The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-10-15
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
WHY THE BARN WASN'T BUILT.

81 say, Uncle Ben," said Frank, "why
don't you build a new barn? You need
enc, and you must have money enough
laid by from the sale of your crops the
past few years to pay for new buildings
and fences and make your home look
hundred per cent better, to say nothing
of the saving. Why that old, tumble |
down barn doesn't hold more than one
half Of your hay and grain, and the loss
from stacking out Of doors must be far
more than the interest on the cost OF
new barn. Besides that old roollery is
disgrace on such fine land as you have
here, and then there must be some
danger of its blowing down in one OF
these heavy gales and killing some OF
your stock"
''Well, Frank" answered his uncle,
call you say is true enough, but / guess
you don't just understand the situation.
You see, in tho first place, | haven't
quite enough saved up to build such a
barn as l want, and so would have to
hire some money and pay interest on it;
but then wouldn't think of building at
present If had more than enough.
'Why Uncle Ben, don't you want bet
ter bui.dings?"
''Of course dc, my boy; but then you
see just as soon MS put UP new barn
the assessor would como along and raise
the valuation of my farm, and the taxes
would be so heavy that it would take
about all could raise to pay them. Only
last year cleared up and drained that
bit of swamp land down beside the road
there and built few rods Of highway
fence alongside of it, where the brush
and weeds used to grow; and the as
SCISSORS raised the valuation five hum
dred dollars, and that added about
| twelve dollars to my tax, besides the in
crease of highway and school taxes, and
all that on account of clearing up less
than an acre Of laIl."
well, uncle, it made your farm look
ever so much better. That brush patch
was always an eye sore to me, at least"
"Yes, Frank, it did look bad enough
right there beside the highway, and III
admit that it made at least five hundred
dollars difference in the appearance OF
! the farm. But then / could not afford
to make many such Improvements and
be compelled to pay the increased tax
on them"
"But, uncle, why are the taxes so high
here? 1t seems to me as If they were
| outrageous"
"Oh you see the town is bonded for
$4,000 to aid in building the Midland
railroad, and we are paying the interest
on the bonds now, and shall have to be-
gin payment of the principal in two or
three years. The bonds were made pay
able in twenty years and we have been
paying the interest ever since"
"Well, Uncle Ben, would like to talk
over this bonding business some other
time; but now we will talk about
this tax on improvements. Now, uncle,
you have about one hundred and fifty
acres of land here. How much were
your taxes last year?'
'sLet mo see; there was S140 for towns
county and State tax; then there was
Sill school tax, and worked out SIS
highway tax, making in all about S170.
swell, uncle, that is about 81. ID pei
acre for your whole farm. Now, no"
much does Smith pay on that fifteen
acre swamp pasture of his down there
adjoining your field?"
"Oh! he doesn't pay much on that
Why, his school tax on that was only
few cents when was collector last year
and l asked him how much he paid in al
on it, and he said about three dollars.
"But it is good land if it was brough
into cultivation, is it not, uncle"'
s'Yes, of course, it is; and tell yo'
Smith makes a pretty good thing Off o
+ it now You see he pastures his youn!
stock there, and it is good pasture, toe
as the scattering bushes on it don't in
jure it much for that purpose, and 1T
just wet enough to raise an abundanc
of green grass the summer through
Why, he has nine or ten head OF cattl
r in there, and then it's increasing /
/ value every year as the land is cleare
up and improved around it. / suppos
when / cleared UP that acre adjoining
that it added as much or more Y pre-
portion to the value of that field as
:, did to the value of my farm
''But, Uncle, did these assessors ad
to his valuation on that accounts"
9 ooh, no; of course not; he had M
made any Improvements on it"
9 'Oh, see. They don't tax the Walt
J of the land, it is only the improvement
l. that are taxed
"Well, / guess 1t amounts to abo'
~ that, after all.
i "But, Uncle, don't you think it won
be nearer fair thing if the land we
l. taxed according to it's value, without T
q agard to the Improvements, SO that smi
= would have to pay as much on tho
fifteen acres as you pay on fifteen acr
of your land?''
to "Well, don't know but it would.
IT, never thought much about that befol
r. but guess, come to think of it, Smi
would be likely to cut the bushes
,u and improve it in that case, for he dol
ia get quite as much value off it now a
do for the same number-of acres. u.
or "But, Uncle, if yon don't have to p
ct any tax on Improvements your tax wos
- be no more to the acre than his is NO
would it? And then you could bullt
new barn"
''Oh, yes, of course itwould, Tor the
no is just about SO muck to be raised. i
o. taking the tar off of improvement
IL, would serre to equalize it, a
ed would Consequently raise smit
lu- tax pr acre to meet the fall in !
ed We III shnnldn,t haua nearlr so MI