Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-31

Des Moines, July 3l-One OF the
strongest arguments In favor OF such
general change in the taxation meth
DDS OF the state as will make state
taxation separate from local taxation
il found in the situation which now
prevails in many county seats OF the
state. The state executive council, III
it's capacity as board Of review, has
directed changes in the assessment OF
property, both personal and realty, or
derinE increases or decreases to con-
form to the law that assessments shall
be at actual market value. The nee
essity for this lies in the fact. just as
1t did two years ago, that assessors
and local review boards flasrantly vio-
lated the law and in many cases did
SO purposely that the taxpayers to
whom they are beholden should gain
some advantage over other taxpayers.
Now the county auditors are under
necessity, where this spirit Of selfish
ness prevailed, of completely re-writ-
ing the tax books. That sort of thing
has been going on for many years. but
latterly the evil has increased very
much, But one of the features of the
situation is that even after positive or
ders have been issued for the changes
to be made, there will be found cases
where it is not done, That was true
two years ago and year ago. But
nobody has authority to compel obedi-
ence, or rather to keep watch and see
that duty is done; SO the executive
council is asking of the county exam
liners under the county accounting de-
partment that they make special in
quiry as to whether or not in all cases
the orders of the state council have
been obeyed and the changes as direct
ed were actually placed upon the tax
books AS these examiners go into
every county of the state and make
personal investigation it is pretty cer-
tain there will be no lodging the rec
ord. 1t may not be possible to COM
pei a county to go back and collect
taxes thus evaded, but the county can
be compelled to pay the state it's share
Of the losseA
One good probably will come out OF
the controversy between the new code
editor and the audit board over the
question of ACCESSIBILITY Of paying some
stenographers at the rate of IS a day
or $500 year, and that will be SUI
ficient publicity to the situation so
that in the end there will be some ma
terial increase of the low salaries in
the state service and an evening up all
around The fact is that salaries are
decidedly uneven. and frequently the
better work or greater responsibility is
with the one who is getting the small
er pay. There are active young men in
the state service working for less than
$1,000 year and doing work which in
private business would command twice
the sum. There are young women
working at salaries Of 5000 or less who
are worth as much in actual service to
the state as some men who are getting
two or three times as much. And so
it goes all along the line. The con-
troversy over salaries in the office OF
reporter of the supreme court, or code
editor, simply serves to bring out these
facts. The executive council had for
many years the duty of seeing that fair
prices and adequate salaries were paid.
and now that duty is placed on the
audit board In the instant case, the
code commission. which is the supreme
court, has the responsibility of fixing