Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-01-08

telegraph in South Dakota has never
been very effective and In many In
stances the service has been unsatis-
factory to the public. Two years ago
a telephone commissioner was Gre
ated, but he was not provided with an
expense fund and consequently has
been unable to accomplish much. At
this time there appears to be a dis
position to reorganize and enlarge the
powers of the state railroad commits
sion, making that body In effect a
public utilities commission, and COM
NIT to its care the regulation of rail
roads, street railroads, express, sleep
ing cars, telegraphs and telephones
and other public utilities somewhat
upon the line of the New Ycr'i law.
This commission to have Lotion
both as to rates and operation ard
particularly as to assessment and tax
alton. Two years ago the railroad
commission was given $4,000 with
which to make a physical valuation
of the railroads of the state as a basis
both for rates and for taxation. The
fund is exhausted and the work is not
completed and a considerable amount
will be required to finish the under
taking. The railroads are equally in
terested in this undertaking with the
public and are rendering every assist
ance. When this work was under
taken in Wisconsin the railroads, pre-
Stunning it was only for the purposes
Of taxation, made some remarkably
low estimates of value and the ON
by them, but when it appeared the
valuation was to be used as a basis
for rates they hurried to headquarters
to amend their figures. With the Wis
consin experience in mind the rail
roads now desire to secure a fair and
equitable valuation which will cut
both ways.
Good road legislation will again be
urged. 1t was before the last session
and defeated because the farmers
were not ready for the innovation
It is believed two years of agitation
has considerably modified the rural
prejudice against the plan and that a
bill this session will have q better
show. The plan contemplates county
supervision under a practical engi-
neer, the payment of all road taxes
in cash and the building OF roads un-
der contract let to the lowest bidder.
The farmers objected to these propo-
sitions upon various grounds, some
of them arguing for the payment of
done at a season when not otherwise
very busy; others that the townships
had large investments in road build
ing machinery, which would necessar-
lly have to be sacrificed under a
changed law, but the chief objection
was that the good roads were in
tended for the accommodation OF au-
and the farmers would be
deprived of the use of them, because
the devil wagons" brighten the
horses.
+ + i.
Governor Crawford advocates the
creation of a tax commission and
cites the large amount of property
escapes assessment as the JUS
LITIGATION for IT,. 1t is generally be.
lieved that a non-partisan commits
sion would be able to list an immense
amount of property which now es-
capes the assessors, as well as to IN
the assessment laws generally
in a way that the political assessment
board, which has the good of the
party rather than of the people be-
fore it, could ever accomplish. The
fact is the revenues are in a bad way.
The last legislature made appropria-
tions aggregating $4,000, 900 and the
board tried to meet the ia
ments with a 3-mill levy upon $780,
10 10000 of assessed value. The con-
sequence is we have run behind more
than $500, 600. 1t is hard to see how
could have got along on much less
money than was appropriated and the
only alternative then is to increase
the levy. With a debt now of more
than $500, zoe we are confronted by
the institutions with demands for ap-
preparations a~ggregating $1,000. 900,
which, together with the general APP
preparations, would make the budget
for this session not less than $4,000
00o, a figure mt to be thought of if
We are to maintain our splendid
credit. Every one realizes how diff
cult it is for a Legislature 20 resist
the demand for money and conse-
q~uently the situation Is a very grave
one.
+ + +
There is no escape from the propo-
sition that some action must be taken
to relieve the supreme court from the
burden of work upon it. Since the
court was organized nineteen years
ago 2,73t cases have been brought to
1t and 1902 have been disposed of.
That is 144 cases per year upon the
average have been begun In the court
~