Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-03-20
WHAT CAUSES
HIGH TAXES
Commissioner Fishel Shows
to What Causes the Increase
Of This Year is Due
SPEEDED UP TO FAST
Largely Due to State Law,
Schools and Roads. Must
Spend Les. Money

County Commissioner Fishel. in q
letter to the Washingtonian, throws
light on the subject Of high taxes, and
shows who causes them. Mr.. Fishel
says:
$50 much has been said on the sub.
ject of taxation feel it duty owe
to the public as one member of a
taxing body to add just few short
statements on the subject.
First, Why are taxes so much
higher this year than last? The
principal reason lies in the fact that
the general road and bridge fund of
the county has for the past five years
gone steadily in debt, until on Jan.
l, 1913. it was about $4,000 in debt
Our last legislature decided that this
was bad practice and passed a law
requiring the county commissioners
to make a levy of mills annually, or
so much thereof as might be neces-
sary, to pay off these outstanding war.
rants, and further provides that we
shall not expend to exceed 80 per.
cent of the amount levied for general
road and bridge or road districts un-
less the cash is in the treasury.
1T will therefore be readily seen
that we could not figure on going in
debt at the close of the year to keep
up repairs OH our roads, but that we
must make provision therefor in the
budget, which we did. The actual
amount levied for use in the general
road and bridge fund for the year
1913 is 100000 against $125,00o for
the year 1912. The balance, or $780,
900 is for the special Indebtedness
fund and can not be used for any
purpose other than paying of the out
standing warrant Indebtedness of the
general road and bridge fund.
Cause 2-Applies only to those
school districts which needed or
wanted improvements. School dis
trict No. 20. Hoquiam. made an es-
innate for 1913 which required a levy
of S.45 mills as against 3.77 mills for
1912. School districts numbered 5, 9,
10, IA, 16, 10, q and 70, have an in.
crease in their levies of from two to
IA mills compare your 1912 and 1913
statements); total amount raised from
192,915.45 in 1912 to $241.689.24.
cause 3-POrt of Grays Harbor
levy raised from is in 1912 to 2
mills in 1918. or raise from $4S,901.-
"a to $6S,61O.66.
Cause 4-Comes from state general
fund having been raised from $43,825.-
81 in 1912 to $1OS, S,4O4S4 in 1918.
cause 5-Comes from the public
highway fund having been raised from
53,3875S to $100,171.55.
1.-The above items show total in
crease of a little over $350.O00. The
grand total levied for all purposes,
state and county. for 1912 is s1,17S,
217.24, for 1913 it is $1,516,115.95, or
an increase of 1887 7,90S.71.
BY a careful comparison Of the
above figures it will be seen that I
have accounted for more than the in.
creased levy amounts to.
Suggestions to the tax payer-If
you want your road district levy low.
cred next year notify the commission.
er of your district. If you want the
general road and bridge levy reduced
notify the board of county commits
sioners in a body. If you want your
harbor improvements lowered, notify
the port commissioners. If you
want the district school levy lowered,
notify your board of directors. If you
want your state taxes lowered notify
your representative in the legislature.
"In conclusion l want to compli'
ment the two gentlemen who recently
took opposite views as to where to
commence to cut down the taxes. One
said commence at Olympia, the other
said commence at home. And I say
you are both right. Let's commence
all along the line as suggested above
EARNEST E. FISHEL.