The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-14

100000 to miscellaneous expenses. OF
these departments only the legislative,
judiciary and printing and interest
have increased less rapidly than the
population. While the executive ex-
pendltures have increased somewhat
faster than the population; miscel-
laneous expenses have increased four
and a half times as fast; bOunties
have increased seventeen times; ex-
penditures for higher education thirty
two times; aid to common schools 215
times, and the expenses to institutions
other than educational, eight and a
half times. It was quite clear, the
speaker declared, from the increased
expenditures which had been made
since. statehood for educational and
the maintenance for the state institu-
tons, where the increased cost OF
state government wos to be found.
Mr.. Packard's address was reinforce
ed by g. large number of charts, con-
tanning in detail the financial sum
maries presented. For instance, he
divided the expenditures from the
state treasury since statehood FOR
educational purposes and for all other
purposes, n showed that h ratio
of the expenditures for school pur-
poses. to expenditures for all other
pAl . OIL AL -
so per cent, proving thai the state was
spending twice as much in proportion
ON education today, ais it did in 1890,
The increase in expenditures for all
| purposes. other than educational have
increased two and a quarter times.
while expenses for education have in
creased eight and q half times.
Since statehood, we AVE spent $780,
10000 for the maintenance Of our
common schools, and today we are
spending more than one-half of all
moneys raised by taxation for school
| purposes.
A chart was exhibited showing what
tax burden a $1,000 of actual valuation
would bear in the different states of
the union, in which one-half or more
Of the state revenue is raised by
direct taxation.
This $1,000 worth of property would
only pay a 90-cent tax in North Da-
kota, while it would pay 81 in South
Dakota, $2.12 in Minnesota, $1.20 in
Montana, $1.61 in Idaho, and in Wash
ington $3.50. North Dakota was the
lowest state in the table and Arizona
the highest, where the $1,000 worth of
property would pay a a. of $3.50.
Another table showed the per CAPT.
ia cost of state government in a num-
Der of the northern and western states
was exhibited. For instance, in South
Dakota the per capita cost of state
government is $3.40; in Minnesota it
is $6.42; in Montana it is S5.40; in
Washington it is $4.03; in Wisconsin
it is $4.43; in Arizona it is sos, and
in New York it is $7.44.
The speaker discussed at some
length the high levies in the villages
and cities of the state and presented
a table showing a list of towns and
cities where the average tax levy was
better than 8 per cent, reaching a eli
max in the city of Rugby where the
levy was y 4-10 per cent. However
high these ~levies, these villages and
cities wer prosperous owing to the ex-
tremely low valuations for assessment.
The speaker said: "After consider
able study I am convinced hat the tax
burden in North Dakota is the lightest
in the northwest and one of the light
est in the United States" To prove
this, he recalled that h tax paid on
the 81 900 worth of property in the
several states, and pointed out that
the taxes paid per mile by railroads