Los Banos Rotary Club History
James Quinn Is Rotary Speaker

James E. Quinn, Oakland, member of the State Board of Equalization representing this district, addressed members of the Rotary Club Tuesday noon relative to the work and scope of the State Board—primary revenue producing agency of the state.

Declaring that the State Board of Equalization assess and collects more taxes than any other agency in 46 of the other 47 states, Quinn said that at the present time tax monies are coming in at the rate of $1,000 a minute, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That is almost a million and a half a day, nearly 500 million a year.

The state sales tax is the greatest revenue producer in the state, with a total of 240 million dollars collected from this source last year. Gasoline and fuel taxes last year amounted to 87 million; next year they are expected to produce 130 million. The liquor license fees amount to eight million dollars a year.
Every businessman in the state, Quinn emphasized, is a sales tax collection agency, operating under permit from the state. Between 250,000 and 300,000 business permits are now in effect.

Quinn said that the department operates more efficiently than many similar agency in the country, with a budget of less than 1 ½ per cent of the money collected. At the present time the Board has some 2,000 employees, of whom 800 are auditors, whose duty it is to check the records of various businesses and ferret out any attempts to defraud.

Enforcement of the Alcoholic Beverage Act, Quinn said, is but one of 14 department functions, though it is perhaps the best known because of the usual publicity associated with it. Californians consume an average of from 13 to 14 millions gallons of liquor annually, which makes control of all taverns and liquor houses a tough and rugged job. The department regulates licenses and limits places of business on the basis of population. No new on-sale hard liquor licenses have been issued since 1939, and now the department is likewise restricting off-sale licenses.

Selling of intoxicating beverages to minors is one of the department's major headaches, and they enforce this law rigidly, with permanent canceling of license for repeated violation. Quinn said that such juvenile delinquency cases generally can be traced to parental influence, and the lack of support from mother and dad makes enforcement unusually difficult, because in most instances, the parents are unwilling to testify as witnesses or permit their children to testify against bar owners.

The speaker emphasized that enforcement of liquor control laws in the bound duty of every peace officer in the state, and in practically all instances the board has the complete support and cooperation of both county and municipal peace officers.

Quinn was introduced by program chairman D. O. Germino, who in his opening remarks paid high compliment to Quinn as an able, careful administrator and for his humane personality.

City Judge Orville Beck spoke briefly concerning the Merced County Traffic Safety Council and the good work it is doing, and urged support of the public at least to use extent of purchasing an annual membership for $1.00.
Mike Dambrosio, a committeeman for the coming ladies' night party, announced that the party has been postponed until May 15.
President Lindemann stated that the noon luncheon next Tuesday is cancelled in favor of an evening meeting with the Lions and 20-30 Clubs at the Memorial hall.

March 23, 1948

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