|
<br />1:
<br />
<br />TUESDAY
<br />
<br />JULY 14, 1953
<br />
<br />The regular semi-month~ meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville,
<br />
<br />Virginia, with Mayor R. S. Hodnett presiding, was held in the Council Chamber,
<br />
<br />City Hall, on Tuesday, July 14, 1953, at 7:30 P.M., all members, as follows, being
<br />
<br />present: Mayor and Councilman R. S. Hodrett, and Cou...."'1cilmen C. P. Craig, D. H.
<br />
<br />Goode, W. T. Turner and J. R. Walker.
<br />
<br />."--
<br />
<br />Minutes of the regular Council meeting held June 30, 1953, upon being read, were
<br />
<br />approved.
<br />
<br />Noting the presence of vis i tors, Council deferred its regular order of bus iness to
<br />
<br />hear such visitors, recognizing Mrs. Vivian Rice and Mrs. Ralph Hollander, represent-
<br />
<br />atives of the local B&IW Club and, also, Dr. L. B. Hudson, newly-appointed director of
<br />
<br />~..
<br />i~
<br />i
<br />
<br />the local County-City Health Unit. Council, also, recognized 1Jr. R. S. Brown, Sr.,
<br />
<br />Mr. F. M. Westfall, and 1~s. Jessie Carper, owners-operators of several local theaters,
<br />
<br />who petitioned the Council to rescind the local amuserrent admission tax ordinance. In
<br />
<br />connection with this petition, Mr. Brown and Mr. Westfall presented the following
<br />
<br />letters herein made a part of these minutes:
<br />
<br />First, I would like to call your attention to the fact that the theatres in
<br />MartinsviUe represent a total investment running into the hundreds of thousands
<br />of dollars and that all buildings and the equipment therein are locally owned.
<br />In some instances, at least, the inves~nents in these enterprises represent the
<br />life work of the operators am owners. Motion picture 'exhibitors are essentially
<br />retail merchants selling to the public a perishable produce, which the Virginia
<br />courts have held to be a necessity and not a luxury. Motion picture exhibitors
<br />differ in one essential feature from other retail merchants, however, in that a
<br />vacant seat at one performance is a sale lost forever, while other retail merchants
<br />who do not s eel their i terns one day can put them on the shelves and sell them
<br />another day.
<br />
<br />,.-
<br />
<br />The motion picture ex.,'-1ibitors now pay every tax imposed on other retail merchants
<br />and generally on other people including, of course, state and city license, real
<br />es tate, personal property taxes, and state and federal income taxes. They are
<br />willing to bear their fair share of the tax burden, but they are opposed to any
<br />special tax or their operations, such as an amusement tax, for the following
<br />briefly stated reasons:
<br />
|