The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-07-31
RURAL MUNICIPAL
PLAN n CANADA
III n. \ r. f77'-
SystsEn u Distsibuion u Taxa
u don Tint h just Being Put :
j.. Into Prastice

. n
EDMONTON. Alta, July 27.--More
Nahan hundred Agricultural COM
munties in the province of Alberta
will be organized this year under the
rural municipality act, passed by the
last legislature and effective in 1918.
The department of municipal affairs
has so far received requests for Pc
titions to organize municipalities, and
It Is announced that elections will be
held In IS localities this month and
that plebiscites may continue to be
taken u~sil November.
Charles Stewart, minister Of mu-
nicipal affairs, announced in Edmon-
ton today that the affairs OF all local
Improvement districts In the province,
whether or not they are to be organ
ICED, must be wound UP the coming
fall, when an official audit will be
made Of the books OF the authorities.
Any balance shown on the debit or
credit side will be taken over by the
new Organization.
Tax Levied Equally.
\ The new system provides that taxes
shall be levied equally upon all rate
able land in the municipality. accord
Ing to the assessed value of such land.
The assessment plan is based upon
the following provision in the Rural
Municipality act:
Land shall be assessed at its act.
ual cash value as it would be ap.
praised in payment of a just debt
from solvent debtor, exclusive of
the value OF any building erected
thereon or Of any other Increase Of
7 value caused by any other expendi-
ture of labor or capital thereon"
The question Of taxation is dealt
with entirely by the council Of the
rural municipality. The new act fixes
the limit to taxation for municipal
/, purposes at 10 mills on the dollar. 1t
Is not. expected that rate will be
levied to exceed So per 100 acres, and
! IN many, cases the rate levied will not
/, exceed, SO or 81;
as.etf. -Epcousssing Farming.
With view to encouraging the
cultivation OF farming lands in the
province Rnd at the came time dis
scouraging the speculative holding of
large acreages. several important
amendments will be borught to the
attention Of the next legislature. One
Of these is a Recommendation that the
present refund Of Is per cent of all
taxes on cultivated land be increased
to so per cent. This. it is believed,
would have the effect of driving the
absentee speculator out Of the field.
Other amendments will be based upon
the actual experience OF municipal
tiles when the act comes into opera
ton next January.
The act provides that every munich
pality shall insofar al ID practicable
comprise an area OF is fniles square
ora324 square miles and ell mnni-
cipalities shall be laid out on q uni
form plan ii the conditions Of the
system Of the Dominion land survey
and the physical features Of the
province will allow.
95et The ministsr OF municipal affairs
I may severe any portion Of . munich
pality outlsying area hereafter adJa-
cent to but not included within the
limits Of any municipality; alter and
adjust the boundaries of two or more
coterminous or adjacent municipal
ities!; or withdraw from any munich
patty any area heresSter established
as a village under the provisions of
the village act, passed BY the leglsla-
ture In 1907.
single Tax for Farmers.
John Perrie. deputy minister Of
municipal affairs and tax commission
er OF Alberta, made the following
statement at the government build.
ing in respect to an inquiry as to the
operation of the single tax system III
the Farming districts:
''The only taxes levied in the rural
districts Of this province are those
levied on lands. No taxes are levied
on improvements or personal property.
This method of assessment Is a fair
one and. is satisfactory to the farm.
0Ao Ah A0SSs ohy Ch9h6O W - oyobCAu
of taxation whereby Improvements or
personal property are assessed would
be strongly opposed by them. We
have found no demand for the tax
system being changed so that taxes
would be levied on improvements and
personal property"
Edmonton. the most northerly city
Of the $4,000 class on the American
continent, Is not only successful with
the single tax system, but has also
worked out q satisfactory plan Of mu-
nicipal-owned public utilities, operat-
Ing street railway and telephone lines,
water works and electric light and
power plants. The municipality has
plans to install a gas plant costing
100000. and also has experts at work
making test bores in the vicinity of
Edmonton for natural gas wells.
The city Of Edmonton owns ana OPP
crates 40 miles of street railway lines,
water distributing system OF 90
miles OF mains and an electric and
power plant OF $500 k. ". Three hun
dred and fifty thousand square yards
of paving. estimated to cost $3.50, 900
~ LAT t.