The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1912-08-03
news OF LOUISIANA
State Tax Commission Consid-
ering Means Of Raising
State;Revenue.
SULPHUR IS uNDERvALuED
Evidence lntroducedsto Show That
Assessnentof industfg II Too

western Newspaper Union News Seryece.
Baton Rouge-The legislative tax
revision commission for Louisiana,
created by the legislatruee of 1912, has
begun its labors. 1t was called to order
in the senate chamber by Gov. l.. E.
Hall, who briefly presented the vital
purposes for which it had been called,
with % members present.
Edgar H. Farrar, OF New Orleans,
was elected chairman, and David
Blackshear, who served as secretary
of the Blanchard Farrar commission in
1906, was named as secretary over A.
B. Booth.
BY vote of Is to 13 the commission
refused to move to New Orleans to
hold its sessions, but not until it had
at first tied on the question, with the
chairman already voting.
A general plan Of tax revision for
Louisiana is being worked out
by members of the commission, which
proposes to tax railroads, public serv-
ice corporations, insurance companies
and possibly banks, which, together
government; deficiencies will be made
up from the parishes, based on popu-
lation.
Twenty parishes under this plan
would be forced to put up a little more
than at present: all other parishes
| would save money, the parish of Or
leans saving abou@ 100000 per year.
Information was unearthed in the
| tax commission committee on new and
| miscellaneous sources of taxation rela-
| tive to the vast sulphur mine deposits
| in Calcasieu parish surprise which
will prabably lead to the state slap
| ping a tax on this mineral wealth that
will yield around $156,0OO in state
revenues annually, instead of some
! $4,000, which they are said to be pay
ing now.
Affidayits were produced from the
! Ii-ee5sszssefyaN Ns comm sssiols and read be:
fore the committee which showed the
gross income from the Calcasieu sui
phur mines to be $5.5S2,430 and net
revenue of $5,211,044 per year. It is
now assessed at something like ST.
100000, although there has been con-
tinual and perpetual war between the
police jury of Calcasieu and the state
board of equalization over the Union
Sulphur Company's assessment.
| The sworn statement showed that
the sulphur company had marketed
| 256,99O tons of sulphur last year.
II cannot understand why they
should not stand per cent state
tax" argued Chairman Robert B. But
ler, of the committee.
Instead of being assessed at 81,
5O,000,OO0," insisted J. E. Clayton.
Senator Leon r. Smith figured it out
that under the natural resources aci
a state revenue of approximately SIG,
900.
"It ought to be $156,000," insisted
Mr. Butler, (which 3 per cent woule
yie1d''
This rich discovery came up during
the discussion on Favrot's resolution
to levy state tax on mineral re
sources of the state.
The whole matter went to sub
committee, Messrs. We'll. Thomas ant
Loomis, and they reported the fol
lowing proposed state tax on minera
resources of the state:
Sulphur, 3 per cent; salt, 2 per cent
Oil and gas, l IL per cent.
Exemptions of residences actually
occupied by the owners came up un
der the Johnson resolution, and thu
committee agreed on $4,000 exemption
from taxation on every home as {
stimulant to poor people to built
homes.
"All these amendments must be ap
proved by vote of the people" de
clared j E. Clayton, ''and l tell yol
this home exemption will do more tt
finding favor with the great mass o
the common people than anything
else,