The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-01-30

out OF this new law to start the agita
ton for amendments and believe moth
ing should be done along this line unit
II has had a fair trial and until the
| people become better acquainted there
with and the officers become more ia
miliar with its workings. Some of its
provisions are quite radical and very
different from those to which the of
ficers have been accustomed and il
undoubtedly was hard for some OF
! them to adapt themselves to the meth
DDS OF the new law. We believe that
some of the difficulties which now ap-
pear large will diminish when the PEG.
pie and officers become more familiar
with it, 1t has been suggested that
we dispense with the tax commission
since the supreme court has deprived il
of all authority We believe that this
is step in the wrong direction and
that our efforts should be directed to-
wards obtaining a tax commission with
authority. The principle of tax com
missions is the principle of efficiency
and should be endorsed by this body.
1t occurred to the committee that if
a study of the matter of taxation could
be made from a scientific and non-par-
tisan point of view, that great
amount of information could be OBJ
tanned that would be of value to all
the people of the state. A great ser
vice could be done by the University
OF Idaho if they would take up the
study from an economic point of view
and compare our revenue laws with
the laws of other states and accumu-
late the best thought obtainable on the
matter of taxation.
We, therefore, requested the depart
ment of economics at the university to
take up the study of this question with
the purpose heretofore stated. Pro-
lessor Robinson is now working OH the
subject and it is the belief of this
committee that he will give us some
thing worth while on this matter.
You have undoubtedly noted that
this committee has apparently unloa1-
ed very large part of the work as
signed to it upon our university. We
have done this with malice and afore-
thought, believing the question assign
ed to the university to be of statewide
Importance; that is the proper func
ton of state institutions of this char
acter to furnish such information to
the public at large for the purpose
Of educating them upon matters of Vi
tai Importance to their interests. We
believe that our state university can
assist largely in the prevention of en-
ror on the part of our county and other
officials and that they can do this by'I
them with the general in
necessary for the canduct of
he office to which they may be elected. |
We believe that at the time that an
Individual enters upon public duties
lie should be provided with the laws |
governing his office and general in
necessary for the proper !
onduct of the public business he may
re called upon to handle. AS an il
ustration we would call your attention
o the office of road over-seer The
United States department of agricul
ure, our national board Of good roads,
nd also our state board are eXpend-
ng great deal of money on the sub
act of good roads. The public press
) overloaded at times with articles
n this subject. There is world of
available on the subject
( good roads, but which very largely
oes not. fall into the hands of the
ldividuals who have to do the build
lg of our roads. If the information I
could be compiled, published, :,
nd copy thereof placed in the hands
each road over-seer at the time that
e enters upon his duties, we believe ,
would assist materially in the pro-
uction of better roads and decrease /
lie expenditures we are making for [
lat purpose. We believe that our
diversity is in position to provide
lis information. Our laws governing
e action of school boards are not
ear or concise and in great many
stances need the intelligence of an
torney to interpret what our legisla-