South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-15

Indiana, covering a period of sew
eral years. is not questioned, and the
probs bility Of its continuance in the
future is not doubted by those who
have investigated conditions. Some
very interesting figures in cOnnec-
ton Herewith have recently been
compiled by the board Of state tax
commissioners. According 20 this
statement the average rate in town.
ship. town and city for 1913 was
S2.97 on each 500 Of assessed valu-
alton While the exact average
! could not be obtained for 1914 at
the time Of this compilation, the
statement was made that il would
be considerably more than $500.
This also shows that the average
rate in LOIS townships Of the state
I chat is outside towns aad cities)
! jumped from S2.3OS in 1913 TO over
lS2.4O in 1914: that the average rate
in 500 towns IN 1913 was S3.O2S-|
lin 1914 $3.093; in 81 cities from
.S35S5 to $3.726. Moreover five In
diana towns and cities have a levy
for 1914 Of more than $500 and one
has reached 1922, which has since
been raised; Sc towns and 2S cities
/ have more than $500 rate. only
IL counties in The state showed an
average township rate under $500.
and these passed the $500 rate in
1913. and at least dozen counties
will in 1914.
Fort Wayne in 1905 had 81 rate
of S2.2s-in 1913 S2.97: south Bend
in 1905 S2.62--in 1918 $3.3S; Nun
Gle in 1906 S2.36-in 1919 $3.5S:
Richmond in 1905 $2.5O-in 1913
1925: Lafayette in 1905 S240--in
I1s13 S313: Vincennes in 1905 s1.6O
in 1913 $3.1O.
Personal Property Decrease.
1.-THE decrease Of intangible prop
erty is well evidenced by the as
founding fact that between the
periods of 1909 and 1912 the as
sessed value of personal property
| lost $4,000, 900 in a period when
wealth was increasing very rapidly
lis a further demonstration of the
shrinkage of this kind of property.
In the same period, lands and lots
! with improvements increased in as
sessed value more than 100000
Geo.
This situation cannot be correct
ed under our present tax law. the
difficulty is fundamental 1t is i'm
/ possible to tax securities 3 1-2 to 4
( percent where they are bearing 8
percent interest. At the same time
/ the increase in the tax rate cannot
go on against other property. IL
means the decentralization OF values.
Either some limitation must be
placed on the tax rate or other
means Of raising revenue devised.
/ Urges Broader View.
That the real estate man should
work with a broad vision of the fu-
I ture of his city and that instead OF
being merely a broker in property
he should conduct his business with
I the idea that city planning was the
big. progressive element in the
realty business. was the burden of
the talk given by Paul A. Harsch.
Mr.. Harsch is the chairman of the
Toledo City Planning commission
and he explained in detail some Of
the work which the commission is
doing in opening up extensive sub
divisions.
Real estate men, he said, should
be realty efficiency experts and
should work to overcome the costly
errors which might have entered
into the early building of their city.
It was his contention that by laying
out property along idealistic lines
the property could be made TO re-
turn greater profits to the owner as
well as return greater good to the
city. AS an example of this he
showed how by plating $50 acres at
Toledo with the view of securing a
more beautiful arrangement of lots
than could be secured by plating
| in rectangular form the city plan
ming commission had not only made
the property more desirable as a
residence district but had secured
/ $4,000 feet frontage instead Of 2S,-
| 600 feet as at first estimated.
Idealism that is not practical is
not ideal, said the speaker. He adj
vised that real estate men study the
needs of the people and not put new
residence property on the market
without careful study of every phase
| Of the move. He pointed out the
need for intelligent and consistent
advertising as the best means of
promoting the realty interests. He
urged, also. that realty men make
/ their profession a force for good by
refusing TO rent or sell property
which they knew would be used for
immoral purposes.
Says System is Wrong.
Thomas NJ. Morgan spoke on
/ Good Roads and a State Highway
Department" He gave specific in
stances of how road money was be-
! ing wasted I'm the state through a
| haphazard plan of road construc- |
ton. An automobiles, he said. /
could tell when he was crossing a
township line in any part OF the
state by the difference I'm the road
bed. There are 1882 townships in
| the state" he said. and 1872 diff
ferent notions on primary road max
I ing"
The trouble. he maintained. was
not on account of irresponsible
county commissioners but was
caused by a faulty system under