The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-02-20
WOULD CHANGE
The TAX LAWS
Five Important Measures Pre-.
scented in Senate.
FIFTY PER CENT OF VALUE

act nate Law With Penalty Clause
Omitted in Order to Get an Opinion
on Its Validity From Federal SUI
preme Court.
st. Paul, Feb. 19.-Five bills were
presented to the senate relating to
assessment methods following the
suggestions of the, state tax commits.
sion
One bill changes the present town
assessor system to county assessor
system with deputies under the county
official for the performance of the de-
tail work. Those deputies will be
subject to removal by the state tax
commission.
Another bill places assessments for
the whole state definitely upon 50
per cent valuation. The bill pre-.
scribes that the full valuation Of the
property shall be placed in one col
umn, and the half on which the as
sessment is based in another column.
The tax commission announced that
1t Is going to enforce the present law
that taxes be levied on the full value.
This Is contrary to custom in nearly
all parts of the state, the percentage
varying from 80 to IS per cent in va
rious counties. -
The strict enforcement of the law
would work a radical change in the
salary of a number of county officers
whose pay is based upon the amount
of taxable property in the county.
The county assessor system will
permit the tax commission to deal
with eighty-fve officers, more or less
trained, instead of several hundred
men poorly paid and incapable of
learning scientific systems of valua-
ton.
Exemption Of Household Goods.
Another bill provides that 5000
worth of household goods shall be ex-
empt from taxation instead of 500 as
at present. Another bill permits the
tax commission to prescribe forms for
the return of valuations
An official kitchen cabinet is pro-
vided in a bill introduced by Senator
i. O. Cooke Of Kellogg. The bill pro-
vides that the governor, secretary of
state, treasurer, auditor and attorney
general shall make appointments to
offices under the statute which shall
become vacant on account Of death,
removal or expiration of term. 49,
This means that all the appoint
ments so = dear to the governor and
the kitchen cabinet will be thrown on
to body, elected by the people, All
the boards of the state as we'll as va
rious inspectorships, would come un-
der this law. It is declared consti-
tutional by lawyers.
{ In an effort to lay basis for fore
ing the United States supreme court
to render decision upon the merits
of the present rate cases, railroad rep
resentatives and members of the SEN
ate railway committee united and
Senator G.. e. Cashman's bill re-enact-
ing the commodity rate bill with the
penalty clause omitted, was recon-
mended to pass. Attorneys are not
sure what the United States supreme
court meant in it's famous decision on
the commodity bill. The present leg
islature will pass the bill again with
out the penalty clause, which all at
torneys agree was held void, so that
the next decision will pass squarely
on the validity of the bill as whole.
Larger cabooses Favored.
The senate railway committee also
recommended the twenty-four-foot ca
boose bill to pass. The trainmen be-
lieve larger caboose will reduce the
number of accidents.
The sanitary live stock board may
spend $4,000 for cattle and horses
killed on account Of contagious dis
eases during the next two years and
then it must quit paying for con-
demned stock. A bill to this effect
will be reported from the committee
on dairy products.
A tax on water power is promised
in bill introduced by Representative
Wells of Breckenridge. The tax is
Is cents per horsepower, but If the
waterfall is located only partly in the
state the tax will be proportional up
on the length of the dam within the
state.
Representative Donald Robertson's
peddlers' license bill was argued In
the house committee of the whole and
was given favorable action by almost
a unanimous vote.
The commission form of govern
ment will be established in Duluth
Minneapolis and st. Paul if bill by
Senator Fl. e. Smith of Minneapolis
is adopted. The bill is mandatory,
putting the commission into Office
with the next city election.
Five men are thus substituted for
all the present elective offices, and all
the appointive administrative boards
in the various cities.
Representative Rodenberg's bucket
shop bill was recommended for poss-
age by the house committee of the
whole with an amendment by Mr..
Rodenberg which provides penalties
for any one who furnishes current
market quotations to bucket shops
from any established board Of trade
or who permits any telephone or tele-
graph company the use Of their wires
to any bucket shop.
ENDS LIFE BY SHOOTING