Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-02-20
STATES. FINANCES
AUDITOR DISCONTINUES MONTHLY
STATEMENTS.
Indebtedness Increases Over Quar-
ter of Million in the Past Year.
Tax Commission schemine to
Raise r1ore Money by increasing
Taxation. 'S,'''''-

OLYMPIA, Feb. a0.-The state
auditor has temporarily abandoned
his custom of issuing a monthly
statement of the condition of the sew
eral state funds.
The law does not require the state
auditor to issue such statements, but
when he took office three years ago
Auditor C. w. Clausen inaugurated
the CUSTOM Statements appeared
regularly until Jan. 1, 1908, and
then ceased. -,t il.
The unsatisfactory c. ION of the
states finances is the reason for dis
continuing the reports, and they will
be resumed as soon as the 1908 taxes
put conditions on better footing.
Four funds are now overdfawn.
The exact increase, in Indebtedness,
bonds and general fund warrants, on
Feb. /, 1908. over Feb. 1, 1907, was
$251,925.02. In addition the mill
tary fund is overdrawn $b10O, the
highway fund $4,000, and the expo
sition fund a few, hnp pdred. THE sits
uation was brouaM spoutyb the low
tax levy of the preceding year sollow-
ed by the large appropriations by the
legislature.
The effect of the payment ,ef taxes
throughout the state, which sstarted
February g. will not begin'to be felt
materially unal March when the in
come promises to exceed expenditures
greatlyS aRaT 'oV the warrant tn
debtedness will, BE cleared away sin
February and the balance in March:
In March and April ifiroatls cam likei
ly be made on the bonded Indebted
ness. 1.-THE state Ais always flush in
the spring as the greater portion OF
the years taxes is paid at that
time.| The tannual payments of in
teress onI state laid 4ales also are re.
ceived in March and April and these
help to augment the general fund.
During the summer the tax COM
mission will endeavor to create senti-
ment in favor of a revolution in the
revenue laws Of the state, as means
of avoiding deficiencies in the future
The state constitution now requires
the Legislature to provide by law "a
uniform and equal rate of assessment
and taxation on all property, in the
state" An amendment which is
favored by the tax commission, is tc
be voted on in the November election
which will permit the legislature tc
progide a uniform, and equal rate Iof
assessment on property by classes.
The railroad corporation and the
farmer, for example, are supposed to
paystaxes now upon the same proper
ton of the value of their property,
but if the amendment carries, the
proportion need not be the same be-
tween the farmer and the railroad,
bute all railroads must be assessed
and< taxed alike and all farm prop
ertymust be assessed and taxed alike.
The amendment will open the way
for the passage of an act relieving
the railroads from county, school dis
trict and other local taxes and impos-
ing upon them the entire tax for gen.
eral state purposes.
1t is the ambition of the tax COM
mission if the amendment is adopted
to effect the passage of a law that
will make the public service corpor-
ations pay all the expenses of state
govey6psnt.S These corporations
woufl pdt .be taxed, under such law.
for Any sother 1pnrpose, sahd other
property would not be taxed for state
purposes.
The commission has prepared ta-
bles showing what each county WOULD
have gained orslost by the Workings
of such law h 1909 the last tSyear
in which completed statistics Of tax
revenues were obtainable.
With such law. In force, with no
other to offset it, tie common school
fund would suffer or. property in
general would be required to make