The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-10-12

before she parted with one dollars
worth, will be developed and pay thou
sands of dollars per annum into the
State treasury. This amendment is so
worded that the State at any time by
two-t thirds vote of the Legislature can
return to the parish any portion of the
segregated property to be used by them
for local taxing purposes. Now if this
scheme carries, in order that the sher-
ifs and assessors shall not lose one
dollar in commissions, the State agrees
to refund to them every dollar they
lose based on the roll of 1911.
l think heard some one say, "what
will become of our present special tax
EST" We will go right on collecting
them. have already told you how to
get new ones.
In the foregoing have attempted to
show that in the future we will pay
taxes only to ourselves if the new sys-
tenn was adopted, and that we have 16
mills instead of 10 as heretofore to
draw from, which difference makes
gain in Grant of more than SIS, 0O0.00 7
One more idea / forgot, that the par.
ishes are interested in. That is, the
practical passing away of the pernic-
ious system of licenses putting tax
on mans industry or enterprise. The
State will impose no license except on
such business as will fall within the do
main of the police power Il mean sa-
loons.) They cannot impose licenses on
persons engaged in trades, occupations
or callings involving personal labor or
skill-nor on those engaged in industrial
or manufacturing pursuits, whose CAPT.
tai stock or capital and business is less
than 5000. Nor those engaged in agri-
cultural or horticultural pursuits.
As safeguard to the revenues of
the parishes, the power to license GER
tain occupations now taxed by local gov
eminent was allowed to remain, but it
cannot be exercised until the local tax
ing power (police jury or town counciD
have exhausted its other resources on a
basis of 60 per cent.
1t is conceded by well advised think
ers that if the assessment is made geo.
graphically, on basis not greater than
the 1911 assessment, it will produce am
pie revenue without the license tax
Now, the trouble that has brought
about the new system by the State, is
to obtain more revenue for the State,
and after careful thought it is conclud
ed that under the segregation plan that
seventeen enterprises would furnish the
needed revenue. They are, the rail-
roads, telegraphs, telephones, express
and sleeping car companies, banks,
street railroads, canal and pipe lines,
pumping stations, steamboats,, sugar
refineries, petroleum refineries, rice
mills, cotton oil companies, mills, and
railroads taxable in 1914. Then comes
mines, stone quarries, sand and gravel
beds, shale, and oil or gas wells.
The one subject-mines 1t seems
the sulphur output in Calcasieu parish
aggregates more than $780, 900 per
annum. Its output is taxed per cent,
$50, 900. Now; have been asked why
this cannot be done under the old sys-
TEN. Simply because this great mine
of wealth would accrue to Calcasieu
only, while under the segregated idea
it accrues to the whole State, and
through it to all the parishes.
When / speak of sugar refineries, !
do not mean the ordinary refinery, of
which we have in south Louisiana very
many, but factories like Gramacy, that
cost several millions, and are assessed
under the old system for only few
hundred thousand. These under the
new system would be assessed by a
board at Baton Rouge that would con-
slider the cost and assess them on the
same basis as other property of its
kind, say so per cent of its first cost.
1t is this class of property, property
under the old system that escaped tax
alton altogether, that will bring up the
States revenues fully one million more
than the rolls this season will earn.
There are other good things offered
to the parishes, too. My friend Walter
Burke, of New IBERIA proposes an
amendment exempting from taxation
all institutions that will lend money to
the farmer on country farms at six per
cent, and on long terms for less-than
that; my friend, Senator Favrot, offers
an amendment exempting from taxa
ton any money you have in bank; and