The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-01-30

Secretary davidson of the executive
council has drafted, with the approval
o. the executive council, bills for two
important changes in the laws relat-
ing to the taxation of telephone, tele-
grap44 and express companies. Under
the present laws the companies make
their annual reports to the auditor of
state. In practice. however, the re-
ports are compiled by the secretary
OF the executive council and the as
sessments are certified out by the
secretary of the executive council
The bills provide that the reports shall
be made to the secretary of the coun-
Gil instead of the auditor of state. A
section will be proposed for addition
to the bill for the taxation of telephone
and telegraph companies, ana sim
liar one is drafted for the law relat
ing to express taxation. The effect
would be to require the companies to
submit to the county auditor of each
county profile maps, showing the ex-
tent of their line or route in the county
by the government subdivision of forty
acres. The maps will also be required
to show the companies subdivisions
O. land and other property. Posses
sion of profile maps of this kind will
enable the county auditor, it is be-
lieved, to certify out the assessment
on any county by taxing districts with
the least possible trouble. In order
to assure the preparation of the pro-
file maps the bills contain the provi-
sions authorizing the county auditor
to have the county surveyor make a
map as required for each company
having, property in the county, the
expense thereof to be added to the tax
collected of the company by the
county. Inc bills are intended to
lessen some of me most serious diff
culties that were encountered in the
assessment of the telegraph, telephone
and express companies last year.
The state board of control will ask
the legislature to fix the per capita
support fund of the Cherokee Insane
hospital at SIS. This is 50 in excess
OF the per capita at the other hospitals.
But the board also recommends that
the 81 be made charge against the
state treasury and that it be met by
general taxation instead of by the
counties which will send patients to
the Cherokee institution. Unless the
legislature does adjust the matter in
that way the counties of northwest
Iowa will be the victims of consid-
cradle discrimination. This discrim-
ination, indeed, has extended, already.
over number of years under the
present and past system. For several
years the per capita at Clarinda was
muc larger than at the other hospit-
ais, also, and the northwestern count
les of the state sent their patients to
that institution. Besides paying this
extra support for their insane above
that paid by other counties, the north
western counties have been forced to
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There are 5,1S9,OOO Hebrews in Rus.
STA, according to the latest census re.
turns.
OF all the newspapers published in
the world, 60 per cent are in the Eng.
fish language.
The number of government officials
in France is 100000. Fifty years ago
1t was $4,000.
Rev. DR.. Charles Nichols, who
achieved notoriety by publishing a
list of whom he regarded the elite Of
society in the United States, has been
overwhelmed with orders from lyceum
bureaus and lecturing associations to
define his views of what American So
ciety should consist.