The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-10
LOCAL REVENUE NEEDS.

LOCAL REVENUE NEEDS.
 The attitude taken in a newspaper interview by Representative Loos of this city towards local revenue needs is suggestive one, especially in its realization of certain essential truths In common with other intel llgent citizens he unquestionably fav- OTIS a system of local taxation, which shall yield the maximum amount of money with the minimum amount of pressure. Taking this sound ground he proceeds to consider ways and means of increasing the sources of revenue Tho taxation of Yale uni versity he passes over as impossible and Inadvisable He Is at the same time impressed by tho more or less common view that the exemption of several millions worth of property in the center of the city not only de- privos the local treasury of large sum annually, but imposes upon other property owners, who need all the help they can receive from a system of moderate taxation, an undue and excessive burden. This Is not neces- rtI, one knows what the general situation would be if Yale had never located here or what interests would be us- ing the acreage now given over to uni- versity buildings. Tn the second place this is not necessarily a sound conclu- sion because 1t fails to take into con- sideration the amount of money, on the one hand, annually put into circu- and the stimulus, on the other hand, which the possession of Yale universi- ty gives constantly every New Haven interest. In the third place tfls is not necessarily a sound conclusion be- cause there Is no such difference in the tax rate between New Haven and other cities of the same size as would warrant the contention that with Yale university taxed the rate here would be lower than elsewhere.
 Upon close examination of all the facts It Is clearly shown that there are many influences for good which offset the plain bookkeeping view of what would happen lf Yale was treat ed like every other taxpayer. But when Mir Loos proposes to utilize the immense amount of property in this city which Is immune from taxation as an argument why the general as- sembly should find a way to increase local revenues he becomes interesting. He contends, for example. that the local trolley company pays into the state treasury every year many thou sands, some Of which at least should find their way back into the local treasury. Why not? The prosperity which the local trolley company en- joys is almost exclusively created by tho residents of New Haven. Elimin- ate them and tne cars would cease to run It would seem to follow, there fore, that the residents of the city should enjoy some share of the pros perity they create, instead of having 1t used for the benefit of those who have no hand in creating 1t.
 The oply argument we have ever heard against this plan of local taxa. tlon in the case of trolley companies is that they have become mostly Inter. urban institutions, and that 1t would he difficult to determine the amour each town was entitled to. We have no doubt that way could be devised for the distribution of this tax which would remove what Is theoretically { difficulty It would be easy to esti mate what amount the trolley com pany pays in taxes to the state based upon the use of New Haven streets ex clusiyely This done, the legislatur, could pass law returning to the cit, treasury not necessarily all of tho money thus paid into the state treas ury, but stipulated proportion of it This should be done in recognition o this citys moral right to it, since l creates the prosperity of the trolle company. rather than its recognition Of New Ravens hard luck becaus Vale is tax immune. Tn othe words there Is no need of luggln Nac into the controversy at all cxcep for illustrative purposes, and ove Chen it would be lugged in with yer questionable effect
 We have never felt that the stat