Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-17

TAX LEV REDUCED.
State Taxes VIII be Only 2 e-1o
Mills for 1900.
REDUCED EXPENSES is The CAUSE
This IL a Reduction orThree-Tenths of
aMnl From 1899 Levy-some Now
Revenues Have Come I'm for
she Coming Year.
REDUCED EXPENSES is THE CAUSE

Des Moines, Aug. 14.-Iowa's state
taxes will be smaller next year. The
executive council yesterday made the
levy for the year 1899, and it is as fol-
lows:
Taxable valuation of prop
erty $3.50. ............. $525, 900, 900
Amount to be raised ..... 100000
State tax levy .......... 9 9-1O mills
State university special levy Ito mill
Last year the lew was as follows:
Taxable valuation of prop
erty ....... .......... .$545, 600, 900
Amount to be raised $3.50. 100000
State tax levy ........... 3 2-1O mills
State university special levy lilo mill
1t will be seen that while there is a
reduction of $20,000,00O in the taxable
valuation, of the state, as compared
with last year, there is a reduction of
$100, 900 in the amount of money to be
raised for,state purposes, and of IS of
mill in the leNys I'D
The falling off in valuation has been
explained heretofore. AS matter of
fact, the wealth of the state is worth
good many millions more this year
than last. The reports tostate officers
from every department of industry,
indicate this. The, amount of bank
capital in the state has increased more
than half million dollars, and the
labor commissioner declares, on the
strength of reports which he has re-
ceived, that the amount of labor en-
ployed in the state is 90 to IS per cent
larger. The new revenue law is re-
sponsible for the difference in the tax
able value. Nearly the entire reduce
ton of $20,000,000 is due to lower val
uations of farm property.
More Reductions May Come Later.
Unless the legislature next winter
makes much larger appropriations
than are now expected, there will UNI
doubtedly be another reduction of the
levy next winter. In fact, several re-
auctions can be made before the levy
will be as. low as ten years ago. Tt is,
OF course, pure speculation as to what
the next legislature will-do. One state
officer declares his opinion that there
will be decided reduction in. the
amount of extraordinary appropria-
tons. He argues that the state insti-
tutions are not asking large amounts;
that there are no institution buildings
OF Importance in process of construc-
ton, and not entirely provided for ex-
cept those at the Cherokee asylum;
and that no great amount will be need
ed there during the coming biennium.
On this basis he believes that the leg
islature will not need to provide for
more than 81 Oo,O00sw 81, 100000 for
1900. sS
But another official l06l,s at ii in an
other way. "The state board of con-
troll is going to ask for lot of money
this WINTER he declared. st is get
ting ready 10 o.. ser big farms at sev-
eraI of the institutions. The superin-
tendent at Marshalltown, for instance,
in his report show that he could make
excellent use of $4,000 or. $4,000 in
buying more land and corn. He wants
to run his own dairy department. He
also wants the state to build an indie
pendent. water works system for the
institution. Then at Clarinda they
are asking lot of land, and MANY i'm
provements in the facilities for farm
ing it. Davenport's institution wants
to farm on bigger scale; so does Ell