Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-01-07


sources from corporations under the
act of 1903 for the biennial term
ending September 80, 1906, was
s24O.O49.7S, an increase of $4S,-'
1891 over the preceding two years,
and the gross total collected from
corporations since the law went into
effect, May, 1908, to December 81,
1906, was $461,6S2.2S.
This act alone has raised more
than one-seventh of the revenue nee
essary to support the state govern
ment and, says Secretary of State
Dunbar in his biennial report. will
increase each year with the develop
ment Of the resources and the de-
mands of the industries of the COM
monwealth." Yet, according to the
records in the corporation depart
ment, the state is losing from $25,-
600 TO $4,000 annually from neglect
and failure to enforce the collection
Of delinquent licenses and dues, and
from the fact that scores of foreign
corporations are doing business I'm
the state annually without paying
one cent license or tax because no
authority or means have been pro-
\ vlded whereby this business can be
. attended to properly.
Thousands OF dollars are being
lost annually through the failure OF
district attorneys to institute actions
for collection of delinquent license
fees, although lists of such delin-
quents have frequently been fur
nished and requests made that action
be brought, and a bill that is now
being drafted by Corporation Clerk
F. T. Wrlghtman. which makes II the
duty Of the attorney general to i'm
stitute suit for collection at the re-
quest Of the secretary of state, which
win be presented 10 the legislature
for enactment with a view TO cor
recting this defect
This bill will also provide for the
appointment of deputy by the at
torney general whose duty II will be
10 travel about the state with list OF
dellnQuents In his possession and TO
institute action Immediately upon the
refusal Of such dellnquents to pay up
upon demand. IL will also be his
duty, whenever he finds a foreign
corporation doing business In the
state which has not complied with
the law In every respect, and he will
be clothed with the necessary au-
thority to do so and TO collecet IL
cense, organization and other fees
from the date Il began business in the
state, with interest from the date OF
the effect of the act and TO sieze
whatever property is available, In
case of refusal TO pay, In security of
/ the debt.
This department has" says Sec
retary of State Dunbar. through the
examination of directories and the
state papers. endeayored to ascer-
tain and locate any and all foreign
corporations doing business in the
state, and require them 10 comply
with the provisions of law applicable
TO them. but am satisfied that there
are a large number of foreign cor
porations doing business in Oregon
which have not and will not comply
with the law until the matter is
brought to them personally and
some means used TO compel them to
ME declarations and pay the fees due
therefrom.
I'm order to do this. 1t will be
necessary that a small appropriation
be made for the general and travel
ing expenses of this department, in
order that 1t may send some one to
the different parts of the state for the
purpose of investigating and COM
peiling such delinquents to comply
with law. This is only just to the
foreign corporations which have
complied with the law and paid the
iees required. l am OF the opinion
mat the expenses attached to such
investigation will be small as com
pared with the amount of fees col
ieeted from such foreign corpora
lions which ignore and do not COM
ply with the law"
The employment of a competent
collector of this kind" said Corpo-
ration Clerk F. T. Wrightman, who
mas gained a thorough knowledge Of
the business through his years of
experience in the work, would be a
most valuable asset to the state.
sueh man. I am fully satisfied.
would collect not less than $4,000