The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-22
WILL GATHER STATISTICS
Mueh-Diseussed Question Is Finally
Disposed of by Happy
Thought of Member.

State statistics had a pretty hard time
| in finding an office that would agree 40
gather them Senate bill No. 200 provided
that the office of state commissioner Of
statistics be abolished and a deputy sta
tistician be attached to the board Of
equalization, under whose supervision the
figures and data regarding the states
resources. products and industries are to
be gathered. The salary of this deputy
is TO be 81. 200 a year.
There was much objection TO attaching
the work of gathering and compiling sta
ustics to the board of equalization on
the ground that the system would be d
sort of secret service means of arriving
at exactly the cash value of property
owned by the taxpayer and likely to be
assessed accordingly. whereas now the
assessment Is only about one-thlrd Of the
actual value 1t therefore follows that
the information obtained by requests 30
farmers and others would not be trust.
worthy nor of any value for statistical
purposes.
Mr.. Petersen solved the problem by
offering an amendment that the deputy
statistician be attached to the state audi
tors office, instead of the board of
equalization. The amendment carried
and the bill was passed with only seven
votes in opposition.
These bills were passed by the house:
Senate bill No 2iS requiring the dairy
and food cOmmissiOner to inspect cattle,
sheep and other animals before being
slaughtered, and to affiX tags, etc. The
act follows the provisions of the federal
law. The vote was % to Is. A similar
bill was killed by the house a week ago
Senate joint resolution No. ., proposing
constitutional amendment relating TO
taxation Of mines The power of assess
ment is taken out of the hands of the
county assessors and given TO the state
board of equalization. 1t is said that the
law will operate to catch many mining
companies that now dodge taxes. The
vote was . TO 10.
House bill No 125. providing for ths
purchase of medals for Indian war vet
Grams. was withdrawn. as the appropria-
ton had already been made in the gem
eral bill.
Senate bill No. 223. inserting the emer-
gency clause in the act defining the du-
ties of the state board of equalization.
Senate bill No. 222. giving the mayor
and city council power TO fill vacancies
in boards of education in cities of the
first and second class.
Senate bill No. 2l5, prohibiting members
of the state land board. or employees. to
be directly or Indirectly interested i'm any
land passed on by their office. and max
ing it a misdemeanOr for any member or
employee TO interfere with bona fide ap-
Dlications-
Senate bill No. 224, giving the secre-
tary Of the board of land commissioners
assistants.
House bill No. $40. creating a state
horse commission, was passed with the
emergency clause stricken out.
Senate bill No. 221 making general
election. day a legal holiday. was tabled
by vote of 20 to 70.
House bill No. 103. relating to the 1--WE
nile courts. was killed on committee re-
port
Senate bill No 206 requiring a certain
amount of development work on mining
claims within $50 days, was killed by the
sitting committee.