The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-09-12


shall the licenses provided for in thi
| section be levied unless the genera
| property tax of each taxing locality
when exercised to sixty per cent of il
limit. shall not be sufficient to pay tn
| expenses of its government. When
| ever a municipal license equals the Ii
| cense levied By the parish, only thu
municipal license shall be due and col
| lectible.
Article V.
l. All assessments of property fol
| State purposes shall be made by
| State Tax Commission, composed o
! three members To be elected, not latel
than July LIST, 1913. by Board com
| posed of the Governor, the State Au
| ditor and the State Treasurer from
among the qualified electors of the re
| spectlve Railroad Commission Dis
| tricts. as constituted at this date, ant
| they shall not be subject to remoVa
except for the causes and in the man
| ner provided for the removal OF dis
| trict judges.
! siOners shall be for two. four and siN
years. The period each is to Serv,
| shall be determined by lot. At the eX.
piration of such terms. election shall
be for the period Of sin years; anC
commissioners shall be elected and va
cancieS filled for any uneXpired term
by the qualified electors of the respec-
tive Railroad Commission Districts a
in this State the first Tuesday after
the first Monday i'll November every
two years; and at the said cOngressiOn-
al election held just prior TO the eX-
pIration Of their respective terms.
3. The Commission shall maintain
an office and have its domicile at Ba-
ton Rouge. and the members shall re-
side in Baton Rouge and devote their
time exclusively to the discharge oi
their duties.
4. They shall each receive a salary
of Five Thousand Dollars per annum
beginning January !, 1914, and their
travelling expenses, not exceeding a
maximum amount to be fixed from time
TO time by the General Assembly, an
itemiZed account of which shall be
rendered in an annual report.
5. The chairman of the first Com
mission shall be named by the APP
pointing Board and serve until the eN-
piration of his term of office, and there
after the Commission shall select Its
own chairman.
6. The Commission and the individ-
ual members thereof shall perform such
duties in respect to assessment and tax
alton as are herein prescribed, anu
such other and further duties as the
General Assembly may from time TO
time prescribe.
Z. The General Assembly shall pro-
vide said Commission with an adequate
clerical force.
8. The Commission shall have pow
er to adopt and enforce such reason
able rules. regulations, ana modes OF
procedure. not inconsistent with law.
as il may deem proper for the dis
charge of its duties, and to hear ana
determine complaints that may be made
act, required or authorized by law.
3. The Commission shall have pow
er to summon and compel the attend
ance of witnesses, to swear Witnesses
and papers, to take testimony under
commission, and to punish for con-
tempt, as fully as is provided by law
for the district courts. The General
Assembly may provide other penalties
for violating the orders of the Com
mission. ~
10. IL any person, firm, association
or corporation shall be dissatisfied win
the assessment made or action taken
by the Commission, such party may
file a petition setting forth the cause
of objection to such assessment or &C
ton of the Commission or TO either OF
both in a Court of competent 1urlsdlc-
ton, at the domicile of the Commls-
sion against said Commission as de-
PENDANT Either party may appear 10
the Supreme Court of the state with
out regard to the amount involved;
such appeals to be returnable wlthlh
ten days after the date that the 1eci-
sion of the lower Court becomes hhal;
All such cases. both in the trial and
appellate court, shall be tried sum
marily, and by preference over all othef
cases Such cases may be tried In the
court of the first instance either In
chambers or at term time.
ii. No bond shall be required of said
Commission in any case In any court,
nor shall advance costs, or security
for costs. be required of it.
70 1t shall be the duty or the Attor-
new General and the various district
ATTORNEYS on proper request or dlrec-
ton by the Commission or the HoNerniI
or. to aid the said Commission IN an
legal matters, and to prosecute and
defend all cases in accordance Win
such requests and directions A 1aliure
on the part of such law off1cers, Wneh
so requested or directed 10 perform un9
duties here imposed upon them, snail
constitute misfeasance in office.
Article VI
l. After January LIST, 1914. all as
sessments for all State purposes; eh
cept as hereinafter provided, shall De
completed on or before April ISL IN
each year, and the taxes shall become
due and payable on the first Monday
in June of each year. and sh Mnrd 1
in September in each year. Each par
ish and municipality shall nave the
right to fix the date for the cohpie-
tion of its local assessments, anu sne
payment of its local taxes and licenses
and special, until otherWise
by the General Assembly.
Until otherwise provided, existing laws
on these SUBJECTS eSHdii NC OPS
Levee district taxes and forced CON
exclusive OF produce taxes
shall be assessed and become delin-
ouent coincidentally with parish taxes;
2. Public service corporations shali
be assessed on their physical property
and on their franchises separately, pu'
the General Assembly shall nave pow
er to direct the Tax Commission 10
assess the property OF such corpora
lions at a valuation including poth
physical property and franchises, 10 pe
by gross receipts, OF pS
dividends on stocks and interest paiu
on bonded debt. or by any other avail
able method.
3. Incorporated banks shall be as
sessed by assessing the stockholders on
the book value of the stock, l. e., capl-
tai stock, surplus and undivided prof.
its less the assessed value OF real eS,
tate locally assessed and taxed, ana
less such further deductions OF not less
than five per cent on their loans anu
earned interest as the General AS
sembly may prescribe, when dedue-
ton shall be made only from their
surplus and undivided profits; all taxes
to be paid by the banks and charged
to the stockholders.
4. Individual bankers, banking firms
and unincorporated banking associa-
assessed on the amount of capital, sur
plus and undivided profits actually en-
nloyed in their business, less the as
sessed value of real estate locally as
sessed and taxed. actually and eXclu-
sively used and employed in their bust
ness. and less such further deductions
not less than five per cent on their
loans and discounts to cover bad debts
and unearned interest as the Genera
Assembly may prescribe. which deduc-