The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-04-11
COMMISSIONERS FOR EXHIBITS.

The conference of the county COM
missioners at the banquet in the Com
mercial Club on Tuesday evening was
prolific of satisfactory results. n
showed that tue commissioners there
assembled are pubic-spirited officials,
ready 10 respond TO the demands Of the
occasion and TO meet the obligations Of
hospitality imposed upon Utah by the
coming Of the Transmississipp Con-
gress and the Irrigation Congress here
this year
Under the law, (Chapter 40, session
county in the State are authorized to
levy a special tax for the purpose of
creating a fund not exceeding $4,000 IN
any one year in any one county, to be
used "for collecting, preparing, and
maintaining an exhibition of the prod
ucts and industries of the county at
any domestic or foreign exposition or
fair. It was by reason of this stat
ute that the county commissioners were
able to make their pledges, which they
freely and unanimously did make at
this banquet, of raising the money nee
essary to make their exhibits at the
congresses mentioned, Strong presen-
tations were made of the needs of tho
case, and of the advantage to Utah Of
properly meeting the requirements OF
these congresses and making the ex-
hibits authorized under the law. Com
missioners Of fifteen counties respond"
ed, pledging the levy OF the special tax
authorized by law, the whole sum 30
pledged being $4,000. which it is es-
timated will be sufficient to do the
right thing by the two congresses.
TIE law is very liberal and compre-
hensive in it's authorizing the special
tax referred to, But we wish to sug-
gest that it should be amended so as
70 change the amount that may be
raised from a fat $4,000 for any one
county to a pro rata system which
would allow of the levy of specified
but small rate Of special taxation ac-
cording to the valuation Of the coun-
ties. As it is now, any county IN the
State can levy tax Of $4,000 for the
purposes stated; but il is manifestly an
inequality to conhne Salt Lake county,
Utah county. Weber county, or any of
the large, wealthy counties of the
State, TO the same levy In gross that
the smaller counties, such as San Juan,
Grand. Rich, or Morgan may levy. A
tax of $4,000 for San Juan county
would impose a greater burden on the
taxpayers of that county than $4,000
for Salt Lake county would impose on
Salt Lake county's taxpayers. BY this
we do not wish to be understood as ad-
vocatng the unlimited liberty Of tax
alton for this or any other purpose. We
merely urge that any such liberty
should be proportional to the ability of
the counties to levy and raise taxation.
We do not doubt that the legislature Of
next winter, if the matter were pre-
sented properly, would make the
change suggested.
In the meantime, it is pleasant 10
know that there was such a united feel
ing of cooperation among the county
commissioners as was developed at the
banquet on Tuesday evening, Every
thing goes well for the hospitable well
come and entertainment, both Of the
Congress and OF the
Irrigation Congress- and this is Just as
il ought to be. Utah has an excellent
to demonstrate in its po.
sition as host TO these congresses its
generosity and those features of hospi'
tality which count very much in the
minds Of the visiting delegates to those
and which will undoubtedly
prove of the highest possible advantage
to the State as whole. Hospitality of
this kind is never misplaced, and in
doing the honors OF the occasion with
grace. dignity. and uustinting hand,
Utah will undoubtedly reap advantages
many fold.