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Show OPEffflOi OF SLOT iffllESTO CEASE City Administration Has Taken Ta-ken Definite Stand in the Matter. STATEMENT BY VARIAN Corporation Counsel Says No Form of Gambling- Is lo Be Allowed. "The city administration intends to put a eolnpleic stop to the operation of slot, machines in Salt Lako City," said C. S. Varian, corporation tfbunsel, yesterday. "The fact that wo have not insisted on au immediate coinpli-anco coinpli-anco with the new ordinance docs not mean that the machines will be permitted per-mitted to operate indefinitely. This Xorm oJL' aambliug. as well as all other kinds, will he strictly prohibited." Acting under orders of. the corporation corpora-tion counsel, the police department hiw for several days been engaged in taking tak-ing a "census" of the slot machines in operation in this city. This report was submitted yesterday to .Ittdgc Varian, Va-rian, and shows that '279 slot machines of various kinds are in use by 1n0 owners. "We gathered these statistics," statis-tics," said Judge Variun, "in order to Hud our, how many licensed establishments estab-lishments iu the city arc operating gain-hline gain-hline devices. H we can not suppress the practice in any other way the city-may city-may adopt the expedient of refusing to runow llio licenses of merchants who persist tn usinc these machines." Trouble Not Anticipated. It is not believed, however, that the citv authorities will have to resort to such extreme measures to Hccuro the enforcement of th law. Judge Yariaii lias acDded to the request of counsel for the retail cigar dealers for a test case under I lie new ordinance. If it can be arranged with the supreme court to hand down au early opinion, tho matter mat-ter will at once be 'token before that tribunal; otherwise, a test case will bo made and permitted lo take tho usual courso through the courts. The head of the city's legal department depart-ment says he is not disposed to act hastily iu the matter. Slot machine? have been in goncral use in the city for several years, and no hardship will be worked if their operation continues for a few days longer, he says, until the department Vs in possession of all iufurmalioii needed or a strict prosecution. prose-cution. Attitude of Dealers. When Ibe city commission at a recent re-cent meeting enacted an ordinance prohibiting pro-hibiting the use of. slot machines, cigar dealers and others made the claim that the machines in use were not gambling devices, but merely "trade stimulators." stimula-tors." A ilve-cent e.ignr is guaranteed with each play, and if the customer draws a winning hand, ho receives more than tho ono cigar. Jn no case, claim the dealers, docs tho customer fail to receive at least one cigar, and this eliminate. the gambling feature. In it patition to the city commission', the retail cigar dcstlcrs recently ad vauced the assertion that many of the independent dealers would be p'H' out of business U' tho use of "trade machines" ma-chines" are prohibited. The commission commis-sion filed the pctitiou without action and the statement of the corporation co'inisol indicates that r.he anti-slot-ma-chino ordinance will not bo modified by the city administration. |