The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-10-11
TO MAKE
TOUR OF PARISH TO
EXPLAIN WORK
Voters are to Be Told of Sys-
tenn Under Which the AS
SCISSOR LabOrs

pACbC bOAA VI AAAS ES<-~ asa f~"-AN -
fore the primary interview every vo-
ter and make it clear that he has
nothing to do with the amount the
taxpayers is assessed.
He says under the new law passed
by the legislature his duty is to fur
nish the police jury for parish pur-
poses the actual cash values of all
in the parish. After he has
accomplished this he has performed
his duty.
'It then becomes the duty of the
police jury" says Mr.. Andrus, ito
place the assessment of each taxpayer
and that is done by percentage of
the actual cash value. For instance,
the assessor takes your actual cash
value of all property, say, $1,000.
Now, what will be your assessment on
that amount? The assessor presents
his books to the police jury and it fig
ures out how much money the par
ish will need for the year, and then
instructs the assessor to place what
ever percentage it will take on the to-
tai actual cash value to bring that
amount. Now, if you are valued by
the assessor for all the property you
have at 81, 100000, the police jury de-
cides to take 40 per cent of the actual
cash value, your assessment win be
$4,000. Now, the state does the
same thing; it takes whatever per
cent of the value the assessor has
furnished the state board of affairs
and applies it TO the cash value, and
that amount is your assessment.
Therefore, you can at once see
that the assessor does not assess you,
but simply gives list of your prop
erty to the police jury, for parish pur-
poses and to the state board for
state purposes, and these bodies fix
your assessment according to the
amount of money they require EOE
each year. The more money the state
and parish need the more your as
sessment will be and the assessor has
no control over this. Now, on the
assessment fixed by these men, let
as see what your taxes viii be, de-
pending upon the millage each viii
place on the assessment. For the
year 1918 the parish placed 10 mills
the state 5 ga mills, the Confederate
Veterans, / mill: the state good roads
ia mill; while the various school
districts had different millage, the
road district at 10 mills, the Red
River levee 6 mills and 5 cents pei
acre; the Atchafalaya basin levee, IL
mills and IL cents per acre; the
drainage 20 cents per acre. There
fore, if the assessor places your actu,
al value at 100000, see:
The police jury takes 10 per
cent, which is ..... $4,000
The state takes so per cent,
which is .............. 10000
Hence, 10 mills on $400 for
parish is ....... 4.0C
5 "a mills on $500 for state
Is ........'.'..'. zoe
/ mill ON $500 for C. v. is. 81
IA mill for good roads is. " /;
10 mills on s4O0 for roads is. 4.0t
8 mills on $4OQ for schools is LIZ
''Now, whatever ward you live in
the special tax that is levied on you
property is figured in the same way
You can at once see that the assesso
does not fix your assessment"
Mr.. Andrus' friends claim that tn
taxpayers are fast realizing that b
has been a good assessor and ha
treated everybody fair, and no on
could have done better under exist
ing conditions.
''Now, as to deputy assessors" MI
Andrus' statement continues, ''the
canvavssed no one except the faI
mer, under the old law. There was
certain class Of property such a
lands, improvements and live
stock and vehicles and city rel
idences. as well as fe'
other things, to pay all the taxes
A deputy assessor went around th
country taking assessments in TIL
style, here is his report: Take off ol
roll , 'same as last year, mo change
hence, the same property paid the bul
den year after year and millions {
dollars of property never went on Il
rolls. Ny office force went aft'
the class of property that had ney'
been on the roll. AS far as the ia
mer, he was assessed to the limit an
| it was not necessary to annoy hir
but the millions of dollars Of prope
ty which never paid taxes was maC
to pay by cur method Of taking a
sessments and today were it not f
our watchfulness the ia
men and others who are paying /;
the taxes would not be able to p;
their taxes"
Mr.. Andrus has brought SO mu
property on the rolls that heretofo
was not assessed that the farmer a