St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-09
LEGISLATION NEEDED.
Certain Hennepin County Business
49, Managed Very Bunglingty.

Special tax rebates have been fruit
full subject for comment for the past
week. A clear look into the matter
shows that there is here room for radi-
cal legislation, and tn { many dollars
could be saved if the next legisla-
ture could be induced to take ac-
ton on the matter. An attempt was
made several years ago to remedy this
defect in the laws, but the legislature
declined to act OH the matter and
nothing was done. Meanwhile the dear
public continues to say nothing and
pays G. A. Nilnocks rs per cent on all
rebates collected, or goes without.
County Auditor Condit was asked about
the rebate question yesterday, in view
of the fact that the subject is exciting
some interest, and gave his ideas as
follows:
''In the first place, there should be no
rebates. The whole system is wrong, land
could be avoided. The city should
to be necessary. borrow the money and
requisite amount of tax-no more, no
less. But since the rebate system is
here the matter should be simpli-
fed as much as possible. We should
have one place where all information
in regard to rebates could be found. At
present we have three such places. A
little calculation will show the amount
OF work necessary to get at the rebate.
Here is large property owner, for in
stance, who owns, say, 30 pieces of prop
erty upon which there are dozen re-
bates. There are $50 rebate items.
He has to 60 to the city engin-
GERS Office, the treaSurer's Office and
the auditors office to find ont what he
wants to know about them. There you
have 1850 places to look into for infOr-
nation. He starts to do it, finds that,
if his time be worth anything, he can
make more money at something else,
becomes Disguised and lets the rebate
go, or hires some one to dot. There is
where NimOckS comes in. ~
sit should not be this way, but tits,
and unless the legislature does some
thing it will remain so. ~
"What we really need Is check on
the treasurer. In making out deScrjp-
tons of property and getting addresses,
ETC., there are a large number OF people
whom the auditor would like to meet,
He could do so when they come to the
treasurer's office to pay taxes, but
the treasurer Is not required
to get this information, and he
cannot have one of my men in the way
while he is busy with taxes. He gives
the tax receipts, and there his connec-
tiOn with the matter ends. When people
come to him afterWard to inquire about
tax matters, he could lean back and say
that he has nothing more to do Withit,
if he wanted to. He does, however,
give such information merely as mat.
ter OF accommodation, nothing more, for
he is not obliged to. But he gives; it
and pays for it, but Of his own salary. :;
''The state laws arc woefully deficient
in Minnesota Oh these matters. So far
as know, there is no law compelling
the county treasurer to check I'D with
the auditor oftener than once month.
In this Office we do it every morning to
avoid trouble later on. OF course some
of these things | have mentioned are
foreign to the rebate matter, but have
mentioned them merely to show that
there is room for good deal of useful
legislation right here in Hennepin
county," '7,'"'