Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-02-24
PETITIONS
FOR LAND AND LOAN
BILL ARE CIRCULATED
Measure Provides for Home
Builders Loan Fund on
Part of the State

Petitions for the initiation of what
is called the Gland and loan" bill are
now being circulated by labor unions
and the socialist party. The measure,
which is in the form of a proposed
amendment to the state constitution,
will be submitted to the others at
the general election to be held Novem
Der 7.
The bill provides for the collection,
through taxation, of all land rent, and
exempts from taxation all improve
ments, and then provides a fund from
which the state may make loans to
home builders with no interest charged
for the first five years and rate not
to exceed per cent thereafter.
Public Ownership Plan Defended.
"Public ownership of all land rent
is right" " says the bill, "because such
rent is created by the presence, in
dustry and productive power of the
whole people. Private ownership of
land rent is the chief cause Of land
monopoly, land speculation and eco
nomic oppression. 1t is therefore
right and necessary, in order to pro-
mote the general welfare, that all
land rent shall be collected by public
taxation, whether the land is actually
used or not. X"
Another paragraph says:
"One purpose of this section is to
restore public ownership of land rent,
but it does not change, limit or abol-
ish any personal right of private
property and exclusive possession Of
land and land leases, as long as the
land rent tax is paid"
Rental Terms Stated.
The bill says that the words Gland
rent" as used therein means the fair
and just price per year as appraised
by public Officers, that renter should
pay for the use of any lot or piece of
land on a lease which includes the fol
lowing conditions: That the renter
has five-year lease with the perpetual
right to renew his lease at the end of
each five-year term; that the rent shall
be appraised and readiusted every
fifth year and no charge shall be
made for the use of the land i'm
prOvements.
The law is to be administered by
WY ''"'V laHu budlu' tHc blll pIONluth'
In case of land being sold for de-
llnquent taxes, the state land boarC
is directed to bid the amount of the
delinquency, with penalties and costs.
All land so acquired by the state is
to be leased. The state is prohibited
from selling any land.
Special Tax Planned.
A special tax may be levied on per.
sonal property and land Improvements
for local purposes only, by school and
road districts, or city or county by
submitting the question to the voters
and being approved by majority Of
those voting.
Two-thirds of the revenue obtained i
each county from the land rent tax is
to be apportioned to the various cities,
towns and districts and to the countv
and state in the same ratio that each
received from the general tax levy of
1918. The bill provides that this dis
tnbutlon may be changed from time to
Time by law.
The remaining one-third of the rev
enue is TO go into the "home makers
loan fund" " This fund, the bill pro-
Vldes, Is to also receive hereafter all
revenue derived from inheritance
taxes:
rms fund, says the bill, shall
be loaned to home makers, both in
town anc country, in amounts not ex-
ceeding two-thirds of the actual value