The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-20

City School ......,......... 9.5 90
In view of the fact that the valua"
tion OF this county (including tho city)
on the assessment roll of the current
year is some $6,000,000 above the yalu-
alton Of last year, it will be seen that
the amount of taxes to be paid will be
considerable in excess OF last year 3
taxation.
The school district comprising this
city decreases its tax levy one-tenth of
a mill. But the amount OF school taxes
to be paid will be considerably in ex'
cess of the amount paid last year, in
spite OF this increase, because OF the
increased assessments.
The municipal taxation remains as
before, the City Commissioners holding
that the amount of money which they
get viii even thus hardly suffice TO keep
public improvements going and to meet
the requirements of the growth of this
city Every one understands that a
growing city has TO meet additional ex-
penses year by year, and so, in gen.
eral way, the claim Of the City Com
missioners must be allowed.
The county decrease in rate is .365
mill, but by reason Of the great in
crease in the assessment valuations OF
the county, this lowered rate does not
lower the taxation, but on the con-
trary increases it, for the county will
receive on this account somewhat
more than It received last year. Last
year, on county assessed valuation of
Tin round numbers) $S4,oo0,00o with q
rate Of 5.565 mills, the tax would
amount to S467 AGO. This year, with q
valuation on the assessment roll Of $780,
| 000,0 900, in round numbers, and q coun-
ty tax rate Of SO mills, the taxation
Will amount to $46s,o0o. This is an in
must put up, of $40. So that the
claim OF reduced taxation in this coun-
ty is mere sham The rate is re-
duced a trihe, to be sure, but the sum
of taxes TO be paid is increased, not re-
duced AS we have stated heretofore, the
county is the only taxing unit which
we have that always has money to
spare, so much that it does not know
what to do with it. Last year it put
up an enormous county hospital, which
was clear waste of money, the struc-
| ture being built for no other reason ap-
parently than that tho county had an
| immense sum of money on hand that
the commissioners did not know how
otherwise TO spend, and SO they put up
this needless building, the upkeep Of
which will be greater yearly by far
than the whole cost of the treatment
Of county patients at hospitals in this
city.
The State levy will probably be In
creased onehalf mill to meet the ap-
| propriations of the Legislature, as the
revenues Of the State on last year g
rate will not be sufficient to square the
biennial account.
We note that the Smoot organ, in a
fl OF almost alive alertness, yesterday
usual railing against The Tribune,
which we don Z mind a bit. But where
it makes n hurrah and foolish boast
about the reduced county taxation and
undertakes to found thereon n malicious
and mean partisan political assault
upon the city and the State for not
reducing taxation, it is due to say
there is, in fact, no reduc-
tion in taxation on the part
Of the county. The tax rate, to be sure,
is lower by little more than one-third
Of n mill, but, as stated, by reason Of
the increased valuation on the assess
ment roll the taxpayers will pay on
this account more money than they
paid last year, in county taxes. And
this is hailed by the Smoot organ as
decrease in taxation
There is no doubt that, speaking gen
orally, in public affairs hero as else.
where, and as conspicuously brought to
public notice by Senator Aldrich when
he stated that the public business OF
the United States could be conducted
at cost of s3OO,O0O,oo less than il
is at present, to say that popular gov,
ernment is costly, is a fair statement
1t has frequently been remarked by
publicists that popular government is
generally the most expensive in the
world. but in the long run it pays the
people to keep their affairs in their
own hands, rather than TO surrender
the control to despotic interests for the
mere purpose of saving money in tax.
alton. And so, while popular liberty
IS great thing in and Of itself, it al.
= ways, and Of seeming necessity, costs
q a great deal of extra money.
I So far as the State is concerned, The
t appropriations by the late Legislature
2 viii call for all the money that an
3 eight-mill tax, added to the other reve
t nues, viii produce.
+ The city should show results for The
e money in growth and in public i'm