The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1913-10-10
WHAT Ais STATE
OF KENTUCKY
Traveller Ascertained Facts
About One Community
CHANGE IN TAX LAWS NEEDED
Why Are 100000 Of kentucky's People
Living in Other states7-A True
Story With a Moral--What Do You
Think About These Conditioner

| Ihink ABOUT These CondItlonsT
A traveller recently, while waiting TO
change cars at a little town in South
eastern Kentucky, had a conversation
with an intelligent business man of the
| place and ascertained the following
facts:
What is your population?" he asked.
About two thousand"
What is your principal Industry"
1--WE have none, unless stores count"
| Have you no factories?"
None except a tombstone maker"
How is your population employed"
We'll, We have ffty-two stores. nine
! hotels and restaurants, two newspa-
pers, one laundry, one photograph gal.
lery and two banks"
"You seem to have good railroad IA.
cllities."
Yes, We have railroads running
north, south, east and west; twenty
six passenger trains in and out every
day and no end OF freight trains"
What does the surrounding country
producer
Coal, timber, clay. stone, corn,
wheat, tobacco, fruit and vegetables.
What becomes OF all these?"
They are shipped to different parts
OF the country"
Has your town Increased in popu.
lation?"
Not much In the past twenty-five
years"
How are your young people EN-.
pIoyed?"
They mostly drift away and get
work in the cities"
'Has y r4"o- ncru-reA - 49,, &c
start few factories and keep them At
nome?''
Yes, 1t has been tried, and we att
one time had commercial club, whose
aim 1t was TO get some factories here,
but they couldn't seem to do any.
thing"
What were the obstacles1"
Well, some people were induced to
come here and found cheap land, cheap
fuel, good shipping facilities, but no
labor, and some of the inquisitive ones
asked about taxes etc. and nothing
came OF It,"
What is the trouble with your
taxes ?"
Well, you see, We have the general
property tax in Kentucky, and when
they were shown the assessors lists
and found they had to pay taxes on
about seventy-fve different kinds OF
property, and all at the same rate, they
ducked"
is this true about the taxes7'
Well. II 10 pretty near the facts.
The city and county and state and
schools all have to be paid. and II a
man starts factory he has to pay on
his machinery. his raw material and
finished goods; his cash and accounts,
and, Of course, on his land and build.
including his watch and stickpin. and,
II he wants to educate his children, he
must pay on the books and plano and
his horse and buggy and almost every.
thing but his shirt. and the trouble is, |
he never knows exactly what his taxes
will be. II he omits any of the seventy
five things the legislature could think
Of and the miscellaneous things he
must think OF himself, there Is the rev.
enue agent who gets a commission on
anything he can find, and then there Is
the county equalization board. which |
scrutinizes his returns and adds what
1t likes, and then the state board at
Era nLf talr NH a.
orally raises the whole list. and It sim !
ply keeps everybody going who has
anything to be taxed"
why don't you change the tax
lavrr' ."
We'll. they put the law relating 70
revenue and taxation in the state con-
sutution. and 1t takes about Ave years
to erecl a change. and it is hard to &c; !
the voters to understand the question
The last legislature passed an amend
ment and 1t will be voted on OF the
November t1s1s) election, and II 1t is
ratified the change will be made"
Il live in Pennsylvania, and every
town in that state az large a. yours ,
has factory OF Some kind. and many
Of them several. They employ the
young men and women and keep them !
and the money they earn at homo. But
here comes my train. and al can say
ID. you people should wake UP, and II
your tar laws are oppressive. change
them, and your state will blossom like
the rose"
well. goodbye. stranger. intend
TO vote for the amendment myseif. aad
may be others win do the senas, u,
can't be any worse than the present
system, and I surely would like to ses
some sfnokestacks booming up In these
parts. Farewell"
FROM REPORT or KENTUCKY
TAX REvieIoN coMMisSioN,
1910.