The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-09-22
ANOTHER plan
OF TAKING ALL
REAL ESTATE
The Analytical and Statistical
Method Guaranteed to
Catch Tax Dodgers
Chief sTAT|sI|CIAN POWERS Of
CENSUS BUREAU has SCHEME
An Lands Should BE Listed In Acreage
Showing What Use Each Division
Has, and Then Fixing the Taxation
Upon This Basis.

Z
Upon This Basis.
Louisville, KY, Sept. 22.-Declaring
that the inequalities of the present
method of assessing and collecting
the property tax are numerous and
grave, L. G. Powers. chief statistician
of the census bureau, urged the adop-
ltion of a uniform listing of real es-
tate which will show more clearly
the value and assessment of real es-
tate. He advocated what he termed
the analytical and statistical meth
lods in the listing Of real estate for
taxation and claimed that the appli-
cation of this method would take the
question Of property taxation out of
the reach of demagogues and cheap
politicians and that it would serve TO
show the proportion Of the general
tax that is being paid by the farmer.
the lumberman and the railroads.
"Many economic writer's and stu
dents Of public finance have in the
past fifty years called attention to
the imperfections of existing systems
of obtaining public revenue" said Mr..
Powers. "and the desirability Of flnd-
ing. If possible. some substitute for
the general property tax" While
many minor changes have been made
In the methods of obtaining state and
local revenue, said Mr.. Powers, today,
as at the middle of the last century.
local governments and !. most state
governments In the United States and
Canada rely principally upon the
geheral property tax for their reve-
niue, and will In all probability con-
itinue to do so for the next fifty years.
Under such circumstances the
practical man, striving to improve
the administration y, Of public. ,pusI-
ness" !" he continued, "will give his at
tenuon primarily to. consideration
of methods Of freeing the assessment
and collection Of that tax from the
Inequalities which now accompany
them. Many townships can be found
in the country in which farm with a
selling value of $1,000 Is subject to
the same tax as a second farm in an
other part Of the township with q
selling value of 100000, and the town
ships are legion in number in which
farm property is assessed at differ
ent portion of its value from that as
signed to forest land, and the prop
erty used for residential, manufact-
'uring and other purposes"
Mr.. Powers insisted that the need
for improving the methods Of assess-
ing real property was evidenced by
the fact that for forty years at least
;seventy-five per cent of the general
property tax of the United States has
been levied and collected upon realty.
He said that although the proper list
ing and reporting Of realty for pur-
poses Of taxation should be given
greater consideration than Is given to
the corresponding listing Of PERSONAL
fly; that such Is nowhere the case.
Small Railroad Assessment
= "Some Of the most intelligent peo-
pie claim that the railroads are pay
ing relatively only one-third as mucn
tax as the farmers and lumDermen,
and on the other hand, the railroads
claim that they are paying as heavy
a tax as the farmer, and that their
burden Of taxation is much greater
relatively than that of the lumber
man." continued Mr.. Powers. "An
analysis of the published reports of
the state and comparisons of the data
of such reports with reliable informa-
tion obtainable from other sources
alike fail to be conclusive as to the
contention of any of the parties to
this controversy.
$50 long as this condition prevails,
the state referred to will afford the
At0hnn0af Ar1r nv n1SS
means for exading just taxation, and
Will find the subject Of taxation and
the administration of public service
corporations are used by demagogues
for the purpose of stirring up strife
and agitation, without advocating the
interests Of any class Of the people,
or any industry in the country. All
industries will continue to be more
or less disturbed and subjected to un-
just burdens, suspicion and annoy
ance."
Mr.. Powers outlined his idea of the
method which should govern the list
ing Of real propery. The state should
prepare careful cadaster of all real
estate, he said, this cadaster to show
the acreage under cultivation, that
covered with timber, with orchards,
waste land and land which, may IS
plowed. The classified list Of acres
should also show the number Of acres
Of mineral land, Of quarry land, and
land valuable for oil, gas or other de-
posits. The cadaster should also
show the number Of city and town
lots subject to taxation. Mr.. Powers
added that the cadaster should be
supplemented by q listing Of the. value
Of the property apart from the value
Of the land.
When Nwe have q classified listing
ofacre property that segregates areas
and values according TO the char
acter Of the land. and separately sets