Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1920-09-23
HOW LEAGUE PRESS
HASATTEMPTED TO
MISLEAD TAXPAYER
Actual Levy Greatest in State
History - Valuation Is In
creased to Keep Down Levy
in Mills-More Than Dou-
bic Since 1916.
Annual Jhevics For State Purposes
1910 $1,417 ,0s4
1017 1857 ,612
101a 1890, 150
1010 3,076,O3
102O :s,803, = 10H

1914 l,OBO,l loo
1910 3,Oso'Os3
1920 :s'S03,10S
Bismarck, N. d., Sept. 21.-A
graphic chart, showing the remark
able increase in taxes under the
Nonpartisan administration, ls
shown in tables produced today by
F. E. Packard, former member OF
the tax commission.
They show an increase of the
amount from $1,4l7,9s4 to 3d.
S93,195. There is an increase for
every year, as the Nonparti:san
league has increased the number OF
offices and bureaus in the state and
added high-salaried appointive Of
ficers.
The statement is made in answer
to Prof. VIM. &. Roylance, "propa-
gandist" for the Bank Of North Da-
kota, who is referred to as late of
the University of North Dakota,
closet economist and school room
theorist.'
The figures show how the Nom
partisan propagandists arrive at
their claims of reduced taxes. They
show decrease in the state tax
/ levy, but fail to mention that the
valuation has increased and that
the amount raised by the tax levy
has increased three fold on the
state levy alone.
Sometime before the state tax
levy for next year was fixed Ivy the
state board of equalization, G. e.
Wallace, tax commissioner, made
the statement that the current tax
levy for state purposes would ne
about Z Of one mill. Mr.. Packard
ventured that it would range be-
tween 10 and 81 mills.
| Prof. Roylance. in letter to the
Fargo socialist paper, assailed this.
statement as distortion of the
truth.
He concluded: "A. levy of .a Of
a mill would more than cover the
amount Qevy for state purposes);
so that it is plain that levy of =
mills proposed by Commissioners
Wallace will be ample But when
the levy was fixed it was fixed, not
at g Of mill as Roylance suggest
ed, but 1.9 mills.
1.-The levy for the current year
fixed by the state board of equali-
zation was for the general fund,
1.O44 mills; sinking fund, 0.0o
mills; interest fund, 0.056 mills:
total, 1.150 mills, or nearly four
times as great as Prof. Roylance
declared would be ample. Adding
to this T.'75 mills for the soldiers
bonus, we get 1.9 mills" said Mr..
Packard's statement.
On valuation Of $1,500, 100000
ESTIMATED by state tax commits
sioner) this levy will produce s2,-
! n
not tell the entire, story. The in
and bond tax, all new and direct
taxes, will produce this year ST.
O46,OOO, according to the state tax
commissioner. His estimate for
next year is about the same, so that
to the $2,847,1S6 general property
levy must be added these special
direct taxes, which makes a burden
of $3,893,186. In 1919, with no
special direct taxes, the levy was
$3,676,039, or somewhat less than
for the current year. The rate last
year was 2.412 mills.
''In-1918 the levy for state pur-
poses, without the direct taxes Of
this year, was $1,69O.156, or 4-3
mills. In 1917 it was $1,657,612
or 4.3 mills, and in 1916, the last
levy made by the Hanna admins
tration, it was $1,417,984. or 4
mills.
my assertion which threw Prof
Roylance into such rage, was that
levy based upon the pre-socialist
valuation, would have to be about
9 mills to produce the revenue
needed at this time.
LET me demonstrate that this
is true. Taking the levies in dol
lars for last year and this year, and
the 1916 valuation as the base, I
find that to produce this years rev.
enue upon the 1916 valuation, a
levy of II mills would be necessary
and taking this years levy in dol
lars, it would have required 1914
mill levy upon the 1916 valuation
to produce it. Here are the levies
for the past four years in mills bas-
ed on the 1916 valuation: 1920, IL
mills; 1919, 1914 mills; 1918, 4s
mills; 1917, 40 mills, 1916, 4
mills.
"Using the 1917 assessed valua-
ton as a base, to produce this
years revenue, 10 mills would have
been necessary, and to produce the
1919 assessed valuation, 9.4 mills
would have been necessary. Using
the 1918 assessed valuation as a
base. to produce the 1920 revenue,
a levy OF go mills would have been
necessary, and to produce the 1919
valuation, 81 mills would have
been necessary.
"Mr. Wallace and Prof. Roylance
may prate to their hearts content
in the socialist powers of tie state,
and attempt to convey the impress
sion that low rate percent levy
upon a high valuation produces a
low tax burden, but they can't get
away with It,"
REDUCTION IN PRICE