The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-02

HID Sh"3
graph Companies Are Prospecting
and Should Assist More in Paying
Their Share of Governmental Ex-
penses.
There has never been IN the House,
within the last generation, q Drawer,
fairer fight for an equality Of the
burden of taxation than the one made
bv Judge Graham, of Granville, on
the floor of the House yesterday in
an effort to get an increase on the
taxation of corporations
His various amendments to this Ell
feet We're defeated on sue narrow
margins, it is possible the Senate may
incorporate them, when consideration
is had there, and the strong and IN
~controvertible facts n statlstlcs ne
presented to the impatient saturday
session of a tired and worn out House.
.Indge Graham was thoroughly IN
formed on the questions he discussed.
He had the advantage OF facts ana
figures, While the opponents Of add
tionai tax on corporations dealt IN
g~eneralities, and carried the lay.
. Judge Graham sent forward amend
ments to sections eighty and eighty
one Of the Revenue Bill. to increase
the tax on express, telephone ana
telegraph companies from two and
One-half to four per cent upon their
gross revenues derived from business
donc wholly Within this States, that IS
to saw upon business originating ana
terminating within said States, and he
addressed the House in part as fol-
lows:
MIR. Speaker, we are Informed by
the Treasurer in his report that
/ there is, at present, a deficit OF more
than ~ffty-nyne thousand dollars in
the treasury owing to the eXpendi-
lures for the various Institutions haV-
ing exceeded their appropriations
made by the last General Assembly,
) and that owing TO the b1ll prohlolt1nS
the manufacture or sale OF LIQUOR IN
the State and the adjustment of the
dispensaries there will be a curtail-
ment of the receipts of State taxes
to a further amount OF ~thlrty-elSht
thousand eight hundred and eighty
: dollars and s~eEenty-three cents, and
, it is further stimate that the deficit
for the succeeding year will apprOXi-
mate one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. 1t is true by the passage Of
the bill to issue bonds to provide for
the Indebtedness created by the hos
pital commission under the act OF
\ 1907 it is hoped that two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars or near that
sum Will be available to apply to the
deficit existing, n that which is eX-
pected, but / wish to call the atten-
ton of the House to the fact that
every institution in this State is de-
[ handing increased appropriations un-
( til the amount we are requested to
! appropriate exceeds our income by
more than S400, 600, not including the
!, amount we must pay for increased
: pensions. | know it Will be said that
we are not expected to pay all that
is demanded. But it is true that we
can not afford 70 CpfnSo to make
necessary repairs in order to protect
the States property M to provide for
the efficient and effectual admins
t%ration Of the affairs of the State
SO it is absolutely necessary tina
We shall have some new sources o.
revenue or increase the general taxes
upon real and personal property o.
upon the corporations doing bushes:
in II State. 1t is Well known, Mr.
Speaker, that | am much opposed te
any increase i'll taxation, but if i
must come. J. say let be borne b,
those subjects, those people and those
corporations, Which are best able tt
bear the North Carolina j.
progressing by leaps and bounds, bust.
{ ness OF all kinds within her borders
IS increasing rapidly, especially tina,
! OF the corporations which may be call
!. eu quasi public corporations. It /.
, Wen known that the business of tn.
$ telegraph and telephone
a"o WoAuef1uIiy INCREASED Within tn,
> past few years, while the express busi
ness, which in this State, is monopo
: ,lzeo by the Southern Express Co.
nas assumed enormous proporfions
A moderate increase in the rate q
! ,aAatlon upon them will not be at al
!. nufdensome The chairman of ~,
8 FIN q f Committee informs us tina
: .le plIi now under discussions vii
i not raise any more money fhan wa wa
nsYenue Act of 1907, excent tn.
small amount incident to the grad,a
increase OF property in tho &c.