Our land = La Nostra terra. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 191?-1913, 1913-05-10
MADISON NEWS

Iner evidence OF Lne desire OF this lie
gislature to keep the welfare of north.
ern Wisconsin in view is the passage
of the bill introduced by Senator Tom,
kins, which changes the system of tax
ing logs.
incidentally the Tomkins measure
which insures full payment of taxes BY
the lumber companies, has aroused tht
ire of that industry and now there i,
organized effort being made to pass :
measure revoking the new law and re-
placing the old, the one by which tbs
lumber companies are alleged to have
evaded taxation.
Under the old system, logs, no mat.
ter where they were. were on May !
taxed as manufactured product and the
assessment made that the town, city OF
village ia which the mill was located.
This system, it is maintained. besides
furnishing opportunity for the lumber
companies to evade taxation by simply
disclaiming ownership of logs, in other
taxing districts where they could not
be discovered by the assessor. took hun
dreds and thousand of dollars in taxes
from the town where the logs were cut
and received on May |.
Under the new laws logs are taxed
or May l at any the place they are cut
if. still there, regardless of where the
mill is located and greatly to the bene-
fit of the northern towns and counties
where numbering is still main induz-
try.
The measure met with strong opposi-
ton from the lumber interests, but
went through the senate with but six
votes opposing, while in the assembly
the opposition, ON the floor. was small.
Worsted in their efforts to kill the
measure the lumber interests, it is
claimed, have taken a different method
to secure a return to the old and alleg-
ed unjust system by drafting a new
bill, the effect of which claim, friends
Of the Tomkins law, would be to kill
the new measure and restore the Old
form Of taxing legs.
The division of the tax receipts from
interurbau railways sitxy-fve per cent.
to the town through which the road
twenty per cent to the counties, and
runs, fifteen per cent, to the state is
provided in bill that has passed the
assembly.
Madison Wis. May Special The re-
port Of the tax commission this year,
shows the income tax to a success and
a source of big revenue to the state Of
Wisconsin.
According to estimates of the COM
mission. the cash collected by the state
during the first year of the administra
ton of the new law will not be less
than 81, 700, 900. This is based on COM
plete returns from all but one or two
counties and is reasonably exact.
The howl Of the stalwart Democrats
in the fall compaign, that the income
tax was a farce because the cost of ad-
minstration would eat up TIE receipts
is entirely repudlated by the figures of
the tax commi n The expense Of
a1mirist alton was $94, 832 20 Of which
amount S69. 433. 05 was incurred on ac-
count Of local Offices If assessors Of in
comes. In this connection, the commits
sion notes that the supervisors OF asses
snent, when the income assessors su-
persede, cost $50, 600 a year Of which
the counties now are almost entirely
relieved.
The i1c ome tax asse ssed for 1912 was
S.. .472, $50. 65. of this 81, ,432, 700 is esti-
mated to have been off set by personal
property tax receipts $411. 862.94 re-
mains due on delinquint rolls and
S., ,628. 1877. 72 has actually been paid in
to the various local treasures and the
state treasury. Of the 81, $50. 317.71 the
state has received $162. .831. IS. or ten
per cent. The remainder goes to the
local districts and counties.
MiIwauke ee county, of course, Pays
the larl e t tax. The amount assessed
was 81, l,479. 456.20 The counties follow.
ilg next in rank for amount Of taxes
assessed are Douglas, with total assess
ment If S117152.34; Racine $150 sol 81
Kenosha sl23 2l8 81; Winnebago SIl3.
724.62 Dane Sill 25l16
UNLIMITED SESSIONS BEST.
The senate by vote of two to enc
refused to consur in the resolution a
meuding the constitution to limit the
length Of legislative sessions. The dis
cussion Of the resolution brought. out
spirited debate on the floor of the Sc
nate Partly and factional lines were
lost sight Of. Opponents Of the resolu-
tion pointed out that the longest ses-
sion on record only cost the people Of
the state ten cents per capita, anl
since the members received stip1lat-
ed salary for the session and the paint
. ing is little effected by the length Of