The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-09-17
STATE TAX LEVY
TWO AND A HALF MILLS WILL
BE SUFFICIENT.
With Increased Valuation of Prop
erty That Amount Will Be Suffi-
cient TO Raise Three Quarters of
MilliOn--.COst of State lnstitu.
lions.
lions.

| Atkinson, chairan of the state board
of equalization, says that since the
official reports of assessment have been
received by the state board of equaliz-
alton from the various counties, it is
found that the total property valuation
of the state amounts to over 1910, O0O,-
900, which is soewhat greater than he
had previously estimated. Re says:
"This assures the state board of
equalization of an easy task in settling
the state taxes for state general pur-
poses and the raising of all revenues
needed to meet the appropriations of
the last Legislature. The approprla-
tions of the present year required a
revenue of Isl 200, 900. There has been
received by the state since January l,
1904, up to the lst of September, from
fees, inheritance tax, liquor licenses
and other incomes, 1884 900 and also
$65. 900 deficiency taEes. The remain
ing quarter of the year will bring in
from these sources probably 800, 900
more, and there will remain not over
1925, 900 to be raised by direct tax on
the valuation of the state above men
toned.
"By setting aside the tax for general
state purposes at two and a half mills,
which is the rate that has prevailed in
the past, there will be raised on the
present. valuation over $75O,00O. This
will be ample to meet all requirements
for the states indebtednss.
Lower Than Other States.
ut is not generally known, perhaps,
by the citizns of the state at large,
but it is fact that the state of Wash
ington is taxed at a rate which is only
about half of what Oregon, Idaho,
Montana. Utah, Wyoming and the Da
kotas property owners have to pay for
general state purposes. This is because
of the fact that the total wealth of
Warrington is about twice that of any
of the other Northwest states mention
ed. For intance, the rate in Oregon
last year for the same purpose was five
and seven tenths mills, as compared
with two and half mills in Wash
ington."
He says that while the various state
institutions and the different state de-
partments are growing rapidly the last
few years in the volume of business to
be transacted and larger appropria-
tions are absolutely necessary now
than were needed a few years ago, ev
cry department of the state has been
managed in as economical a manner as
those of any other state in the Union,
and that the board of control of Gov
ernor McBride's administration has
had very difficult work to get through
with the present appropriations for the
different elemosynary institutions,
which they have ably managed. All
of these institutions are growing, and
some of them, including the insane
asylums and the penitentiary, are very
much hampered for room.
What State Institutions Cost.
Since it became a state there has
been expended for the three normal
schools $S44, 1913, of which 1923, 1856
was for maintenance and S35, 56S was
for buildings and grounds. For the
agricultural college at Pullman and
the state university at Seattle there
has been expended 81 1881, 146, of which
81 ,06i, 9l2 was for maintenance and
$766, 234 was for buildings and grounds.
For the Eastern and Western Washing.
ton insane asylums there has been ex-
pended 81 $40, S47, of which $2,O48,-
367 was for maintenance and 1892 $40
was for buildings and grounds. For
the same length of time the state pen
itentiary has cost the state 81 ,243, 900,
the reform school $4O5, 900, the school
for defective youth $533, SIT, and the
soldiers home $292 $50. All these in
situations have cost the state since the
| wear 1890 81 To2 1872