St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-08-07
(By Arthur E. Briggs

We would like to see the man
who likes to pay taxes. Probably he
died long ago, and his idiosyncracy
NAV account for the utter repug-
ronce of his descendants for any
thing called a tax The fact is that
there is no argument against drain :
age excepting that it is called TAX
put the name is a mlsnOmer. A
drainage tax is not tax in the Sape
sense as other taxes We pay. Other
tayes are levied to provide revenues
for government or public improve
ments. On the other hand drain
ace tax is not levied to carry on
government or to pay for public im-
movements. The person directly
benefited by drainage pays the
drainage tax, and pays it for the
drainage improvement on his own
lands and no other. When bonds
are voted and sold for drainage pur-
noses, it is practically the same
thing as borrowing money to make
improvements on ones own land and
giving a mortgage as security, ami
the drainage tax paid each year is
merely the repayment Of the money
borrowed with interest thereon at D
per cent per annum. Think OF II.
Have you any property on which you
can borrow money at per cent IN
terest. Think again: in the present
state of your cut over lands can you
borrow any money at all to make
improvements? If you could, would
YOU not like to borrow money Tor
investment with long time to re-
nay 1t and at My per cent interest!
Now. that is what drainage TAX
means: money at the lowest obtain
able rate of interest for the mos.
adyantageol simporvements you 'cah
make-drainage.
Can you afford to pay drainage
tax now? The apter and more praC-
teal question is, can you any longer
afford not to pay it? Far the great
er portion Of the lands in this parlsh
are at present unimproved and un-
productive. 1t is a serious question
il the owners can afford to pay taxes
on these lands so long as they re-
main in their present condition. Thal
/. each one can easily determine to MS
own satisfaction. In order to pay
the current rate of interest on tie
investment unproductive land must
al least treble in value each declde;
that Is, to justify the owner holding
the land and paying taxes on IL ne
must be able to sell it ten years
hence for three times it's present sell
fn nrnVnnt
the probable loss on the Investment
our lands must be Immediately maGo
productive so as to yield the owners
an annual income thereon. WaeT,
they receive income from their land
there can be no question that they
can afford to pay taxes, and then
there will cease to be any conS1der-
able amount of our land at tax SAFE
as at present.
How much can the land owner al
ford to pay for drainage? He can
afford to pay all it will cost, even
the greatest amount the law permits
to be levied. OF course, the Ian /
owner who votes for drainage has
the same interest and an equal OF
portunity as in his other business
to keep the cost of drainage down
to the minimum at which it can De
effectively done But, nevertheless,
even. at the highest possible cost
(ana the law absolutely fixes the
maximum) he can better afford to
have his lands rendered cultivaoie
through drainage than to let them lIc
idle and unproductive because over
considerable portions of each year
they are too wet to grow crops pro
dtably. Better some income to pay
taxes than no income at all.
Besides, we are convinced by
few examples Of average drained
lands in this parish and by abundant
examples elsewhere in the So1tn,
that drainage is the first essential
and most important investment pE
which the holders Of the idle ana
unproductive lands in st. Tammany
parish can turn their holdings 10
their own pecuniary profit.
M Taxpayer, it will pay yol 70
INVESTIGATE.