Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-01-22

OF Oklahoma's prisoners, and recommend
that Oklahoma besRsked~to relieve US OF
KANSAS STATE SOLDIERS HOME.
This home was founded upon the pat
riotic sentimeE< that II was the duty OF
the state to provide for the INDECENT sol
der OF the civil war and his family. 4
believe the home and its af1airs are in
splendid condition, but cali the attention
OF the legislature to the very important
need of fire protection at TINS institution
Situated upon the prairie; several miles
from Dodge City, with practically no
fire protection, in case fire should breaA
a blizzard, the loss OF life and the sur
fering that would be entailed upon the
inmates, many of whom are nearly help
less. would be something too terrible 10
contemplate. l most earnestly recon-
mend an appropriation large enough to
meet this emergency.
STATE BANKS.
The report OF the bank commissioner
shows the institutions under the control
of this department as being in excellent
coondition. Perhaps nothing more clearly
indicates the prosperous condition OF our
people than comparison OF the state
ments made by our banks under the OF
fetal call in 1900 and again in 1902. COM
parison made between the calls of Sep
TENDER 1, 1900, and November %; 1902.
shows the total number of banks under
state supervision at this time is All, q
gain of eighty mine banks in two years.
The total capital is now S1sI51 900. an
period. The total surplus is now $1,I69,-
T01.S6, q gain of $S,50S. S41.14: The total
loans are now $50 $3.50 an increase
OF $11, 072, 211:42. The total value of all
real estate; other than bank buildings. is
$253, 641:1S, a decrease of $2I9, 1854 in
two years: The banking law does not
contemplate banks holding real estate
other than a suitable building for the
transaction of the banks business, and
a large proportion of the real estate now
held was acquired through the adjustment
of matured loans. and the banks are rap
idly, as their best interests will permit,
disposing of this class of security, as the
decrease of nearly 100000 will show.
The cash and sight exchange Qegal re-
1872 per cent Of the entire deposits. show
ing the banks of the state are upon safe
and conservative basis.
HANDLING OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
believe that the law should be so
amended that county treasurers. when
they remit any funds to the state treae-
urer, should be required to notify the
state auditor of the amount RENTED.
and the auditor, upon receiving such
notice, should be required to charge the
treasurer with such amount.
And. 1 would further recommend that
our laws be so amended that the ac-
counts of the state fiscal agency and the
state repositories be kept with the aud
itor of state and state treasurer in a
present law, neither the state fiscal
agency nor the state repositories are re-
uuired to report to the auditor of state.
When the state treasurer RENTS to the
fiscal agency or makes deposit with the
state depository, he should be required
to sign. with the auditor of state, state
ment showing that said remittance or
deposit has been made, and the auditor
of state should be required to charge the
state fiscal agency or state depository
with said remittance or deposit, ana
credit the state treasurer; ana when me
state treasurer issues check or draft
on the fiscal agency or state depository,
before delivering said check or draft TO
the party to whom it is issued, the treas
urer should be required to present 1t to
the auditor of state, and the auditor be
required to counterSign said checR OF
draft keeping a record OF the same,
charging the treasurer with the amount
of said check or draft and crediting the
fiscal agency or state depository with
the amount Under the existing law,
when the board of examiners, consisting
of the governor, secretary OF state, and
auditor of state, makes its monthly eX-
animation of the state treasury. 1t is COM
PEELED to ask the banks what the state
has on deposit with them, and is com
PEELED to take the treasurers statement
as to what amount OF money Is In the
state fiscal agency, New York, in place
of getting this information from the rec
ords in the auditors office.
l find, from the record kept OF the eX-
aminations made by the aforesaid board
of the state treasury for the year 1eOZ'
that the average amount of funds IN the
fiscal agency during said year was SOL
$50 l also find that the state has a con-
tract with the state fiscal agency Where-
by the agency pays the state Two per eeH !
funds in said agency, which for 19Ol
would amount to $1,O2I. so. l also flno
from the records of said board tnat the
average amount deposited in Topeka
banks, the same being state repositories
for the year 1902, was $4S1.2I2.69 II the
New York bank which is the fiscal agency
can pay two per cent on the average
hoI
banks of Kansas. will be willing to pay
the same. Two per cent on the average
deposits in the Topeka banks Tor ISo1
would amount to S9,62o.4o-
/ also find from the records OF salo
board that the average amount OF money
in the state treasury and IN the Iopekd
1902 amounted to $16S, 81. This amount
at two per cent on the average aaiIy
balances would net the state Slo.Si6-2-
per annum. 1t seems TO me tnat business
prudence and the public welfare demand
that some change, such as suggested
herein, be made in the handling OF oui
state funds. would also recomm e. y,
If these suggestions are enacted into law
that the bond of the state treasurer DC
reduced to one-half its present sum, the
bond to be made by some surety company
to the state upon the daily balances as
suggested in this recommendation
REQUIRING ACCOUNTING OF MON
EYS.
would recommend that the legislator,
enact such laws as Will Forever apoiSl
trading and trafficking in the marketaDI'
commodities from the various STATE II
stitutfons At every institution, educa
tional or otherwise, where any money
received from any source, or where any
Commodity is sold, it should be sold fol
cash, and the cash paid at tne emu VI
each month to the state treasurer
think it is due the members OF the Iesls
lature and the taxpayers OF the STATE "
Kansas that they know what II, costs 5-, :.
legislature could then more intellgentlS
make the necessary appropriations.
l would also suggest that all puoll'
moneys received from any OF the sources
mentioned at any of the state institutions
after being paid to the state treasurer
he re-apportioned or at once placed q
the account of said institution. anu Una ID
it be paid out by the state treasurer OF
warrants issued by the auditor OF state
ON vouchers made out and properly ap
proved, the same as required IN pay
out regular appropriations.
AsSESSMENT AND TAXATION.
The subject of taxation is one OF tht
most important that will engage you
attention. For many years 1t mas peer
generally conceded that our present tao
law is insufficient for present conditions
crude and inequitable in its operation
Framed thirty-four years ago; Whei
Kansas was frontier state ana az ~
nroperty visible and easy of assessment
II is now imperfect, and wholly MADE
ouate to meet the changed conditions O.
society. =,
The expenses of government tend Il
increase much faster than population, So
that the per capita of taxation in this, a!
in all other states, constantly increases
but the burdens remain where they wer'
placed when the state was new. on rea
estate and visible personal and rallroaS
property.
form of business. the vast growth OF en-
terprises of a Quasi-public character
holding from the public franchises o
great value. have led to vast inereas
in Intangible personal property Whici
almost wholly escapes taxation Th'
protection of these and other new form
of wealth, as well as the increased ex
tension of government into new fields o
regulation and control. have vastly IN
creased the cost of government, the Dur
den of which these new forms Of wealth
successfully evade under the present law
In 1873. when the assessment of RAILROAD
and personal property was Hrst separates
real estate paid 74.47 per cent of the tota
tax, personal property LIS per ceni an
railroads 7.S5 per cent. In 1870 railroa'
taxation had Increased to 1913 per cen
of the total, real estate bore 66-O1 pc
cent. slight decrease, and personal prop
rtv in Spffe its vast increment, ma