Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-09-15

benefit of those who are by contrast lant-own.i
ers. Every cent we raise we spend in lighting.
grading, crawling and otherwise improving
streets, in preserving order and in doing other
things which benefit the land values Of our
town by adding to the towns attractiveness.
whereas the only way house can be rendered
worth more than its cost OF construction Is oy
some improvement made to the house itself
We are under our present system, 1nnicting o
moral wrong none the less serious by not being
generally recognized.
LAYING aside the question whether wrongoo-
ing can ever bring about adequate compensa-
tory advantages, let US consider the argument
referred to.
From our local tax Of fifteen cents on the
hundred dollars there was payable last year to
the town on q valuation for land and houses of
1862 0s4, the sum OF s9O35& This year the as
sessed value of land exclusive OF improve
ments) is fixed at 1859 7p8. Levying upon this
at the increased rate now allowed US OF twenty
five cents per hundred dollars, our receipts
would be Sea4.2. The treasurer informs US that
our road tax rebate TO be received from the
county for the coming year will equal $50
The result of all this will be that after exemp-
ton of all improvements from taxation our re-
ceipts for the year will nevertheless exceed
those of last year BY s243 Within
a limited period the land values Of Hyattsv1lle
have increased after paying all taxes levied
upon them more than quarter OF million
The increase was brought about by the growth
of the community as q whole, and is a result OF
its collective industry. During the same period
every house-the result Of individual industry
has steadily deteriorated in value. Shall we
levy taxation upon the thing OF Individual crea-
ton, which diminish es constantly in valuation,
instead OF taxing exclusively that which We
have created as o community, and which now
inures to the benefit Of q few?
"Your committee seek no reputation as
prophets, nor do they hazard any when they
say that should Hyattsville be the first town in
| the union to abolish taxation on houses, as it
was the first to abolish personal taxes, the re-
| suit, from every material point Of view, will as
q matter Of course be of the greatest possible
advantage to it. We will also reap the reward
| OF those who see great truth and have the
courage to follow 1t.
! 1--WE honestly recommend that the board de-
duct and except from taxation all the improve
ments embraced in the report Of the assessors"
Considerable discussion followed the
reading of the report, Mr.. Latimer dep.
recating the ground taken by it. At
length Mr.. Long, the third sound"
commissioner, offered a resolution that
the board deduct and except" from the
report of the assessors all assessments
upon improvements, and levy tax of
25 cents per 500 upon the remaining
land values. On this Messrs. Ralston,
Britt and Long voted in the affirmative,
and Messrs Latimer and Aman voted
in the negative.
In this way, after four years untiring
work, Jackson Ralston accomplished
his object of making his town of Hy-
attsville the first single tax municipal
ity in the United States. In little
chat with him as to the results of the
single tax, Mr.. Ralston said to the
writer:
''The removal of taxation from inn
provements in Hyattsville will probably
bring about such an increased demand
for land to build houses upon as will
Offset any tendency toward depreciation
arising from the increased tax on land
values. 1, therefore, do not anticipate
any special reduction in the price of
land at the present time, as would
probably be the case if the application
of the single tax were general. The spe-
cial advantage look for is the impetus
that will be given to building as the re-
suit of the obstacle to that industry"
Henry George, Jr., in Standard.