Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-02-21

The sai Normal School, Valley $1,000 ~ wv ~ooo
The h'f Deaf ': and i'd Dumb Asy. 'o'o wv - ooo
The fa''1 Reform efS School has: 10000 5000
The Soldiers Home has. 10000 1000
The Industrial School has 10000 1000
The School of Mines has. 10000 5000
The Capitol building has,. $1,000 lOOOO
Total Is, 600
The sale of these lands, at the min
imum price Of SO per acre will tr produce
rentals Of these lands, and some gains
from taxation we will average the income
at five per cent per annu1n, which will
produce as follows:
The Agricultural grEsiau College 0'oo0 T'o
The henq Normal School, Val Ooo0o o Wv
The Deaf and Dumb Asy- - ooo . roo
h lum p d9nd School fund 5oG iSSo 200
The Soldiers Home fund: $4,000 $500
The Industrial School oo oroo
the heen School Of Mines Fund 5000 $500
The Capitol building fund 100000 5000
Total Revenue annually. 10000. SO. .500
Or of the biennial period; d. eo;, a 1S,oot
in recommending the sale OF tlo'ooo acres
of the capitol lands.
First. To reimburse the state for the
So Of the laws of 1893, for the erection
Of the new wing to the cap capitol al or+,,;,a
contracts reasonably. safe, about s3s, 600
in cash will be received; Contracts for
the balance of the $4,000 due the state
and any arrearage of interest, could be
sold and assigned to the board Of uni
yersity and school lands, at a proper
rate, and the state reimbursed for the
fund, the state assuming the interest on
and payment of the capitol bonds at ma
turity.
The second object is that. the. state
case of an emergency, in the meantime
deriving a revenue to keep. up the nee
essary repairs on the building.
When these 100000 acres are, sold they
will be placed on the tax rolls, besides
personal property connected with them,
thus producing additional revenue to the
state and its subdivisions.
Your committee. makes the following
Recommendations in connection with the
sale of these lands.
First That an appropriation be made
them, at the same time we would recon-
mend that the general fund be reim-
bursed for this appropriation from the
these lands, pro rata. While some doubt
exists, from the construction of the en-
abling act. and the constitution, as to
BILE, at the same time it would seem put
fair that the revenue on these sales
should bear the necessary burdens to
create the fund on which to derive the
revenue for the purposes intended. Is it
of sufficient interest for any taxpayer
to enter into a contest in order to de-
second. That where there are tracts
of one-half section, that only one-quar-
ter section be sold, and where there are
full sections, that only two-quarter sec
Twin r
ject being that the improvements MADE
on the lands sold will soon enhance the
value of the unsold lands, adjoining IN
equipment, Sleeping car, dining car, teie-
graph and telephone companies.
be enacted regulating the, assessment
and taxation of express. freight line.
equipment, sleeping car, dining car, tele-
business in this state based on the recent
constitutional amendment. We estimate
that $500 additional revenue would be
received annually from this source, or
$4,000 for the biennial period.
Your committee also recommend that
steps be taken to provide for a better
system of taxing grain in elevators adj
ditional revenue can be procured from
classification 5.-Taxation of railroads.
Your committee offers suggestions, but
make no recommendations relative to the
taxation OF railroads.
Section 176 of the constitution admits
of a percentum of the gross earnings of
railroads in lieu of other taxes, while
section 40 provides for the levying OF
taxes on their assessed valuation, which
lis the system upon which roads opera
ting through this state now pay taxes.
to this method. First The state receives
only the percentum Of 3.s mills on the
round numbers, S6G000. for. the general
fund annually: and 40 Of mill ( on
and wolf bounty, amounting to SIP ,1O.
making a total received Of $7s15U the
subdivisions through which these roads
run.
In our present financial straits the an
nual revenue from this source is con-
sldered very small. while 1T might be
| largely augmented under the gross earn
| ings system, providing percentage could
be adopted that would compel these roads ,
| to pay as much tax as they do now. The
second objection is the inequality In the
revenues received by counties and the
| subdivisions of these counties through