling for a minimum for the year of SIO,OOO, The new contract offered by the com pany called for 2.25 cents per kilo watt hour, which would have brought th? city’s bill for this year, assum ing that only the same amount of current was used, up to $12,352. In addition, the new contract provided for the commercial rate of 12 cents basis for the city hall, fire station and clock lighting, according to tjie estimate of Superintendent Ansley, would have added another $2,000 to the city’s bill for this year, bringing it up to approximately $14,350, or an increase of $4,350 over 1919. “We can produce our current for the old rate paid, 1.7 cents, or even cheaper,” said Mr. Ansley, when the council sought his advice, and he was told to go to it. And he went. “The city will find that it will cost fully as much to produce current as the new rate we offered,*’ was the comment of J. E. Johnson, manager of the Lighting Company today. “One item alone which may not have been figured will amount to $1,500. This is the item of interest on the . money that will be required to re | place an old boiler and make other i repairs on the plant, which will cost at least s3o,ft£o and which should be figured at 5 per cent per year.’’ Hat No Auxiliary. Mr. Ansley told the council some time ago that one boiler would have to be replaced shortly for safety, as the plant now has no auxiliary and has to depend sblely upon one i boiler. He declared this item had been figured into his estimate. The Lighting Company notified the city several weeks ago that it was actually losing money on the city’s contract, and that the new rate would merely bring the price to the city up to cost. Superintendent Ans l"y contended that as the power was furnished to the city “between times,” pumping being done only when it is necessary for the company to keep the plant running anyhow,- the gross amount received by the company from the city, minus the cost of a certain amoun 1 of addi tional fuel required, is profit to ‘he company, since it represents revenue that would otherwise be lo't without a corresponding decrease in cost of operation. MishiM In Case Os Prohibition Officer MANASSAS. Va., Jan. 2.—Unable to teach a verdict the jury in the case of W. C. Hall, prohibition inspector, charged with the murder of Law rence Hudson, during a raid nn alleg. ed bootleggers, was dismissed today.