The Natchitoches enterprise. (Natchitoches, La.) 1888-1965, 1912-10-24

I
| tatives.
| Approved: August oath, 1912.
| L. F. HALL.
Governor of the State of Louisiana.
| A true copy:
| ALVIN f. HEBERT.
| Secretary of State
ACT No ~.
House Bill No. e. By Mr.. Roberts
Joint resolution submitting to the peo-
| pie Of Louisiana an amendment to the
| Constitution reorganizing and remodeline
alton.
eral Assembly of the State of Louisiana.
| two thirds of all the members elected
to each House concurring, That the fol-
lowing amendment to the Constitution OF
the State of Louisiana he and the same
tors of the State at the Congressional
election to be held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday In the month of
November, in the year 1912, to-wit:
| Article ].
l. The taxing power shall be exer-
cised by the State and by it's subdivis-
ions for public purposes only,
e. The taxing power shall never be
surrendered suspended, given, cemmu-
ted or contracted away; but where par
ishes or municipal corporations shall
grant exemptions from parish or NUM-
cipal taxes for a period not to exceed ten
years from date of completion to en-
courage the establishment of industrial
enterprises, or a similar exemption to i'm
migrants Of the value added by them to
vacant property owned and occupied as a
homestead, such exemptions shall not be
withdrawn either as to enterprises eS-
tablished or substantially begun in good
faith, or to immigrants who have actu-
ally acquired and improved or In good
faith begun to improve their homesteads,
since the granting of the exemption. The
General Assembly on behalf of the State,
and the governing authorities OF all sub
divisions of the State on behalf of such
subdivision may defer for not more than
three years the collection of taxes in To-
calities subjected to overflow or other
public calamity.
8. The General Assembly shall have
power to classify all property for taxa
ton, and to adopt different rules and
rates for different classes, but such rules
All subjects ef the same class throughout
the territorial limits of the authority
levying the tax. All such classifcations
shall be based on the characteristics of
the property itself or its use, and never
on persons or ownership.
4. Except In case of foreign invasion
or domestic revolution, the General AS
sembly shall net have power to levy
four per cent; but the General Assembly
shall not exceed the rate of two and one
half per cent except by vote of two
thirds of all the members elected to each
house thereof.
Article II.
l. The sources of State and local rev.
enue shall be segregated and, except as
hereinafter specified, or as may be here
after permitted by a vote of two-thirds
Of all the members elected to each House
of the General Assembly, each taxing
authority shall be restricted in taxation
to its own sources of revenue as herein
assigned
O. Until otherwise provided by a vote
Of two-thirds of all the members elected
-
the following shall be the sources of
State revenue:
1st. The special taxes hereinafter pro-
2nd. All corporations, private persons
and unincorPerated associations that OPP
crate any railroad falling under the juris-
diction of the Railroad Commission Of
Louisiana aro. se end ancfrfc g combined
power business heating or refrigeration
plant (not inclusive of cold storage
plant): telephone line; telegraph line,
whether wireless or otherwise; express
line. dining car sleeping car, oil car, re-
frigerating car. or cars for any other pur-
pose operating upon railroads In this
state; steamboat, motor boat, steamship,
ferry. barge, and tug. or other water
craft where operated for hire. canal for
trar -nortation or irrigation, and pipe line
for oil or gas. When the electric light
and power business conducted in con-
junction with any street railroad can be
practically severed from the street rail-
road business for purposes of assessment
then such severance shall be made by
the Tax Commission and such electric
light and power business shall not be a
source of State revenue.
Bird. All banks, State and National,
including savings banks. trust banks and
trust companies. and all private bankers,
whether individuals or partnerships, save
that the real estate of all banks and
bankers shall be locally assessed and
taxed. The assessments of the real
49, l-1l1
eaualized annually by the Tax Commits
sion to the basis established and in vogue
in each locality where such real estate
is located.
ing bonding and surety companies, for
eign or domestic, and all persons and
partnerships engaged in insuring persons
or property, save that all the real estate
and corporal property of such companies.
persons or partnerships shall be locally
and taxed.
9Th. All sugar refineries, rice mills, l
cotton seed oil mills, cotton seed oil re-
nnerses and refneries Of petroleum and
its products. A sugar refinery is hereby
defined to be concern that buys and re-
fines raw sugar exclusively, or a concern
that buys and ref1nes more raw sugar
than the aggregate of the sugar produced |
by 1t from cane grown and purchased by
1t.
9Th. All mines of sulphur salt or other |
all oil or gas wells, all stone |
quarries, sand, gravel and shell pits.
8. Only the operative property of State |
sources of revenue shall be segregated to |
the State. The General Assembly shall |
define, in manner not inconsistent with |
any provisions of this amendment what |
the operative property of each such |
source is. Real estate and the improve /
ments thereon forming part of any rail- !
road terminal depot or yard or ware |
house or shop, acquired after July ], |
1912 even though It may form part of!
the operative property Of any railroad, /
shall not be considered a source of State |
revenue except by constitutional amend
ment. unless such property had been, |
prior to said date, part Of a railroad ter
mfnai, depot. yard, warehouse or shop
f. All other property subject to taxa
ion, except as herein specified, or excert |
as may hereafter be directed by a vote |
81 thirds Of all the members elected
10 each house of the General Assembly
shall be sources Of local taxation.
Article ill.
The General Assembly shall have power
% levy for State purposes the following
special taxesi