Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-01-03

making a thorough fnve5tisatIoh OF th1
matter in dispute. The Governor has
no jurisdiction over the members OF
the board so a. to compel them to act,
nor has he any authority to subpoena
witnesses for the purpose. Of occurring
knowledge al to tho truth or falsitY
of the charges made by tho strikers or
their employers. II the Governor Is to
be expected to act in these matters tho
present law should be 20 amended az
to give him the power to appoint, for
it is necessary to intervene, mon who
are familiar with the work in which
the strikers are engaged and with the
business to be Investigated. or who. for
some othsr reason. would be especially
qualified to assist in adjusting labor
mont board Of arbitration. but Whenever
. strike is threatened tho Governor
should have the right. II tho situation
10 sufficiently serious, to appoint three
fair and impartial citizens. whose duty
1t should be to induce both sides to
and thus try to set them to adjust, If
possible. in . peaceable manner the
differences that have arisen between
employer and employe. It 10 not tho
intention that the men 80 appointed
should be empowered to compel arbi-
o.
but to act N conciliators between the
contending parties with full power to
subpoena witnesses and to make q full
investigation Of tho claims and de-
mands Of tho strikers and Of all tho
conditions surrounding >their employ
ment 20 ~ to procure definite and au-
thoritativs data upon which to act. No
particular salary should be prescribed,
but q fund should be set aside for tho
purpose OF paying for tho expenses of
such investigation. and for the services
Of unprejudlced and reliable men in
whom both sides could have confidence
for no others can be appointed If there
IL to be any hope of an amicable adj
tustment of the matters in dispute.
The compensation Of such conciliators,
II any, should be fixed at the time Of
appotntment: There are cases now
where the Chief Justice, the Attorney
General and tho Governor determine
the amount to be paid for certain SER
vices. These omcials, or any others
who might be named, could constitute
a board for determining what amount
should be paid in emergencies and how
the proposed strike fund should be ox-
pended.
Fair Markets.
There has been, Of late. considerable
7 criticism Of the methods now in vogue
Of the handling and marketing Of
grain. Wherever unfair conditions are
shown to exist in the delivery to our
markets OF farm products and in the
handling and inspection Of the same q
which go to tho localities Tor local pur-
poses OF the total tax levy for 1915.
less than Il Of tho taxes paid or about
11.S per cent went to the state. The
rest Of the levy was for local school
purposes and expenses in connection
with county. city. village and township
affairs.
D1vision Of Taxes.
The total taxable valuation Of all
property in Minnesota for 1915 was
$1.492,000.o00. The total tax levy for
state and local purposes was $685.
$50. of which only $s.17s,oo0 go to the
state and the balance to localities. The
amount disbursed for the same year by
the state for local purposes will be
therefore. pays back to the counties
| more than it collects from them and If
school maintenance, which accounts
for such large portion of the money
paid by the state to localities and road
building, which has with commendable
tant part OF state development and put
Minnesota in a needed and prominent
position from which she should not re-
cede, but advance, were paid for by
local taxes the state could pay it's rum
ming expenses from indirect revenues
oOSA DO SUo 6IOSS 0dEu1uB TAX, the IN
her6tance tax and others Of like nature
and the state tax levy could be entirely
abolished.
True Economy.
Although only a small share Of the
| responsibility for q high tax rate can,
by reason of the facts heretofore stat
| ed, be placed on tho state government
no state official would on that account
favor the extravagant expenditure OF
public money. We all believe In max
ing the tax rate al low a. possible, but
at the same time We are more anxious
to have the work Of the state we'll done
and Its money wall spent than to have
the taxes unreasonably reduced for va
all agree that too much economy il
apt to result in the greatest extrava-
gance and that tho reasonable expendi-
ture Of money for valid purposes is
fairs as in private business the results
accomplished and the dividends re-
ceived determine the wisdom Of the in.
vestment.
Legislative Appropriations.
The last Legislature appropriated
less money than was appropriated dur.
ing either of the two previous sessions
AS a result the recent tax levy for the
state revenue fund was fixed at one
mill and the total state tax levy a,
9.65 mills. which Is tho lowest since
1919 and this reduction was accom-.
plished although the one mill road tai
was added to the levy. which had not
been done up to 1913. The appropria.
ton from the revenue fund for the 40.
cal year from August 1, 1915. to July
81, 1917, is $s,45o,0oo. OF the amount
appropriated by the last Legislature
for the fiscal year, the sum Of $2.ss6.0o(
was appropriated for state charitabl,
and correctional institutions and con
stitutes % per cent Of the total appro'
priations. The total sum appropriated
from tho revenue fund for educationa
purposes was $3,B5e.o0o ana constitutes
more than - per cent Of tho total ap
propriations for the fiscal year. Thil
money is spent for University, Norma
School and agricultural education IN,
for special aid to High. Graded an.
Rural schools. About 20 per cent o
the total appropriations 10 for tn
Legislative, Judicial and Executive de
partments. The legislators' salaries
amount to the sum Of nearly $4,000
and the annual expenditures in tn
judicial department is more than $26e,
900. Tho sum Of $1,462,66o 10 appro
priated to carry on the work done b!
the state officials and by the many DIFF
ferent state departments. sum o