The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-03-29

| Yet just now on account of higb l freight rates, war demands upon coal fields and other economic fact ors that are obvious, the city may be confronted with as many difficult ies as confronted F. J. Meilke on his | now famous trip outside in search of cheaper fuel for the city of Nome. These are things that will bear in- '.vestigation. And there is certainly room for improvement. Another question that is to come before the city is the matter of tax ation Beyond any doubt there is to be a sturdy effort made to re- peal the levying of taxation on an assessment made on November 1. That is to relieve the merchants. Anyone looking over the delinquent tax list will observe that the real property is much more delinquent than the personal and although some may oppose this suggestion, it is II fact that this signifies that real pro- perty is taxed at higher rate than personal property.
 While now and then business men with a forid effort to expand their business declared that everything is booming, when discussing the mat ter of taxes they will insist that they are making little better than liv- ing, and that they are working for the banks Probably there is some degree of truth in that as far as some are concerned, and the fact is that no person in business In this town is growing very opuient over their business.
 But that's not the fault of the con suming public. That's because Nome is over commercialized and where one store could more economically and more chcaply satisfy the de- mands of the people, three, four anl sometimes five cater in the same business to the limited public.
 With so many struggling tt live off the consuming public, naturally they have to be contented with minimum of profit and the banks stand by to rake in the kitty in the shape of interest year by yecr, so that it is theirs is the general bene- fit. Now when taxes are levied upon the stores which are in excess of the public needs, and certainly in excess of the consumptive capacity of the community, the owners beef to beat the band over az very reason able assessment and a very reason able taxation. They turn to, and ob- serve the real property holders mulcted of taxes on assessment that the sale of such properties could never bring, while they think that the very material personal property values they carry, should be light ened of all taxes!
 Of all the cabins, houses or lots that were sold under the delinquent tax sales of last year, which of them brought tithe of the assessed val uation? Not one. But suppose the personal property of the Nome storekeepers were similarly sold, would they just bring the taxes or very close to the assessed valua- tion? Of course this is no criterion. but it is suggestive enough.
 This camp is not what is was once, but the fact remains that its expenses have not been very materi- ally reduced. The suggestion was made that volunteer fire depart ment should just as efficiently furc- tion as a present highly expensive organization. That suggestion is certainly just as much worth con sidering as municipal pumping oi lighting plant or a coal yard. The town has to get volunteer assist ance at every fire and there Is number always on hand to do, yeo- man, service. It would appear un- reasonable to have towns require ments met with a metropolitan system. especially when everyone is jbellyaching about the taxes,
 The difference of the people to the welfare of everything in the way of the school in this community is nothing short of glaring. While many are. criticizing this and that particular sphere of the ,city's activ-