American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-04-11
NONPARTISAN CONTROL RMPTIES
NORTH DAK0TA'S TREASURY
Less Than $4,000 Cash on Hand, this
Years Taxes are Mostly Spent and
Immense Debts Piled up

immense DEBTS FILED up
State Auditor Carl Kositxky OF
North Dakota, in a statement of
North Dakota finances. made public
at Bismark, Monday discloses the up
ward trend of state expenditures dur
ing the two-year period that the Non
partisan league has been in control
of the state
Mr.. Kositzky made the statement
public as a result of criticism that has
been directed against him by the paid
workers of the league, who have been
charging that the reason North Da-
kota has been unable TO pay its bills
on time was because the state auditor
was holding up payments to spite per-
sonal enemies.
The statement OF the condition of
the state treasury at the present time
is particularly interesting, for II dis
closes that there is only $93697S ON
hand, while there are outstanding
about Slb0,000 in current debts; the
bulk of taxes for the year have al
ready been collected and paid into
the treasury, leaving nine-month
period that the state must conduct its
finances "in the red" except for the
revenue that Is derived from the new
ly created oil tax, and which tax has
resulted in increasing the price OF
gasoline In North Dekota by one cent
a gallon.
April /, 1916, the last year OF the
Hanna administration. North Dakota.
after paying all Its bills, had a $622,-
09O.43 balance in its general fund
April l, 1917, when the Townley
regime had been in the saddle only
three months, the balance in the gem
! eral fund, after all bills were paid was
/ S431 ,2S2.S2.
April l, 1918, the second year of the
Townley administration, North Dakota
! had all of its bills paid and $242 ,S77 SO
} In Its general fund.
+, April l. 1919, in the third year of
/ the Townley era, North Dekota owes
= $lb0,000 in current indebtedness. and
} Il has balance In its general fund of
3 $936973.
i The official payroll Is $4,000 per
! month. Salaries have been paid up TO
, April !, but the state auditor express
es the fear that o+cials and employees
: may be forced 10 cschew their semi
monthly pay checks for some months
TO come
, North Dakota has S463,0O0 out
standing IN ha;;;is, some OF which fall
a due this year.
4 For nearly four months $1,000 In
\ bills charged against various steat in
!. stitutions remained unpaid
state institutions, says the auditor
are sun, according TO the statement of
y Secretary Leissman of the board OF
;. regents, paying 5000 interest monthly
81 on loans negotiated with local banks
!. to produce funds TO pay their current
! expenses.
y The last legislative assembly In
emergency appropriations called for
v ABOUT a half million, which must come
q IRON the general fund Some of these
= FUNDS already have been drawn
q against, but there Is much more that
y must be set aside.
; A majority of the tax levied for 1918
- already has been paid into the state
L. treasury, and appropriated. declares
hoaitzky lie states that there re-
p mains considerable amount due
from counties, and that there Will also
y be some miscellaneous collections In
a June and July and more revenue from
n the new oil tax, which became effect
! I've March l, but he sees no hope OF
a really catching up with the states fast
q mounting tide Of expenditures until
= the 1919 tax levy begins 10 come In
a next December
The greater portion Of our taxea
o a"e paid in February" said MIR Ko-
~ Sitzky. This tax has been taken
IN and applied on past due bills. $500 :
600 OF which had been running for
almost four months. We will get some
delinquent taxes from now on; there
,t VIII be some revenue from fees and
,r nnes, II IL difficult 10 estimate how
nucD, ] cannot see, however, where
we are going 10 get enough money To
T. pay salaries and current expenses and
+ one or the other will have 10 wait
v ! would not have made this state
d lnent,' continued the state auditor, ~
m u had not come 10 my ears that paid
a. workers OF the league are spreading
10 the report over the state that I am
D. holdlnR up certain bills simply through
D. spite. have never operated this
NJ oiflce on a spite basis, and don't In.
"a tend to begin now The bills arc he
ing paid Just as rapidly as we find
st money TO pay them, and they are be-
n ing paid In their proper turn No
\ body Is being favored and no one is
a teing discrimlnated against. feel
l. mat In justice 70 myself the people
A. should have the truth.
= We have gone on creating new
n commissions and new boards and new
oil departments until we have outstripped
ia our revenues. Now there must be a
halt, and someone must suffer. There
Of rs only one means Of putting money
AZ INTO the state treasury, and that ID
O. through taxes, fees or fines. We have
ge discovered too many ways of takina
RI money out OF the state treasury. The
past assembly alone voted almost
100000 In emergency appropriations
or fund"