Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-08-12
PROTEST OF CALIFORNIA
TAX PAYERS
Excessive Cost Of County and
State Government Leg
isIature Blamed.
A Sacramento, Cal, dispatch t

A Sacramento, CAL, dispatch to
the Los Angeles Times says.
The State Tax association in
California, which has an office in the
Hobart building, San Francisco, has
begun a task of rousing the average
citizen of that state to q realization
of what it's legislature has left in the
shape of increased tax burdens.
While the record for growth, wealth
and population has been wonderful
in six OF the southern California
counties, during the last ten years
the increase in the per capita tax of
the state and county government has
been much greater. Butte county
has organized a protest and discov-
cred that the county has per capita
tax for it's county government Of
$21.30 or about five times that of the
average American county. Butte
county is governed as nearly all the
other California counties, by coun=
ty government bill passed by the leg
islature.
"The protests against high taxes
crystalized when the supervisors vot-
ed to build new Hall of Records at
Chico. Committees were organized
and an initiative petition was started
for special election to vote on a new
charter for Butte county to free tax
payers from the thraldom of the leg
islature.
"A report of the United States gov
eminent census bureau shows that
the average per capita tax rate for
county government and expense in
the United States is $4.32; that of
California is 1891.
THE average per capita general
property tax for county government
and expense in the United States is
$3.29; that, of California is $15.64.
- .'sThe rita, gseycrs inent coat pay
ments of of'California counties for 1913
was $46,O13,4S5. This is $21 1,000,-
900 more than that paid by any 9th
er state in the Union irrespective of
population. The second highest pay
ment is that of Ohio, which totals
$24,993,147..
Here is single concrete instance
illustrating why the cost per capita
of state government in California is
more than double that of the aver
age in the United States. California
and Wisconsin have railroad commits
sions with practically the same work
to perform; the salary of the Wis
consin commission is $4,000 a year
that of the California commission is
$4,000 a year.
'In Kern county, which is gov
erned under the county government
law, the salary increase in the last
six years has more than doubled. In
1909 it was $4,000 per year; 1915
it is $73,644. The increase in ten
departments under Governor John
sons Progressive administration is
more than twice the total expense
under the last Republican admins
tration.
Here is another concrete illustra-
ton: Total revenue receipts from all
counties Of California averaged
1881 per capita; that for Vermont
averaged cents per capita. The
tax for county government paid by a
California taxpayer in one year
would pay his county taxes in Ver-
mont for 241 years an instance
where the revelation of actual facts
discounts the widest dreams of 4
Baron Munchausen.
"The figures are for the expense OF
the counties only. They do not in
clude either municipal or state taxes.
Our record for state taxes is almost
as bad. California paid in 1913,
1913 per capita for it's state govern
ment; it has almost doubled in six
years. The average for the United
States is 1896.
''ln contrast to these enormous
state and county tax rates, the gov
ernment reports show that the local
tax rates of many of the California
incorporated cities are not far above
the average Of those of other states.
Why the Discrepancy.
Zone naturally asks why this dis
crepancy between the municipal
rates and those of the state and
county. The simple answer seems to
be that the incorporated cities govern
themselves while the county govern
ment bills and those affecting state
taxes are passed by the legislature at
Sacramento.
"California has So counties and
under the constitution Of the state
& the counties are divided into general