South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-04-21
REALTORS SAY
SOUTH BEND
IS BANKRUPT
Express Regret That City Has
No Funds to Operate for
Coming Year.

Bend is facing the coming year with
no funds in the treasury TO meet
the expenses which mus. be incurred
was the predominating idea ex-
pressed at the meeting of local real
estate men before whom Fred A.
Sims. chairman Of the Indiana state
board of tax commission ers. was the
principal speaker. Dinner was
served at the meeting held at the
Y. NJ. G. 4. building.
Mr.. Sims defended the present
state tax law throughout his ad-
dress. He admitted, however, that
South Bends tax budget cut BY the
state board of tax commissioners
might not have been TO the best in
terest Of the city and said that he
would try to defend il in particular.
Blames Newspaper.
a. r. ErSkine during the discus
sion that followed the address of
Mr.. Sims blamed a local newspa-
per for so garbling the facts that
wrong impression was created re-
garding the budget for 1920. He
said he supposed it was because the
news broke so close TO press time
that errors occurred in representing
the nature of local conditions
Nevertheless the Misrepresentation
caused the tax board TO get a wrong
impression Of South Bends need of
tax proposals.
Previous 10 making this statement
Mr.. Erskine had asked Mr.. Sims
what had actuated the board in
making the cut OF 100000. The
chairman of the state board of tax
commissioners replied that there
had been protests made against the
proposal which the state board took
into consideration. other business
men expressed the hope that since
Mr.. Sims had seen with his own
eyes the great expansion which
South Bend was undergoing that his
commission would be more consid-
crate of south Bends needs in the
future.
High Taxation.
County Attorney Stuart McKibbin
held up as a model another city
which he said was cutting out social
centers, garden fads, and useless de-
partment heads in order 10 cut
down expenses through these diff
cult times. He said that people in
this country at present did not know
what high taxation is. He then
quoted rates i'm Europe before the
war and in our own country after
the civil war when taxation eX
ceeded income. He said that the
present tax law which carried as a
feature the provision whereby prop
erty should be assessed on cash val
ne, contained little that was new.
Taxation according TO cash value
had been written into the laws of
Indiana back as early as 1891 by
the late Timothy .. Howard, he
said.
one measure in the present law
which Mr. McKibbin declared un-
just was the taking from each COM
munity the right of self determina-
ton as TO what its needs and posi-
bilities of taxation were. While
these powers were concentrated into
the hands OF a tax commission which
sat at Indianapolis. He said, how
ever, that people had the govern
ment they deserved and pointing
that a primary was at hand with
the nine election officers per pre-
cinct provided for in the primary
law as yet unappointed and it IS
practically impossible 10 get them at
the rate Of three dollars and a dol
lar and a half a day. He then drove
home the point that IL citizens
would not take interest enough IN
local affairs TO take part in its pub
lie functions they could not blame
the state Of Indiana for cCncentrat-
ing authority in the hands of tax
commissioners in indianapolis.
Swygart Speaks.
City Comptroller John a. SWygart
in contributing his share of the re-
marks which were made after Mr..
Sims address, said that South Bend
MY the ~ of
next year, that the city must have
a bond issue and citizens of South
Bend must expect a request for
more money. IL was at this point
that Chairman Sims admitted that
under the pressure OF criticism the
state board had allowed south Bend
S1O5 900 more this year than last
and that they had not lowered the
assessments for the park board.
Mayor Carson said that the city
had asked for bond issue of $400. 600
but by the time we got them
through we could not sell them at
all under the present financial con-
ditionS; now We'll do well IL we sell
them at six per cent"
4 am not well enough acquainted
with tax laws 10 enter into any dis
cussion." said the mayor. I'VE were
disappointed that the budget was
cut down. Don't be uneasy that we
are going too far, because you won't
let us.
The mayor is quoted as having
formerly said. THE whole thing
Is politics Those babies down at In
dianapolis do everything they can
a gainst South Bend. They don't
want US 10 get anywhere. The re-
publicans passed the law and now
they are Eoing to make IL operate
at the expense Of this city
Cut Expenses.
Comm ISIS. oner Sims in his address
urged that expenditures be cut down
20 the limit Of necessities You
viii have 20 pay higher prices and
have hard time getting money. -
he said. "snd unless there is some
sort OF a break put upon eXpendi-
lures YOU know what the inevitable
will be. This is not a local Ques-
ton"