The Saint Paul globe., 1901-07-19
WANT BETTER RATES
TAX COMMISSION ON STATE
PRINTING
PRESENT PRICES ARE TOO LOW
Statute Commission Is Also Inter-
viewed on Probable Revision of
Laws Relating to News
papers.

A number of country editors of the
state appeared before the tax commission
yesterday morning as a sort of self-con-
stituted committee to urge an increase IN
the legal rate allowed in this state for
the publication of tax lists and also TO
bespeak other changes and notifications
of those sections of the laws which re-
late to newspapers. The delegation in
cluded A. N. Dare, Elk River Star-News;
H. T. Hayes, Sleepy Eye Dispatch c.
F.. Macdonald, st. Cloud Times; Fred n.
Van DuZee, Winona Republican & Herald:
julius A. Schmahl, Redwood Gazette; w.
D. Joubert, Litchfield News Ledger; c.
W. Stanton, Appleton Press; J. S. Ar
neson Grant County Review.
The publishers argued that the present
rate allowed by law for the publication of
tax lists, which is II cents for each de-
scription, is unfairly small as compared
with any other class of advertising mat
ter or with the rates paid in any Of the
neighboring states. They called attention
to the fact that one description frequent
ly occupies three lines and in such cases
the rate becomes cents per line. while
the commercial rate for a single insertion
of local reading notice is 10 cents
line The state of Wisconsin, they In
formed the commission, pays rs cents for
each description and Iowa the same.
while the rate in the Dakotas is 20 cents
a line.
While the delegation did not definitely
fix any price the argument generally was,
to the effect that the rate which pre-
walls In Wisconsin and Iowa is none too
high. Some Of the publishers contended
that all of the legal rates are too low. as
they are allowed nothing for the head
ings and can only collect for the type in
the body of the notice
In the afternoon the publishers appear
ed before the statute revision commission
with reference to the laws generally re-
lating to newspapers, but as they had
not had sufficient time for preparation
on the subject they could not at that time
specifically state the changes they would
like to have made in the laws. 1t was
generally agreed on the part of the com
mission as we'll as the publishers that the
existing laws defining official newspapers
and regulating official publications of
various kinds contain many inconsisten-
cieS and antiquities and the publishers
were assured with their assistance the
commission would make every possible
effort to correct them. 1t was agreed
that either the executive committee OF
the Minnesota State Editorial association
or a subcommittee appointed for the
purpose shall take up the statutes relat-
ing to newspapers in a systematic manner
and appear before the commission latter
to suggest changes.
In the course of the discussion there
was some question raised as to the power
OF the commission to amplify the existing
statutes or to strike matter from them.
and Chairman Stevens explained that he
and his associates considered that their
powers in this respect were not in any
way circumscribed inasmuch as their re-
port would go to the legislature for final
action and would not become in any way
effective until such action had been taken.
In other words the commission had only
advisory power, but it's scope in the ex-
ercise Of that advisory power was un-
limited and therefore in it's report mat
ter which appeared desirable should be
added to the present statutes and matter
which appeared undesirable should be
stricken from them.
Mr.. Stevens further stated that the law
creating the commission had provided for
a report to the legislature of 1903 with an
notations, but the commission would go
before the legislature at its special ses-
sion of next winter and request that the
work of annexation be deferred until after
the report had been acted upon by the
legislature The reason this action had
been decided upon was that the legisla-
ture would, before adopting the report,
change and modify many of its provisions
and therefore any annotations made be-
fore these changes were effected would be
of no use.