The Alaska daily empire., 1913-03-03
Governors Message to
 First Alaska Legislature
(continued from Page 1l

local taxation, that a proper ratio be maintained between gross revenue and cost of collection, for if the cost is excessive. the tax is, to the extent of that excess, an excessive and un' just tax. The question of an eco nomical system of assessing, equal i2ing and collecting taxes in Ter ritory as large as this and in which the means of communication are so slow and expensive, is one of the most difficult problems with which you will have to deal.
 The present taxable resources are not large enough. in my opinion. to warrant the passage of any legisla- ton for public works greatly as these are needed We must still depend al- most or quite exclusively upon the monies of the Alaska Fund, and such appropriations as may be made by Congress, for the purposes of road and trail building-unless certain special provision for supplementary work be made through the enactment of a law not calling for the imposition of taxes. | shall discuss this proposed law later in this message The amount of reye' pues to be raised in the next two years should be limited to the actual cost of administering such laws as may be enacted by the Assembly at this session. Several of these, which have been the subject of widespread dis. cussion throughout the Territory, are badly needed. but with possibly one or two exceptions they will require only an inconsiderable expenditure of public money
 For the period of four years prior to 1912. the average annual receipts from taxes and licenses of every de scription in Alaska, exclusive only of customs and internal revenue collec tions. but inclusive even of the locaI property taxes collected by the incor porated towns, were only $S5S,5OSI5 This statement. taken in connection with our common knowledge that in many instances property in Alaska is already sufficiently taxed, readily sug gests the comparative paucity Of sources of further revenue. I can not forbear. at this juncure, to remind YOU that. while our Territory has been sadly neglected by many Federal Con crosses in that some of our most vital needs have not been supplied, the to- tai disbursements of public money for the support of the government in this Territory reach approximately $4,OOO, OOO per annnum. or more than ten times the amount of the local tax and license monies. This is mentioned so that we may not fail 10 consider. first, our inability a; pres ent to support ourselves, and. sec ond, the need of uniting in memor ials to Congress for such national leg islation for Alaska as will speedily render our great natural resources pro ductive. and therefore sources oi available wealth for the whole people and the purposes of a better govern ment
 There are wanting in Alaska sever al provisions of law which are afforded in some form probably in every other civilized territory in the world. These may readily be enacted by the present Assembly some of these were passed by the United States Senate last year but were not acted upon by the House of Representatives. Among the first in importance is a law for the super vision of banks and banking, other than national associations. The ab sence of any restrictions, even of a requirement. for simple periodical eX animation by government officers, has caused depositors and shareholders to suffer in several conspicuous in stances. The lesson has been sutti' ciently impressed. We should not wait for further costly repetition. In my annual report to the Secretary of the Interior for the years 1911 and 1912, the following remarks were sub' mited:
 "There is no law especially ap-