Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-11-08

give eAdCl ueuIcs anu nave concrete i
example, it win be necessary to take
a typical farm in some portion OF the
central west, and apply the two plans |
to that farm. AS the figures are at |
hand. the writer. selects an average
farm in the corn. belt Of Illinois. |
There is no reason why this farm
should be taken in preference to a
iarm in any other state, except that
mere complete data is at hand hence
il will be used. The same plan will
apply with slight variations to other
farms in other states, the owners Of
which, by getting the assessed valua.
ton Of their township and state. can
figure out and ascertain each for him.
self Just what the effect will be upon
his. farm.
The assessed valuation Of an aver
age $50 acre farm In the corn belt of
Illinois is about $4,000. Suppose the
township, Of which this is a part, has
an assessed valuation Of, say, $780, !
GEO and is out Of debt BY the old
plan. suppose there is an annual TAX
levy for ten years Of go cents on one
hundred dollars. This will produce
$4,000 per year, and in ten years will
total $4,000. This money spent un.
der average local conditions means
that about half of II will be wasted.
and tie farm in question will have to
pay each year sixty cents on thirty
hundred dollars or $500 per year
The net result Of this expenditure
will be the paying out Of $4,000 du.
ring ten years, and probably will pro-
duce not much over $4,000 worth OF
roads at what they ought to cost.
Suppose the new plan is adopted, by
issuing bonds to the full constitutional
limit of per cent, paying the same
of in installments spread over TWEEN.
ty years, and letting the next genera
ton, who will use the roads, help to
nay for them. The bond limit on the
township in question is 100000, Of
which exactly $4,000 rests upon the
farm in question, to be paid OF one.
twentieth each year, or $3.50 on ac-
count Of principal each year for
twenty years. Interest of course will
be paid annually, but will decrease as
the bonds are paid off. The first years
interest will be per cent on $4,000,
or $3.50. Add $3.50 on account OF
principal, and the first years payment
on this farm for good roads is $500.
The tenth year one-half Of the bonds
will be paid of, and the interest will
drop to s9.75, so that that year the
tax will be SLIPS. The last years
payment win be $3.50 on account Of
principal and 80 cents on account
Of interest making a total Of s7.SS.
Thirty thousand dollars Of bond is.
sue will build far more and far bet.
ter roads on a general contract, than
$4,000 spent in ten years on a patch
work plan, and the cost to the tar
payer will be considerably less as
well.
Now, let Us suppose that Illinois
had, as 1t surely needs, an up-to-dat,
state aid law, whereby one-half the
amount required for building perma
nent roads should be paid from {
state tax levy. II this condition OBJ
tanned, then the township in question
could after raising $4,000, draw $50,
900 more from the state, and expent
$4,000 upon highways in their town
ship. In Illinois less than one-thirt
the property Of the state Is represent
ed by farms, so the state tax will b.
spread over an immeasurably create
amount Of property. A tax Of tel
cents on one hundred dollars for tn
state, will produce nearly $500, 900
year, and the state aid tax upon tn
, farm in question will be $500 per yea
, in order to raise the second $4,000
, This state tax would add $500 to tn
tax bill of the farm in question, so tn
maximum amount per year, II 5000
were expended upon the roads Of tn
township would be $500 per year
less than IL cents per acre per veal
! and take II for a series Of years, any
! one who can figure at all, will see tina
the cost to that community, sprea
over series Of years, will be eve
less under the bond contract plan, an
that they can get. by the new plar
; about three times as much road a
they would upon the old. In handlin
: road building in this big way, It wi
!, give an early and practical solution {
the good roads problem, vastly bette
and more effective than to pass tn