The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-05-07
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
Special Assessments and Single Tax.

Wherever the system of special as
sessments for streets and other local
improvements obtains-and it exists in
many Michigan cities-it affords an
object lesson which can be used with
great effect in pushing the single tax.
Where this system does not already
exist and where there is no constitution
al objection las in Duluth, Mimi. land
in Michigan there is none-no more ef-
fective work can be done in the interest
of single tax principles than by vigor-
ously insisting on such an amendment
to the local charter as will enable the
municipal authorities to assess the cost
of grading. crawling or paving streets
upon the abutting or adjoining prop
erty owners ''in proportion to the bene-
fits conferred by such improvements.
Mayor Hook, of Adrian, has done most
effective work for the single tax in get
ting the old system SO changed in that
city that now near half the cost OF
street improvement is levied on the ad-
iacent landowners. But he should not
rest until the entire cost of such local
improvements is so levied and collected
and doubtless he will not.
Grand Rapids .has had this special
assessment" system for the improve
ment of streets and building of sewers
ever since its incorporation; and, al
though numerous efforts have been
made by interested parties to shoulder
the payment of these taxes upon the
city at large, the existing system is SO
lust on the face of 1t that they have al
ways signally failed. Only year ago,
when a general revision of the city
charter was under consideration by a
special committee of the council, a
committee of the board of trade rep
resenting, as its chairman said, some
500 men who paid half the city's taxes)
urgently petitioned that the Detroit
system of street improvements be
adopted in place of the existing one.
In Detroit the just improve
ment is assessed on the
abutting property; after that all
improvements, repairing. etc, are paid
by the city at large. Now, although
there isn't single tax daily newspa-
per in Grand Rapids, there are plenty
| of single tax hired men on these pa
pers They clearly saw the cat" in
the board of trade meal, and although
the word single tax" was not once
used in the discussion, these same
newspapers at once jumped on the
board of trade scheme with both feet
and SO riddled it with single tax logic
that neither the board of trade COM
mittee, nor any body else. raised voice
in defense of the brazen project for
taxing the many for the special benefit
of the few favored landowners, and II
was then and there killed.
One argument used was specially a
clincher. The era of expensive pave
ments had Just begun in this city. Ca
nal street, 100 feet wide, had just been
repaved with asphalt on concrete at q
cost of near So square yard, thus
Transforming this thoroughfare from
one of the worst into the finest in the
city. Rents had at once jumped up
The owner of one store, 30 feet front
for instance, ut once raised his rem
$3.50 a year-and got it. too-wherea'
his entire tax for the improvement wal
only $500, so that his increased rent fol
one year not only paid his tax but gave
him a clear $50 profit besides. Tit
newspapers made these facts promi
nent, pointed out that, under the new
scheme, these greatly benefited Cana
street owners would have saddled al
most the whole cost of their improve
ments upon others, and pocketed. prac
tically. all their greatly increased rents
That settled the business
The one argument in favor of spread
ing street and sewer taxes on the cit.
Mt large, instead of on a district espe
cially benefited. was this-that tn
especial assessments for street improve
ments were a great hardship to work
ingmen and small home owners, oftel
running as high as 50 foot front
age, thus calling for the payment a
once of 500 tax on 50-foot lot, proba
bly, already mortgaged forall it woul'
carry. But, as it was not proposed t
put the cost of first improvements O
the city, this argument did not help tn
board of trade scheme much, since thes
cheap homes are generally in the Out
skirts where, when the street is ono
graded, graveled, and the cutters paved
that is the end of the business. Th
!, raising of this argument however. ha
|. this good result 1t was met by tn
!. proposition to spread these street an
sewer taxes equally over five years, Il
stead of collecting them in one lum
! sum, the city issuing per cent bond
running one, two, three and four year.
in order to pay cash to the contracto
on completion of the work. TIL
amendment was Incorporated in tn
charter last spring despite good DEF
: of kicking" and the first $500, 900 {
|. these $50, 500 and $500 improvement
. bonds were quietly put on the loc'
: market August 1. books being opene
at one of the savings banks, and In LEI
than a week the subscriptions for the
J had reached $500, 600. Under this ne