Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-10

| considered later. Tho proposed meas
ure Affects the methods of collection
and tho disbursement of taxes derived
| from the fertilizer industry. The rev.
enueS from this source amount to about
| $4,000 annually This fund is drawn
| upon by the Department OF Agricul-
| ture for its uses on warrants Issued
by tho Commissioner of Agriculture
Tho bill provides that the fertilizer
revenues shall be turned into the treas
ury. control OF 1t being thus taken from
tho Commissioner of Agriculture. and
vested In tho General Assembly.
SIX members OF the committee, led
| by Mr.. Gregory. objected to depart
ing from tho rule for the observance of
a half-holiday on Saturday when Mr..
Stearnes proposed that an adjourn
ment be taken at until 3 o'clock
MI Gregory said several OF tho mem
bers wanted to spend Sunday at home,
and had arranged to leave the city in
inc afternoon. He offered as an amend
ment to the motion Of Mr.. Stearnes that
the committee adjourn to meet at 10
| O'Clock Monday morning, and the
amendment WAS carried. S to f.
| CAPTAIN DONOHOE ExPIAISES
SEGREGATION PLAN
The statement prepared By Captain
Donohoe. at the request OF the com
| mittee. explaining features Of the seq
| resation system of taxation. reads, in
| part, an follows:
For many years the State has inn
posed Tax OF 35 cents on the 500
valuation OF real estate and personal
property for State purposes. Although
| the revenue from this source has In
| creased greatly. from year to year, by
reason OF the steady increase of values,
thore has been no reduction of the
L NJ tn
perienced any trouble In finding some
way to dispose OF whatever surplus
that was thus accumulated In tho
treasury, and, at one time. so unguard-
ed had been the appropriations, the
State was driven to the necessity Of
| borrowing quarter Of n million dol
lars to meet current expenses.
Not only was this SO. but many COM
munities had found that. b. depress-
ing their assessments they could de-
! prive tho State OF her due share of
the revenue, while. at the same time.
they could get all the revenue they
needed for local purposes by simply
increasing their local tax rates. The
| result was that the communities that
| did not depress their assessments soon
found themselves bearing an. undue
! share OF the burden OF State taxation
INEQUALITY OF BURDEN
CAUSE OF DEMAND
This inequality OF burden Is what
| has given rise TO the widespread and
Imperative demand for tax reform. and
| make the assertion. which cannot be
| successfully refuted. that such reform
is absolutely impossible so long as we
adhere to any tax system predicated
upon the present plan. whereby the
State Is unable to regulate and control
| the assessments upon which Its
revenues levied.
l
"a the System proposed in opposition to
segregation Ia sometimes termed, fol-
lows substantially the same beaten
track. and Will perpetuate existing In
equalities. 1t Is true that the bill ac-
companying the report provides for a
lot OF patchwork to remedy some OF
the evils. but they are mere max shIfts
and you would find that the proposed
remedies would asgravate, rather than
cure, the evils that confront us.
The bill referred to provides for a
state tax commission, composed OF
| three members, each OF whom Is to re-
ceive n salary Of 1000 year, and an
annual appropriation Of $4,000 Is 10
be made TO cover these salaries and
other expenses OF the commission. But
this Is only drop In the bucket Not
only $4,000. but $4,000 or 800 600
| would be found inadequate to meet the
expenses of this commission. The cler-
sary to infuse any life or vitality into
the thing would necessitate n much
heavier expenditure.
WOULD HAVE NO REAL
POWER TO CORRECT ABUSES
Furthermore. this tax commission
| would possess no real authority or
power to correct the serious troubles
that beset US, to which have lust ad
| verified. It can advise confer with
and recommend without limit. but the
assessing officers in certain localities
would go on under-assessing as before
and should the State fail to respond to
the reasonable demand for tax reform
the practice OF depressing assessments
would rapidly extend. and the motto
would be: Let each county and city
look out for itself. and may the devil
take the hindmost. 1t would be an In
superable bar to progress and develop
| ment.
This expensive State tax commission
could do no more than Instruct, en-
courage and advise local officials. The
majority report comedies as much when
II says that the local assessors and
commissioners OF the revenue are the
omcials selected to assess property. and
the tax commission should have nc
power to force them to violate their
Judgment Then, this being the case
why be guilty Of tho supreme folly OF
establishing this costly department
and making II permanent feature OF
our State government
! but let mo quote further from the
majority report: II says: Tt should be
the chief duty OF the members Of the
tax commission to spend as much time