Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-01-15

been let by contract, the number Of
legislative clerks and employees has
seemed to increase.
In the last legislative assembly
there were thirty-six more employees
In the house than the law permitted
and fifty-six more employees in the
senate than the law allowed; making
altogether eighty employees in the SEN
ate and sixty-five employees IN the
house. The legislature has not only
been extravagant in the employment
Of clerks, but it has by resolution in
creased the pay of clerks and favored
officers and has by resolution given
away state property.
You are here as representatives of
the people, who have reposed sacred
trust in you, and have no legal or
moral right to give away the property
or the money Of the state as gift or
in spirit of good fellowship. You
are entitled to have necessary and
competent clerks to facilitate business
and the clerks are entitled to fair and
just remuneration for their services.
Most of this extravaganza comes
through spirit of good fellowship,
without wrongful intent and from
force Of custom that has prevailed
for many years. call your attention
! to it now, at the threshold of your
duties, so that you may be on your
guard against this pernicious custom
throughout the session. It is no kind
ness to young men or young women
to put them on the payroll unless
there is something for them to do. It
only encourages them to live by their
wits instead of by honest endeavor.
Assessment Of Property.
| In my message to the Tenth legis-
iativc assembly called attention to
the law providing that all property
should be assessed at its actual value
and the custom of assessors through
out the state assessing property at
only per cent of its value and some
Of the disadvantages that result there.
from, namely, on account of the low
/! assessment the rate is necessarily
high, which. is bad recommendation
to the immigrant and to the investor
from other states, and on account Of
the low assessment cities are often
hampered and sometimes prevented
from having modern conveniences On
account Ut the debt limit, which is
based on the assessed value Of the
property.
Aside from these results and indie
pendent Of them all property should
l h0 nt S$e &.n
der that 1t should pay its just proper
ton for the support of the govern
ment that makes property rights safe.
At the present time a number Of
county officers salaries are based
upon the assessed valuation of prop
erty and II property was assessed at
its actual value it would increase the
pay of such county officers to an I'm.
reasonable amount and would increase
some upon the people and at the
same time create an unnecessary
fund. There should be some legisla-
ton regulating the salary of the diff
ferent county officers and also in ref
erence to the mill tax. so that prop
erty might be assessed at its full
value without unnecessarily increas-
ing the salary of officers or making
the mill tax burdensome to the people.
The commission provided for by the
last legislative assembly to inquire
into the value of railroads obtained
some valuable information on which
the railroad assessments in the state
were increased $1,000 per mile. The
report of this commission to you
makes further comment on this sub
feet unnecessary at this time. rec
ommend the same to your most care
full consideration.
think that the state has grown
and developed and the assessments
have increased sufficiently to warrant
you in providing for tax commits
sioner, whose duty it will be to look
after the assessments and see that
they are just and uniform, to assist
/ in the collection of taxes and assist
the board of equalization with infor-
: nation to enable them to equalize the
taxes of the state
Board Of Health.
call your especial attention to the
exceedingly valuable report of the
board of health. This report contains
invaluable information in reference to
contagious diseases and should be
: printed in larger numbers for moro
: general distribution.
In this connection I call your at
tention also to the great movement in
other states and, in fact, in the world,
to exterminate tuberculosis and also
the movement to prevent the pollu-
ton of rivers, lakes and streams.
These are subjects for your careful