The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-20

Z
and more scrupulous honesty In the spend
ing OF every cent of the peoples money.
As indicating the rapidly growing bur
zen OF taxation. beg to direct your at
tentIon to the increase from year to year
since 1912 in the total taxes levied in
i Kansas:
Increased in taxes of 1913 over
1917 81 81, 277
Increase in taxes of 1914 over
Increase in taxes of 1918 over
Increase in taxes of 1916 over
| 1915. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1.93S 965
Total increase in four years 81. ss1, s26
The taxes of 1912 totaled s27.S sos.
| Therefore, the increase in the last four
years has been 28.7 per cent
| The increase last year over the year
| previous was as follows: For state gov
| eminent, per cent; for counties q per
| cent; for cities, Is per cent; for town
| ships. 10 per cent; for school districts, 10
per cent
The state tax levy in Kansas is 81 so
| per $1,000, with few exceptions a rate
lower than other states That you may
know how this s1.30 is expended let me
! say that 81 cents of it goes to the
support of the state educational institu-
lions; p cents to the charitable institu-
| tons; IL cents for prisons and refor1na-
| tories; cents for homes of soldiers and
I
tenance of all other state officials insti-
| tutions and departments, including the
| supreme and the district courts, the state
| printing plant and the legislature The
| state, all told receives on an average
about one-tenth of the total funds raised
| for all purposes.
For the year 1915, the taxes reported
| by the county clerks in all Of the coun-
| ties, aggregated S35, 7SS, 531. SO. an in
crease of nearly two million dollars The
total cost of the state government in
1916 was $5,4S4, ZIP. The principal ex-
penditureS were:
Educational institutions 81, 17e, sos. SO
Charitable institutions $500. 9I6.67363
Penal institutions 677 3e1 90
Soi01erS' hOmeS-- 142ll1 "a
1t is plainly evident that any genuine
attempt at retrenchment in public ex-
pense cannot begin and end in economy
in the states business alone Should
you eliminate entirely the expense of
state government and all the state in
st1tutions, you would reduce the tax
payers burden only 10 per cent. 1t is for
this reason that the demand grows for
greater simplicity and economy in the
forms of local government-the places
where 80 per cent of the taxes is ex-
pended.
The Tax-Dodging Evil.
In this connection, 1 wish to call your
attention to the unequal distribution of
the burden of taxation, due to the failure
of citizens to report monies and other in
IanglDleS Tor taxation. The increasing
burden of taxation is not equally dis
tributed. It is notorious that hundreds of
millions of dollars of personal property
held in this state escape taxation alto
gether- Reputable, high-minded public
spirited citizens, under the specious plea
that everybody is doing it," withhold
from taxation, monies, bonds, securities
and other intangibles, leaving the entire
burden of taxation to fall upon the hold
ers OF real estate improvements, corpora
fInT1 live
other properties exposed to the view of
the ASSESSOR condition unjust in itself
and demoralizing to the people.
In connection with the subject of reve-
nues, 1 again suggest that all fees col
lected by state departments and state in |
situations be turned into the general reye-
nue. fund of the state treasury These |
fees last year amounted to S1,56O, 344, and |
while they were all accounted for, they
should in good business practice have been |
turned into the general fund and appro- |
priated to specific purposes by the Iegis- |
lature, instead Of being expended at the |
discretion OF state officials and superin- |
tendents of institutions.
Again I urge a uniform system of ac- /
counting for the state, the counties and |
for the municipalities with an annual |
audit Of these accounts by the state ac-
cOuntant.
recommend the county clerk be re- |
Quired to take and keep an invoice of the /
county's assets, including all uncollected /
taxes, with an itemized statement and |
description OF the property upon which it |
Is lien, including the name of the own
er- Also to keep public list of all taxes /
related, the descriptions of the property |
and the name of the owner, that the pub
lie may know how much of the taxes the
county officials rebate and how much of |
the rebates are just.
Extortionate Fees.
recommend also a general and search
ing inquiry into the matter OF fees in
both the state and local courts and in 7
county offices. In partition suits in the
district court and in the case Of small
estates in the probate court, it sometimes
happens that before final settlement, the
fees consume the greater part OF the
property involved. The administration of
justice should not be allowed to bring
hardship upon the people, and 1 hope this
legislature viii carefully revise the whole
fee system.
More Practical Schools.
The last session enacted commendable
legislation in the interest of rural schools
1t greatly strengthened our school sys-
tenn Here We are making progress. Dur
ing the last two years more money was
spent for school buildings and school i'm
provements than during any similar period
IN our history. We now have S29, 00O, 900
invested in common school property, and
last year spent $13, O0O. 900 for educational
purposes. But We should not be satisfied
even with that showing. Kansas is a pro-
STeSSIVeS Notwithstanding state and 1T is
especially important and necessary that
we shall not fail in any particular in our
efforts to give the 400, 600 school children
OF Kansas the best possible educational
opportunities. consider vocational train
ing of especial Importance. To that end
L ask this legislature to give especial at
oenton to the common schools that every
boy and girl in the state may have the
opportunity to acquire complete practf-
cal education that Will give him an equal
chance in the world The work of stan
dardizing schools should be carried still
further. Ampler provision should be made
for rural high schools of the practical
sort and tuition in all high schools should
be made free for every child in the state
We need better supervision of the schools
and greater facilities for teaching agri-
culture, manual training and domestic
science. In the interest OF efficient citi-
every Kansas youth should be fit
ted by our schools for the practical work
OF life urge a law be passed requiring
the completion of the eighth grade by
every Kansas child
Provision should be made whereby the ;
school buildings, especially in the rural
may be more generally used for
public purposes They should be made