The Bismarck tribune., 1919-04-15
PACKARD TELLS!
OF { FIN A NCIA ].
.DEBABCH' HER Z.
Declares Money Is Squandered
Not to Carry Out Indus
II trial Scheme
MANY NEW, JOBS CREATED
TOwnleyized Deputies and Secre-
taries Being Paid More
Than Officers

Fargo, N. d., April 15.-"North pa
kota's Financial Debauch," was the
subject Of An address delivered be-
fore the North Dakota Employers as
sociation in its first annual conven-
ton here today by f. e. Packard of
the state tax commission.
Mr.. Packard showed that appropria-
tons and levies made for the ensuing
two years will aggregate an increase
of 2l.4 per cent over levies and taxes
far all purposes in 1918: including
state, city. county, school district and
township levies. With the increase
over 1917, the total gain will be 33
1-3 per cent, said the tax commission
er, and he predicted that if the in
crease in local leves is more than
normal every taxbill in the state will
he boosted between 33 l-3 and 80 per
cent s. f"8' .
This increase in the tax burden is
not due to appropriations or bond is
sues necessary to carry out the Nom
partisan league program. said Mr..
Packard. Only Il per cent of the to-
tai appropriations and levies are
made to carry out the industrial pro-
gram Of the league, he said, while 10
per cent of the whole is for depart
ments old or newly created.
''Our finances are in desperate
flight" said the commissioner Ordi-
narily for the fiscal year ending
June 80 we have h cash balance Of
$350,G0O to $50Dy000, with all bills
paid The prospects are now that
June 80, 1919, at the end of our fiscal
year our general fund will be depict
ed and we will have from 035O,000 to
$500,000 in unpaid bills
Showing how rapidly state expendi.
lures have risen,s Mr.. Packard noted
the fact that in 1917 the total appro-
priations for state purposes We're $4,-
229,054, while, according to statistics
prepared for the tax commission oy
Il. A. Baker, and published with ap-
proval. in the Courier,News, A. c.
TownIey's 'officfaf' organ the total for
1919 will 2be $l2,S54,235, an increase
OF $S,736,231; or 203 per cent. Showing
what he declared an unfair increase
on acre property tending toward the
single tax system, he showed that
the leagues own estimate ofEthe aver
age acre value in North Dakota, in
1919 was $5.4S, or $S76.S0 for a quar-
ter-section, and that under the league
tax plan this would be ipcreased to
$2.923 per quarter section. The league
estimates that the levy for state pur-
poses vii be 80 mills as against 4.3
in 1918. From letters written by levy
ing boards, the tax commissioner es-
Inmates that the total levy for all
purposes, states as we'll as local, will
be POS mills this year as against 40
mills last year. Applying these to
the changed values he showed that
the farmer would pay an average Of
$59.92 per quarter this year as com
pared with $35.07 last year. ba
'',rhe significant fact in this cohnec.
tion is the increased burden an acre
property" said Mr.. Packard. This
increase is .much greater than the av-
erage on all property, and city prop
erty, both real and personal, enjoys
the advantage Of especial exemptions
which are not extended to acre prop
erty. This transferring of the bulk
of the burden to acre property shows
Continued on Page Two.)