The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-03-07
TO the Voters and Citizens Of Grand

q = i Il IL 4 =
To the Voters and Citizens Of Grand
Forks:
In accepting the nomination as
candidate for mayor of our city, 1t is,
but fitting should outline my views
upon different subjects deemed of Inn
portance>
Revenue aAd Taxation.
The burdens Of the tax payers are
already large and every means should
be adopted to reduce and equalize
them. Every legitimate method should
be adopted to counteract the tendency
to permit intangible property such as
stocks, bonds, ETC., to avoid taxation,
which by their escape imposes an adj.
dittonal levy upon the homes of the
poor; monies and credits, stocks,
bonds and securities, should be listed
precisely the same as household fur
niture, horses and cattle and made to
pay their fair share of the taxes.
In 1890 the assessed valuation Of
personal property in the city was
$7S7,674!00; in 1901, although the pop
ulation had materially increased, the
assessed valuation of personal prop
erty had decreased to 1928, $4,000, or a
loss of almost 16 per cent.
l took this matter up in my mes
sage to the council dated April 5, 1902,
and urged remedy therefor with the
result that there was an, increase in
the assessed valuation of personal
property in 1903 to the sum of 1884,
1880; since that time the increase
has been slight, about $43,000.00; the
State Board of Equalization made
fiat raise In 1906 of 20 per cent, in
creasing the assessed valuation of
personal property to $1,032, $500; this
was unjust and should have been
guarded against; it added sno new
property to the tax rolls, but mater
tally increased the valuation of the
property already thereon thereby adj
ding to the already great inequali-
ties; our merchants and other tax
payers should be protected and guard
ed against such an injustice in the
future.
These matters were discussed and
recommendations were made in my
message to the council dated April
18th, 1902, and April 21st, 1903, and
refer thereto for more extended state
ment of my views.
If elected pledge myself to all eff
forts in my power to increase the tax
able property of the city, not by in
creasing the assessed valuation of the
articles already listed, but by discov-
! ering and causing to be listed that
property which has SO far escaped.
Before leaving this question 1 de-
sire to take up another subject which
Is the revenue which may be legiti-
mately' derived by the city from the
public utility Corporations making use
of the streets by way of inspection
taxes. The Western Union Telegraph
company, one of the telephone COM
panies and various others Of these
institutions make use of the streets
! and their appliances therein lay d
liability upon the city. I believe this
could be made the source of consider
able revenue by way of assessing a
license tax against each pole of from
three to five dollars; the ordinance
levying the tax should In conjunction
Herewith provide FOR system of in
spection which will serve to guard the
city against liability for accidents
caused by falling wires, or poles or
excavations in the streets; believe
the city also has power to tax broker
!. age and, commission houses and this
power should be promptly exercised
to the end that the largest revenue
possible for the city may be realized.
Fra.ehlsex.
One of the chief assets OF a NUM-
eipality is It's streets and the right to
use the same by public utility corpor-
ations; grave errors have been made
in the past whereby valuable rights
have been granted, such grants being
perpetual In terms, without an ade-
quate measure of control, no author
ity to compel proper or sufficient sery-
ice; no power to fix rates and without
any provision for compensation for
the rights granted.
If elected I shall approve no or
dinance granting the right in or to the
streets except that 1t contains ade-
quate provision covering all of these
points as we'll as power on the part of
the city to take over the plant at the
end of the term at reasonable yalu-
alton, preferably, to be established by
drbitratOrs, such valuation not to in.