Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1913-02-13


from the viewpoint Of the farmer,
business man and auto owner, and
the speaker particularly decried the
present system of small divided ex-
penditures in which the approximate
100000 license fees were scattered,
5000 to county, and there practi-
cally thrown away. Governor Han
ma suggested that the SO license be
increased to IS, bringing in $780,
900 annually the next - years,
and this money spent directly on
trunk lines, later to be connected by
feeders. The governor suggested
that the constitution be amended
to allow an issue of 100000 road
bonds. This would take about six
years, coming before two legisla-
lures and finally to the people for
ratification. There Is $1,O00,0ON
in the school and institution fund
of North Dakota, now uninvested.
that could he used. At per cent.
$4,000 would accrue annually to-
pay interest upon the bonds; $780,
600 annually would retire the same.
In 16 years the bond issue would be
retired, and the people would never
have felt the cost, while in the
meantime they would have enjoyed
the benefits of a fine system of roads,
Gov. Hanna said that it cost the
farmer on the ordinary road as much
to haul a bushel of wheat Is miles:
as it did the railroad to haul bush
ell from jamestown to Duluth. But
good roads cannot be built by the
present expenditure of $500 or
5000 frittered away in each county.
The agricultural department at
Washington for the past four years
has been receiving good roads bills
and boiling down each measure un-
til the best only remains. One fea-
ture is that the government pay each
state SIS per mile for each dirt road
road used by rural routes.
The speaker told of the good work
done by the Fargo Road association.
His suggestion that convict labor, as
in Colorado and Oregon, be en-.
ployed in road making in North Da-
kota, met with applause.
p The matter of the better account
ing in every Office from the county
commissioners to the governor, was
urged, and needed, he added, for in
one instance the $21, $4,000 in COM
mon school fund has never been
checked back for over % years.
These remarks of the governor were
applauded by the county auditors and
commissioners.
During his speech Tuesday be-
fore the county commissioners con-
vention, Governor Hanna urged re-
form in the expenditures of morev
raised by taxation, and he said he
intended to apply the same econonl-
ical business methods at the state
capitol, that had been pounded into
him by North Dakota and North Ia
kotans during 25 or more years of
active business life, at which state
ment the audience signified their
approval.
He found, upon looking up the to-
tai tax paid by the people of North
Dakota in 1900, for state, city, coun-
ty, school and township taxes, ETC.,
exclusive of sewer, water, and other
special levies. was s3,3OO,OOO. The
POPULATION was then approximately
100000. In 1911, the population
had increased "a per cent, or to be-
tween 100000 and 100000, but in
the same period the taxes paid by
the people, not including the special
taxes, had increased 27O per cent, or
to $11,3OO,OOO. No wonder the
people ask II the business of the
0LdIC duU OOuuk1V6 I'D NOAuuSSON ss0
carefully and economically as possi-'
BILE.
He said that 20 per cent of the
taxes Of the state came from the
land. In 1911 the people Of the
state raised over $11,O00,0O0 in
taxes. There are approximately
100000 in the state, but this num-
ber must be cut in two to determine
the number Of taxpayers, and then
it must be reduced to take out the
children and others who are not
actual taxpayers. There are prac-
tically 100000 voters in the state
who pay the taxes. We must re-
member that all our institutions,
our oficials' salaries, our expenses
for state, county and city govern
ment, have to be paid by these COM
paratively small number Of people.
TIA halovn6 r<hak ~ UNA time tn