Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-01-07
Governor kANNA'S MESSAGE
Delivered at Joint Session of LeqisLa-
:: ture Wed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Urged for PaS%%1ge at This Session
Gentlemen Of the Senate and House
of Representatives of North Da-
kota: r

Gentlemen of the Senate and House
OF Representatives of North Da-
kota:
The constitution of our state pro-
vides that the governor at the COM
mencement of each legislative session
shall communicate to the assembly
by message, information as to- the
condition Of the state and commend
such measures as he shall deem ex-
pedient.
therefore take this occasion to
direct your attention to the informa-
ton that has come to me since the
last session of the legislature and to
recommend the passage of such laws
by your honorable bodies as in my
judgment will be for the benefit Of
the people of the state at large.
The people of this commonwealth
have imposed upon you trust which
should be safely guarded, and by
sending you here to represent your
respective districts they have dele
gated you to guard their interests
and have shown that they have con-
fidence in your integrity and believe
that you will exercise your best judg-
ment in the discharge of your duties,
and that an honest effort will be made
to legislate for the benefit of the
whole state.
The reports from the state officers
and from the various institutions of
the state have been carefully prepared
and should be given your careful con-
sideration.
would first call your attention to
the financial condition of North Da-
kota and ask that the states finances
be given careful consideration.
Two years ago upon coming into
the Office as governor of the state, l
had an examination made as to the
financial condition and found the
state owing $501,479.99. This float
ing debt was composed of appropria-
tions which had been made by pre-
vious legislature and which had not
been paid, and included $17S,045.OS
Que the State Normal at Minot, also
unpaid bills, also some outstanding
warrants against the general fund
and also an amount due the five ag-
ricultural training schools. To meet
this, there was cash in the state
treasury to the credit of the general
fund of $71,496.94, and it was esti-
mated that there would come in from
uncollected taxes due the state for
the past biennial period $4,000,
making total of expected receipts
of $241, ,496.94 leaving a deficit in
the general fund as OF January l.,
1913, of $259,983.05. There was
also due for approved glandered
horse claims, for which no provision
had been made, the sum of $29, 9,346.
and for registered and unpaid wolf
bounty warrants $8,6O6.50, so it was
found that the state owed altogether
a floating debt of almost 100000
over and above any cash on hand or
money coming in from back taxes.
For number of years it had been
customary to levy three mills on the
dollar of the assessed valuation of
the property of the state for the gen.
eral fund. Then there was levied q
one-mill tax for the higher education
al institutions. Then, in addition,
there had been levied two-tenths of
a mill for tuberculosis in cattle, wolf
bounty and glandered horse claims.
This made q total levy of four and
two-tenths of q mill and made the
levy run over the four mills author
lied by the state constitution. The
legislature two years ago raised the
educational mill levy from one mill
to one and 12h-1O0 of mill. They
also enacted the terminal elevator
mill levy Of 12h-1O0; then add the
wolf bounty mill levy of 5-100, tuber-
culosis in cattle mill levy of 5-100,
glandered horse mill levy of 10-100,
county agricultural school mill levy
2-1O0, making total mill levy of one
and 47-100. Deduct this one and
47-100 mills that could be levied for
the general fund to conduct the
business of the state-an amount en-
tirely inadequate.
This past year, 1914, the State
Board of Equalization determined to
levy the tax at straight four mills, as
provided by the constitution and at
their meeting when the levy was
made they levied three mills for the
general fund and the remaining one
mill was divided between the various
so-called mill levies. This levy was
taken into the courts and our su-
preme court held that the State Board
of Equalization could not levy q tax
Of more than four mills and that the
four mills must include all Of the So
called mill tax levies as we'll as the
tax levy for the general fund. The
levy was finally made at four mills
and the amount Of the standing mp.
propriations for the executive, legis-
lative and judicial branches Of the
government were covered in full and
the so-called non-preferred claims
amounting to nearly 100000 and
the various so-called mill levies were
reduced by about thirty-eight and
one-half per cent. each, in order to
bring the total within the levy that
can legally be made. It is apparent
to everybody that II the legislature
shall make and continue to make
mill levies for specific purposes and
continue the present mill levies as
they now stand on our statutes and
thereby cut down the levy that can
be made for the general fund, and
shall continue the present standing