The Tomahawk., 1916-01-13
STATE GOVERNMENT
COSTS S22,GOQ,458
AUDITORS ANNUAL r E F Q X r
SHOWS INCOME AND ExPENDI-
" TUREs FOR PAST WEAR.
STATE CAPITOL HAPPENINGS
Events of General Interest," IN Mlnne-
sofa Condensed and Revised for
The Greater Convenience
Of Busy Readers.

the Greater Convenience
Of Busy Readers.
It cost $22,60O,458 to run the state
of Minnesota in all departments lass
year; in fact, it cost about $50 more
than the total income of the state
but the extra money is within reacn-
The annual report of J. A. O. Preus,
state auditor, giving expenditures and
income of the state, has just been Is"
sued. 1t shows that the amounts paid
in by the counties and by the rail-
roads in gross earnings taxes make
the two largest sources OF revenue.
The states share of taxes paid in the
counties was $6,859,210, and from the
railroads it obtained $4,93S,3G6. The
rest of the money which kept up the
public school aid, built roads paid sal
aries and did all the other things that
state has to do came from special
taxes, fees for services of state OIL
Gals, royalties from ore lands ana
from the sale of state school lands.
The state sold 1896 acres of land
last year for $560,911. TIE lands
averaged 81 an acre. The largest
land sales we're in Aitkin county,
where 22,922 acres we're sold, AID the
smallest sales were in Wabasfa coun-
ty, one of the old counties OF the
state, where only 40 acres Of land
were put on the block.
New Drug Law Effective.
Two laws passed by the 1915 Min
nesota legislature have just gone into
effect with the opening of a new year.
The Nimocks act regulating the sale
of narcotics will, it is believed, plug
the hole in the Harrison act. Judge
Wilbur F. Booth recently ruled In
federal court that mere possession of
a narcotic by an unauthorized person
was not punishable under the federal
act. The Nimocks law prohibits pos
session and forbids the sale of any
preparation containing narcotic drugs
except by licensed pharmacist. II
the preparation contains narcotics
| above certa:Es strength, it can be
sold only on prescription. Choral is
also covered by the new law. Viola
lions are made felony. The MINI
ocks act went into effect Dec. 81. The
other new law, which became effec-r
| tive Jan I, requires every county
treasurer to have printed on the back
Of receipts for current taxes state
ment showing how the levy is appor-
toned to different purposes.
81 1859 Ask Lower Taxes.
Since it's organization in 1907, the
Minnesota tax commission has re-
ceived and passed on 37,259 applica-
lions which have come to it under
the statute which provides that the
commission shall hear and deter
| mine all matters of grievance relating
| to taxation" OF these 1852 have been
| received from Ramsey county alone,
or 1875 per cent of the total from all
| of the eighty-six counties of the state.
Hennepin county comes next with
$500 applications, or 14.2 per cent OF
the whole number, while ST. Louis is
| third With 1881 or 1912 per cent. That
| is, 1858 or So per cent of the total
number of applications have come from
the three big counties, while but 49,
566 or AZ per cent have come from
the remaining eighty-three counties
$4,000 Automobiles in State.
Minnesotans own approximately 95,-
| 900 automobiles, according to an es-
innate made by Julius Schmahl, Sec
! rotary of state, based on the number
Of individual licenses issued and on
! the probable recent ownership of
cars not yet listed in the secretary's
! Office. At the close of 1914 there were
$500 registered machines. The per,
centage of increase during the year
is nearly 40, the ratio of growth being
larger than that of 1914 compared
with 1918. Hennepin county is first
with 14,111 registered cars, Ramsey
second with 6,135, and st. Louis third
with 2,747 cars. Redwood county
leads in the number of cars proper
toned to population, it's total being
1866.
Counties Erect Hospitals.
Fourteen county or intercounty tu-
bercular sanatoriums will soon be
completed in Minnesota as the result
of the 1913 law allowing state aid to
such institutions and each of them
| will have received aid amounting to
| $4,000. The legislative appropria-
| lions cared for 100000 of the aid
| necessary and the remainder was met
| out of the funds not otherwise appro-
priated. The states percentage of re-
ceipts from boxing bouts conducted
under the state law and amounting
| to $4,4S4, went into this fund.
To Tax Rail Property.
An order to place on the 1915 tax
| rolls, stocks, bonds, and credit adj
vancements, the property of seven
railroads in Minnesota, which assess
ment, if paid, will enrich the Ramsey
| county treasury s5,21S,9O2, and three
| other counties in much less amounts,