Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-05-01
Personal Property Tax in California.

The state of California has almost a
perfect system for collecting taxes on
personal property. Every property
owner is called upon to make state.
ment in full and swear to long lists.
containing more than fifty questions.
looked over the report of the board of
equalization lately, and l found most
remarkable and amusing examples of
the wonderful working way of nature
in that state. There are some 235, 600
bee hives in California. Every county
IN the state has thousands of bee hives;
but, strangely enough, there are only
four counties in all California where
bees produce any honey. There are
millions of cows in California; cows can
be seen and counted by the assessor;
and there are thousands in every coun-
ty; but in less than one-sixth of the
counties of California is there any butter
The new constitution of California was
adopted in 1879 for the express purpose
OF securing the taxation of money. The
first year they got hold of S2s, OOO 600
and made it pay taxes. The second
year 1T dropped to $14,O 600, the third
year it dropped to $4,000, 900 and the
fourth year it dropped to practically
nothing, except in one particular to
which | will call your attention bye
and bye. Now very mysterious cir.
cumstance was that the banks, which
are supposed to be the proper deposi.
tory of money, turned out to have less
money than any other part of the com.
munlty. The board of equalization, with
view of discovering how this happen
ed, called a cashier, and he was com.
PEELED to testify. His story was very
edlfylng. The assessment is taken on
the first Monday in March. On the Fri.
day previous the bank wired its New
ork correspondent do YOU
want gold? We are badly in
want of government bonds" Gov
eminent bonds are not tax.
able; but it was a mere CO.
incidence. The New York bank tele.
graphed back, Eyes; there is nothing
we want SO much as gold We have
plethora of government bonds" The
California bank telegraphed, 1--WE want
81, ooo,0 of government bonds" New
York bank telegraphed back, Dome"
The California bank telegraphed, '"Tie !
up those bonds, keep them for us, and
we will tie up the gold and keep it for
YOU" "All right" Great laughter
and applause). ! am not joking am
telling solemn facts. (Renewed laugh
ter.) Thereupon the New York bank
took out 81, 900, 900 worth, par value, of |
government bonds, carefully put them
in its vault, labelling them the property
Of such and such a California bank.
The California bank carefully counted
out 81, 10000 in gold coin, put it in a
Tin box, Endorsed Property of New
ork bank" and put it in its own vault.
Then came the first Monday in March;
The bank cashier made out a writ
zen statement that his bank
owned no money at all, had moth
ng but government bonds, which are
lot taxable, signed that statement, and
went home and slept the sleep of the
ust. The next Wednesday he tele-
sraphed to New York: Great pressure
or gold in California; have you any to
pare?" "Oh, yes" telegraphs the New
FORK bank, there is sudden demand
lere for government bonds; have you
my bonds you can sell?" Eyes, GER
ainly, got $1,000, 600 of them to sell.
anne price as Friday" "All right, we
will make the trade, and the trade was
made; the California bank took the
old out of its box and poured it into its
wn general fund; the New York bank
eleased the bonds; all was serene. and
here was no tax. | related this in San
francisco, and a friend of NINA x,,,o
vas in the audience afterwards said to
1e; You have been exposing my bus.
ness; that is exactly what have been
Ding every year. "-Thos G. Shear.
IAN.