The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-06-20

4NO11Pd1 IAOdu lcS1OldIulc Ill lO1t
repeating the five per cent de-
duction clause, limiting the de-
J. ...'etion of real estate to that To-
~ North Dakota, and to
~. int of the capital stock.
The assessed valuation was in
creased from 25 to IS per cent
Of the actual value.
The result was an increase in
the revenue of the state Of $751;
500 annually.
The railroads of North Dakota
and the public service corpora
tions have habitually escaped
their full share Of the tax bur-
den since statehood. For four
years the state tax commission
presented recommendations for
an increase in valuation, but the
state board Of equalization made
an increase ranging from 10 to
1926 per cent in this class Of pro-
perty, which will result in ap-
proximately 100000 in increas-
ed revenue to the state.
Money and credits have al
most altogether escaped taxation
since statehood, - the income
ranging from 10 to SO thousand
dollars annually from this class
Of property. The 1917 legisla-
ture passed a money and credit
act which placed an assessment
upon this property of three mills
on the dollar. The state tax
commission estimates that there
will be $100,000,00O of this class
Of property listed, which will
yield an annual income of $780,
600 to the state.
The state council of de-
Tense has ordered approxi-
mately $4,000 acres of land
belonging to spectators and
heretofore uncropped, to be
thrown open to the use of
the public. This will large
ly be sown to flax, and it is
estimated that it will in
crease the income of the
state by $2,500,0OO.
/ Assistant Attorney General
H. A. Bronson, in his brief to the
supreme court of the United
States in the bonding act case
places the saving thru the state
writing its own bonds at $4,000.
While this law was enacted by
a previous legislature, it had
been permitted to remain dead
letter upon the statute books un-
til the Nonpartisan administra-
tion came along.
Thru the efforts of the admin
istration, services of Adjutant
General Fraser and the state
exemption board North Dakota's
drafted men cost Uncle Sam but
S1.82 per capita, while the aver
age cost to the United States
was $4.93, some state going as
high as $40 per man. This was
a saving of but $3.50 per capita,
yet had all states duplicated
North Dakota's work the saw
ing would have been consider
able.
Abatement of taxes of those
having a political pull with coun-
ty commissioners has been one
of the crying evils of the state |
since statehood.
The 1917 legislature, elected
by Nonpartisans for the most
part, passed an act requiring |
that abatement before becoming |
effective must be approved by
the state tax commission. The !
result has been a tremendous
saving of the peoples money.
Just how much can never be
known, but in all probabilities
enough to run several depart
ments of state government.
State Auditor Kositzky, act
ing under the authority Of the
state board Of equalization, col
lected taxes from private car
line companies for the years
1912-13-14-15-16, which aggre-
gated $1O,158. This class Of |
property had escaped taxation
since statehood.
These are not all but only a
few Of the public activities Of
this administration, which has
saved the people more money
during the 18 months Of it's ex-l
istence than any other admins
tration since statehood. It must
hn cnncndnd tn he q hllsinesS adj