Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-25

Total Levy ..............4.00
The total levy that can be made
under the State Constitution, and as
the state supreme court has hello to
be correct, being 4 mills.
Halt Must Be Called.
Now it must be apparent to every.
one that if the legislature shall make
and continue to make so-called mill
leyies for specific purposes and there
by cut down the levy that a be
made for the general fund, and shall
also continue to make appropriations
from the general fund. the fund that
must maintain and support the state
government, that there must come a
time, and that time has arrived, Wheil
a halt must be called.
There has been no thought on the
part Of the state board Of equaliZa'
ton. or any member Of it, to harm
any educational institution. but there
has been the thought that they, the
educational institutions, should ran
with more economy than they do,
that they should curtail expenses and
stand their part of the policy Of re-
.trenchment and care In expenditures,
the policy that is required Of other
branches Of the state government, aad
that has to be p~racticed by the great
majority Of the tax payers OF the
state.
Increase Assessment 80 1.3 Per Cent.
To raise this shortage in the ger"
cral fund Of the state, of approx
mately $4,000 00, would require under
the three mill levy for the general
fund an increase in the assessed val
uation of the property of the state by
one hundred millions of dollars. AS
the assessed value of the state is
aow a little over 300 millions, it would
mean to increase the assessment
80 l3 per cent. Every farmer and
up one-third. 1t would increase the
county officers salaries in over 40
counties of the state by many thOus-
ands of dollars, as county officers sal
aries are based on the assessed Valu-
alton Of their counties. 1t would in
crease the money taken from the peo-
pie under the Educational Mill tax
and the other mill tax levies by $780,.
600. 1t would also raise the debt linn
it of villages, cities and school dis
tricts in a dangerous degree. The
board felt that the right thing to do
was to levy the 4 mills as provided
by the State Constitution, to levy
mills for the general fund and to di.
vide the / mill remaining pro rata
among the various institutions and
funds operating under the mill levies
and this they did. They felt that it
was not wise to raise the assessed
valuation OF the property of the state
until the legislature had first had the
opportunity to readjust the county OF
ficers' salaries and the debt limit, OF
towns, cities and school districts.
They felt that farming conditions and
business generally was not such as
to warrant laying a heavy additional
burden upon the people of the state
The reports as made by the various
educational institutions show thai
they received large sums OF money
from various sources and that these
amounts included the mill tax and
also included large sums from inter
est anu luCOlilc, lIOlH ldIQo dllu ld4uS
sold belonging to the various institu
tons, from fees charged to students
from boarding fees, from appropria
ftions from the general fund for main
tenance, from appropriations from The
general fund for buildings and equip
ment, repairs and supplies, and in ths
case Of the Agricultural college large
sums of money received from the
federal government. A definite state
ment, if desired, as to all Of these
figures can be had from the Cover
'nor's office, from reports made Sep
TENDER l. 1914, by the various insti
tutiOns.
Now, just a word as to the esti!nat
ed overdraft land remember they
have been paid from the general
fund and are not outstanding il the
way of bills in some of the appro
priations.
Pen Costs More Money.
First, Penitentiary. The state pen