Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-13

COUNTIES SPEND HALF MILLION
Garst's Inheritance Tax Law Aimed at
Estates OF Aliens Conflicts With
Treaty With Germany-Executive
Council Is Enforcing Some Moro
conomics-Herriott's Figures.
Special to Tlmes-Republicen.

Special to Times Republican.
! Des Moines, Sept. 13.-Iowa main
tains the most expensive system pos
sible for caring for the poor and the
unfortunate, and would vastly gain by
having state instead of county system
of providing for the paupers and incur
ence of heads of state institutions In
this city Professor Frank l. Herriott,
Of the chair of social economics and
political science of Drake University,
! and statisiclan for the state board Of
control, made the bold assertion that
! it would be- cheaper for the counties
and county hospitals and arrange to
board these dependents at first class
hotels at ruling rates for board. The
assertion was questioned, but he has
now completed the compilation of
| statistics to show that the statement
was not far from wrong. He shows
| that for the keeping of about 1900
paupers and insane on county farms
| was in 1902 about $500,000; that this
was an average monthly per capita Of
| SSH; that the same year the state
cared for the inmates in state insti-
/ tutions at an average expense of $12.-
| 6S. The cost per capita of keeping in
mates Of poor farms and county asy-
lums ranged from $40 to $23. There
are between $4,000 and 10000 acres in
the county poor farms of Iowa. and it
Is estimated that the permanent in
vestment is over $3,000,000, including
machinery and buildings. Capitalize
4 ing the annual expense Of county poor
/ farms at 5 per cent, the result Is a
capitalization of $10,000,000, or that the
state has in fact invested $13,000,0 in
all for the maintenance of the poor
and incurable insane. Professor Her.
riott therefore concludes that a state
poor house and farm for the reception
| and care of the states dependent poor
! and detectives is greatly to be pre-
| ferred to the present method, regard
ed simply from the point Of view OF
finance or the profitable investment
Of capital and the interest on the peo-
pies money. "The abolition" he says,
''or abandonment OF the county farms,
and the substitution Of a state farm,
! even If the county institutions had to
be given away, would, Notwithstanding
the great loss apparently entailed, be
financially profitable to the taxpayers
Of the state as a whole"
The state. of Iowa will hereafter be
very exacting in the matter of pay
ments on account of expenses Of state
officials and state boards. Last win
ter bill was passed which originated
with Senator Hayward, of Davenport,
which requires that the system Of
officials and boards paying their own
expenses and incidentals out of fees
received shall come to an end forever
| in Iowa. The last two legislatures
had already gone long way toward
reform in this direction and the re-
! suit is that there has been much econ
o1ny effected. The Hayward bill was
INTENDED to wipe out the last vestige
! of graft. Now the state executive
council has, thru it's secretary, direct
| ed letter to all state boards and
! commissions calling attention to this
llaw and requiring that where claims
are filed fer per diem and mileage or
for other purposes they must be item
lied and the specific services designat-
ed. This is In accordance with the
spirit Of the law. 1t will place in the
hands of the proper auditing body full
facts upon which to act. The rule ap-
plies to the state railroad commission
ers. the dental board, the mine exam
| iners, the labor commissioners, phar-
macy commissioners, educational
examiners, and all such bodies. Ev-
ery dollar received in fees must
go into the state treasur., and every
dollar taken out must be on state
warrant drawn by the auditor. This
will make the states books represent
actually the entire business transact
| tions of the state with it's servants. BY
reason of application or this principle
1.-The state expenses have been made to
Hook much larger in recent years than
before, but it is only change in book
ikeeping; but with the full application
of the principle the last opportunity for
getting money from the state without
services rendered will have disappear
ed. 1t is the most considerable reform
of recent years in Iowa. The attorney
general has been asked for an opinion
las to whether the rule applies to all
state offices and all accounts which are
| LETT at lne discfelioh VI Iae Seaee Jill
ciaIs, the belief being that it does.
The law which was passed by the
last legislature and which gave offense
TO the German consul in Chicago, vas
introduced by Senator Garst. 1t pro-
vides that where collateral inheri-
| tance tax is exacted from an alien 20
per cent instead of so per cent shall be
taken by the state, except where the
heirs are brothers or sisters of the de-
cedent when the sum taken shall be 10
per cent. The law was signed April
6 last, and went into force April by
publication. No tax could have been
collected as yet, as twelve months must
elapse before an estate is settled and
three months more before the tax IL