Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-03-03
Committees Hard at Work in
Preparation of the AppfoprIa-
ton Bill for the Next Two
Fiscal Years,
BELIEVED TERRITORIAL TAX
RATES MAY BE REDUCED
Demand of Educational and
Territorial Institutions Max
ING Life Of Members Of Fl
nance Committees a Burden
Morning journal bureau,
The Palace Hotel,

The mcmhers OF the finance conn
mittees OF house and council Cover
] nor Curry, Territorial Auditor W. q.
Sargent ana Travelling Auditor Chas
v Stafford today held IA consultation
upon territorial finances preparatory
to the beginning Of work on the APP
preparation bill TOR the sixty first and
sixty second fiscal years. The con
dtion Of the finances. the territory 5
present income and lis income for
the next two years, as We'll as the
tax rate for territorial purposes were
thoroughly discussed and the two
committees begyn the work OF draw
ing tho bill with a clear understands
ing OF the limitations imposed by the
territorys income,
Governor curry has expressed him
self very positively as rlgidlN opposed
to any appropriations however urgent
they may be- which sill increase the
present territorial tax rate bs d frae-
ton Of % mill aud has urged that
every effort be- made To reduce that
rate Chairman Hanley, of the coun-
cll committee. and Chairman Tipt"n
of the house committee. are also de-
termined To use oNcry effort 10 reduce
TIE tax rate II II can bo done.
The territorys Income wilI be- some
what Increased TOR She coming ycof
through increased assessed yalua-
tlons recently affected by the board
Of equalization and by the natural adj
vance I'm property values In almost
every section of the territory II Is
hopcd. too that this increase viii be
even greater for the sixty second fis-
cal year. hut the task Of the finance
committees is made unusually ditfi-
cult this year because of the in
creased demands of educational and
other territorial institutions for sharp
advances in their appropriations some
Of which seem urgently needed u
the institutions are to continue up
to the proper standard of efficiency.
The great problem presented to-
this legislature as II has been to
every Legislature IN the past. has been
the lack of revenue and Il has be-
come increasingly plain his session
that the difficulty is not with the
territory its resources aud actual
values but With the system OF taxa
ton which asscsses all property AZ q
small fraction Of its value. thus
holding the tax rate higher than II
should be, and producing insufficient
revenue There are several Of the
western states which have actually
less In actual property values which
are this year approprating double |
the money for their institutions and
than New Mexico can
while the tax rate in
these states is lower than here, and /
the large appropriations are made /
ON barrassiug the adminisita- ,
ton or the tax payers In these states |
From tho day hc came into office i
Curry has been urging some [.
change in our assessment system /
which would bring values TO some /
thing like their actual standard, II /
was for this purpose Chat h. called I
the county commissioners of the ter
ritory together and urged them %
adopt Il uniform system of assess
mcnt upon tho basis of sixty per cent
NJ actual valuation if they could not
make the valuation Tor assessment
purposes actual u has been shown
that assessment upon uniform ha-
SIS flI ACT lst NHINitNA. ~ 800 90 't' N''
NJ its two most serious nm-
barrassmcnts. lack Of sufficient reve-
nne and a. tuN ratio which. when the
basis of valuation IS considered Is
not high. but which to thc investor.
the home-ceker and the man who
does not understand that our yalua-
tinn IS about o. third. or less of ace
fuaI valuation. is frightened by the
high tax rate Which starcs him in the
face whom Doe comes to Investigate. II
Is becoming apparent however ufat
.hc prrsOut legislature il not pre-
pared 20 adopt 90 remedy and that
progress to tho point desired must he
.low aud tho result of constant effort
pn IT,. pert ~ the territorial and
county administrations The result.
therefore. VITA hs that this Legislature
as has been the case With others. must
.xcrcis. thu most rigid economy or
rails. tito tex fate. 4 raise zoo fhe
.ato of taxation 60 thr last thing
which "a majority of the memb,rs of 4
both houses desire
There remain. however. th. psni-
euiiafy, which needs AN increase 10
ts appropriation and an appropria
Jon Tor its deficit. There remain.
moreover the educational institu-
Ions which seek advances in appro-
ariations fotaling thc somewhat
staggering sum Of $4,000 over the