Weekly journal-miner., 1913-01-15

CT, Room D3, N. B. A. Bldg.
 PHOENIX, Jan. 8.-The State Tax Commission filed its first re- port with Governor Hunt today. The report is for the period between May 18th and December 3lst, 1912. It not only reviews the work ac- complished by the Commission but also outlines the anticipated accom- pIshments. It gives to the public for the first time, the history of the mining conference held in Phoe- nix on October 18th and attended by the Tax Commission, a limited representation of county assessors and supervisors and twenty of the leading mining men of the state.
 An Instructive Conference.
 The report also includes the re- port of Commissioner Zander who attended as a delegate from Arizona, the Sixth National Conference or State and local taxation held at Des Moines in the early part of September of last year. Accoi ding to the report, this conference prov ed highly interesting and instructive. A large proportion of the States were represented and revealed the fact that the tax question was not only the paramount issue in Arizona but throughout the United States. It was generally agreed at the con- ference that those states having tax commissioners were making the greatest progress towards an equi- table and fair assessment of all classes of property.
 Uuges State Control of Revenue.
 In its report the Commission draws the conclusion that State con- trol of revenue machinery will fin ally be the plan adopted by all pro . gressive states. It states where ksuch plan is used the tax rate has Ibeen decreased and total valuations have increased, due in a great part to the additions of property previ- ously escaping taxation.
 People Must Enforce Plan.
 The entire Board of State Com nissioners, according to their re port, believe the best that can be done in Arizona is to first devise a plan as nearly perfect as experience dictates and then charge the vigi- lance of the people to enforce it. The best plant, says the report, must surely have central authority that is responsible generally for everything and then the people will have no difficulty in fixing the blame and acting accordingly. The local assessor should have as large a jur- isdiction as he can administer eff ciently, in order that he may be removed as far as possible from the influences of cliques and he should be a resident of his jurisdiction so that he can be personally familiar with all the property he assesses.
 The local boards of equalization, in the minds of the commission, should be governed by the same condition as the assessor, both are needed because of their knowledge of local property, but they should not exist because of their abuse of that knowe1dge. To prevent this abuse, the commissioners urge a state cort;ol, with the administra- tive off -s in the system all elect ed by the people.
 Producing Mines Problem.
 Naturally the report devotes con siderable space to the subjects of the assessment of producing mines, there being at present no specific law applicable for such, that class of property having become assess able on the ad-velorum basis like all other property in the state not classified by any special act of the legislature when the bullion law was repealed The report reviews the efforts of the Commission to ascer- tain necessary information from the various mining companies of the state which was generally readily furnished. It was not possible, however, to formulate a plan of as sessment entirely satisfactory to all and as a consequence, the mining conference above referred to was arranged for.
 /The conference lasted two days jand resulted in the agreement on , the part of the mining companies to a proposed legislative act which would arrive at the assessed value