Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1912-02-23

was as follows.
January l. 19G9.....S 451.0S2 20
January l. 1910..... 24l,l9S 10
January / l91l..... 175.020 so
January l 1912 (con-
structive) .-...... 44,5l4 l6
There was an apparent overdraft
of the General Fund at the begin
ming of the present fiscal year of
S20,305 AZ which arose from the
fact that on January /, 1912, a
total of S107. 4SS 20 was still due
from delayed county settlements.
$64,8l9.5S of which belonged to
the General Fund. thus leaving for
comparison purposes the construc-
tive net balance stated.
1t is clear from the foregoing
that the reduction, in 1909, of that
portion Of the state tax rate which
goes into the General Fund, from
AZ cents to 1916 cents, on each
hundred dollars valuation of
table property. together with tn e
DETECTION of all poll-tax receipts
to the counties. is responsible for
the existing deficit. Moreover.
that had there not been a surplus
in the General Fund at the begin
ming Of 1909, the deficit would
possibly have occurred two years
sooner. A comparison by years
of the warrants drawn against the
General Fund with the receipts of
the General Fund for years shows
the folloing net excess of disburse-
ments over receipts:
1909 Legislative year)$2O9,S 1888 IL
1910 tnonlegislative
year, ........... 66,377 6S
1911 Legislative year, 1875, 1926 90
By reference to the table pre-
viously given of the receipts of
the General Fund, it is shown that
for the three above years they
we're practically constant, yet
this constancy was maintained Gin
1911 by the transfer mentioned
from the Prison Building Fund,
which practically overcame a de-
crease OF about SIS 900 from the
ordinary receipts of the General
Fund.
1t is conclusive from the fore.
going table that. on the basis of
the present receipts of the General
Fund and after making due allow
ances for the biennial sessions of
the Legislature and the variation
in expenditures the year of such
sessions with the alternate years
the General Fund must be in
creased by at least S150, 600 per
year to balanc income with normal
disbursements.
Merely to borrow a sum sufi-
cient to tide over the present
emergen cy would but advance the
day of a most serious reckoning
when the General Fund would be
depleted and the State would have
exhausted its constitutional Dor
rowing power. Ii is therefore
imperative that the Legislature
readjust the state tax rate
adequately to increase the receipts
of the General Fund.
The situation involves the choice
between two modes Of procedures.
One, to let the existing system of
taxation continue and increase
the state tax rate by Is cents,
applying the increase to the Gen.
sral Fund. The other to increase
the state tax rate by 10 rents for
the benefit of the General Fund
and. coupled with which. the Legis-
lature to provide for she creation Of
a State.Tax Commission to readjus
and. equalize property valuations
throughout the State: depending
on such commission to bring about
a substantial increase in .he az.
gregate value Of the taxable pro-
perty of the State through such
rcadjustment and equalization.
mead not more than call at
tention to the fact that taxation is
di stinctly a business proposition,
and that the alignment Of the
public for or against any existing
or proposed system Of taxation is
not on political lines but very pro-
n~ouncedly accordingly as it affects
the pocketbook Of each citizen.
The last session of the Assem- bly,
showed no dividion on party lines