Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1917-10-04
Phone COMPANIES
ASSESSED MORE
EQUALIZATION BOARD MAKES IN.
CREASE IN VALUATION OF
CORPORATION PROPERTIES.
DoINGs AT STATE CAPITOL
What 10 Transpirns in the Different
Departments Where the Affairs Of
State Government Are
Administered.

Bismarck
State telephone companies will be
assessed at $1,78S,14O this year as com.
pared with $1,367,172 last year, &C.
cording to the figures approved by the
state board of equalization today.
The increase in the total assess.
ment of the telephone companies is
accounted for by an increase in the
number of phones and in that an ex-
ceptionally large number of new COM
panies not taxed before will appear on
the tax list.
With the assessment of the tele.
phone companies the valuations Of all
state properties of the state have
been passed upon tentatively by the
state board of equalization.
The total valuation of all proper
ties, as left by the state board at the
present time, is $394,696,499. or ap-
proximately $10,00O,OOO more than
last year.
The increase in the states total as.
sessed valuation is made up by an in
creased assessment of railroad and
corporations, while farm lands, city
and town lots, aud improvements
thereon, are left virtually the same.
To Make Own Grain Tests.
The state grain grading and inspec-
ton department has installed at it's
offices in Fargo complete grain
grading and testing equipment. The
apparatus is valued at several hundred
dollars. Heretofore the department
has been compelled to rely upon the
agricultural department for these
tests. Hereafter the tests will be
made in the Office of the grain grading
commissioner, and much time will be
saved.
Light Year for Hall Insurance.
The season just closed has been the
lightest for the state hail insurance
department since the fund was estab.
lished, Insurance Commissioner Ols-
ness advises. The total amount col.
lected in premiums will not much ex-
coed $4,000, as against $4,000 in 1916,
but out of this fund the state pays
6211 per cent on the losses as ad-
justed, as compared with SO per cent
paid last year.
Can't Store Prairie Chickens.
Game Warden William Rekes made
application for writ of mandamus
compelling Secretary George Hogue
of the North Dakota game and fish
board to issue permits for the storage
of prairie chickens on the grounds
that the provision of the old game law
permitting the storage of prairie
chickens had not been repealed by
the new act passed at the last session
of the state legislature. The applica.
ton was denied by Judge Mussells in
district court, who ruled that the old
law had been repealed.
eabcock to Head "U."
DR.. E. ]. Babcock, dean of the col.
lege of mines, was elected acting presi.
dent of the University of North Da.
kota to fill the vacancy caused by the
resignation of DR.. F. L. McVey, at a
joint meeting of the board of regents
and members of the faculty held at
Grand Forks for the purpose of con-
sidering successor to DR.. McVey.
| DR.. Babcock is the senior dean of the
university, having served for many
years as dean of the college of mining
engineering. He has come up with
the university through its years of
struggles and the committee feels that
no man on the faculty is better fitted
to carry on the work of the institu-
ton. He is popular with faculty and
student body.
States Receipts Over Six Million.
The total receipts of the state of
North Dakota for the year ending
June 80, 1917, were $6,196.611.59. The
state had on hand at the beginning of
the year $1.4s5. s2O.95, the expendi.
lures for the year, $6,46s.953.15, being
somewhat in excess of receipts.
The permanent common school
fund at the beginning of the year
was $674.773.24; 1891, 774.49 was col
lected. $1,374,1O6.25 expended. and
1922, 441.48 remained in the fund when
the year ended. The motor vehicle
registration fund is growing. There
was a balance Of $29,415.81 when the
year opened; collections totaled $244,
844.77. expenditures $224,O25.9S, and
there remained $50,2746O on hand
June 30. The terminal elevator fund
at the close Of the year amounted to
$104, S05.59, collections for this fund
one.eighth Of one mill on all assess
able property. amounting to $45.373.22
while there was $59,489.17 on hand al
the beginning Of the year. K