Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-01-15

alone on January LIST, 1901, It Is cur
rently reported there was more than
$40 900 900. Somebody owns this money
and ii is property as much as the poor
mans COW, and should be assessed.
Merchandise and trade fixtures IN the
State were assessed In 1900 al So,UoV'zoo'
Three mercantile houses In our capital
city have constantly on hand more mer-
chandse than that. Live stock Is as
sessed $500 900; the government CEN
sus will show that II Is worth S23,O0O'OV'
Railway car. depot. street railway,tele-
graph and telephone companies are as
sessed at SlS564.1 100. 1t is safe TO say
that this class Of property is worth
three times the amount OF the assess
ment | am firmly convinced, also
that there are inequalities In the as
sessment Of real estate as relates TO the
respective counties. While none or
them are assessed too high, II Will DO
| apparent TO any fairminded person
from a careful study OF the report OF
the State board OF equalization, which
4 will be laid before you, that many or
them are unreasonably low. The RENE
dy for these inequalities does not per-
! haps deyolve upon the Legislature, az
the law on the subject may be said
to be ample II properly enforced, but
attention Is here invited to the subject
for the purpose OF appealing TO you
| as representatives Of the people TO eN-
ert an influence upon county assessors
and county boards OF equalization TO
consider the interests Of the State In
the making up Of their assessments, as
well as local interests. TO the end not
, | only that the burdens OF taxation win
be --palized but that necessary state
| revenues may be legiumately provided.
IL Is believed the State board OF
equalization has made In the past the
I | most strenuous efforts 20 equalize as
sessments, but there has existed such
an unreasonable resistance TO the in
crease Of assessments once made. that
comprrmises have been effected which
4 in themselves are frequently but little
1 better than original assessments. The
! | following suggestions are also made
3 | with a view TO correcting past inJusuce>
! to the State and increasing our reye>
4 nues
Under the present law the State,
I State school. county county school,
! municipal and district school tax is all
: assessed by the county assessors and
4 collected by the county treasurers OF
the several counties. Within municl-
Z pallties the aggregate tax levy exceeds
Z 20 mills, and In cities OF the FIRST ana
; second class II reaches as high as y
mills While the State and State
: school tax is only 5 mills, the State Is
Z required to furnish the assessment
4 rolls and blanks for the assessors, OF
I the several counties Of the State, ana
3 to pay one-half OF the salaries Of the
. county assessors and county treasurers
y and their deputies and assistants, ana
( the counties get all the fees collected
: in each OF these offices. ] believe this
4 apportionment Of the cost of assessing
: and collecting the taxes TO be unJus,
\ TO the state and recommtnd that II
( be remedied by proper legislation, AZ
present the State pays the salaries OF
3 all the judges and stenographers while
: engaged In reporting criminal cases and
4 one-half OF the salaries Of county at
z torneys and all the fees or per diem
OF jurors engaged IN trying criminal
4 cases. and all the cost Of maintaining
! the state prison. Much of the crime
q committed is a direct result OF the sale
: OF intoxicating liquors. at the present
y the county and municipal corporations
3 receive the full financial benefit from
! the licensing Of the sale OF intoXicat-
: ing LIQUORS. | believe the State Is en-
: titled 10 a proportion OF the money re,
ceived from such licenses. | commend
3 to your consideration the propriety OF
. further increasing the revenue by legis.
: lation that viii authorize a moderate
inheritance tax TO be paid by wealthy
4 estates in probate.
% STATE LANDS.
The state land laws give such gem
, eral satisfaction in their operation that
I I have few changes 70 suggest There
= has been a steady but rapid increase of
. 9 business since the opening OF the state
, Land once. The biennial period OF 1899
1900 has undoubtedly marked the limit
10 in the matter OF large selections OF
4 lands in satisfaction OF the various
= grants by Congress. Hereafter there
. will necessarily be decline In the an
. nual aggregates Of these selections until
2 the grants have all been satisfied. which
!. viii be the case In the near 'gture. Dur
f, ing the two years there were selected
A 62g.44S. 70 acres, making the total selec-
a lions since the admission Of the State,
I. S65, 800 10 acres, or including the origin
A al University grant, oil 1856 25 acres.
a These selections have been carefully APP
portioned among the several grants,
. with the view to keeping the ratio OF
a satisfaction pro rata. II viii thus be
n readily understood that the grants must
a soon be filed
= The State Board OF Land Commission
= ers has fixed the minimum price at
= | WnlCn SeleNltu ldlus tht bt Null ~
G 81. 50 per acre. and no land has been Sc
= lected. except that taken under relin-
I qulshments OF entries In the United
I States land office, the price OF which Is
h fixed by statute at 81. 25 per acre. which
{ Is considered worth az least 81 so per
q acre. There Is no longer apprehension
a that the State will be unable 10 satisfy
r all the grants without selecting lands
= OF less value than this minimum. OF
r all the lands selected In 1900 compare
n lively little was taken for leasing the
[ Overwhelming area having been selected
J. on applications 10 purchase at not less
c than 81 80 per acre.
5 Since the last previous session OF the
. Legislature the work OF appraislng
4 State lands has progressed satisfactor-
= fly. 322. g62.li acres having been ap-
0 praised by the commissioners, the VAL
untion being Fixed al 1851, 7Ss.72 These
} are almost exclusively school lands.
. During the two years leases were exc
4 cuted embracing an aggregate area OF