The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1921-07-08
Governor Expected to Approve
$25, 0O0 Measure.
HELPLESS TO GET PENSION
Blaine Vetoes Bill Providing for Let
ting of Contracts for City Official
Publications on the Basis
of Circulation.

for the teaching of trades to the
adult blind of the state. This bill
carries an annual appropriation OF
$25, 600 and under it it is proposed to
establish an institution in Milwaukee
where the blind will be taught some
self-SuppOrting trades. In addition to
this the governor expects to sign the
bill providing pension OF $500 an
nually to blind persons who are un-
able to work.
There are about $500 blind persons
in Wisconsin, according to a survey
which has just been completed by
Miss Elizabeth Mccarthy, agent fol
the blind in the state.
Governor Blaine has vetoed the bill
providing for the letting of contracts
for city official publications in second
and third class cities on the basis OF
circulation. He declares that the eff
feet of such a bill would be TO in
crease the cost of printing.
"This bill has no other effect than
to increase enormously the cost OF
city printing in cities of the second
and third GLASS;" said Governor Blaine
1.-THE present law has served very
good purpose. 1t meets every pubic
demand and l submit that this is no
time to impose these additional bur-
dens upon the public
That the local units are largely re-
spOnSible for tax Increases is the eff
feet of statement issued by the state
tax commission.
zone of the most persistent errors
on the subject of public finance, says
the tax commission bulletin, lis the
belief that the state is responsible for
the present high taxes. When the
people back home complain OF their
taxes they are either directly IN
formed or implicitly led to believe that
heavy state taxes are the cause or
their distress, in the face of the fact
that the most cursory examination OF
the tax roll would refute the state
ment. This course may be natural on
the part of local officials, but it can
hardly be called frank or courageous.
"The only taxes paid by the aver
age citizen are the tax on MS properly
and the tax on his income. AS eX-
planned in a former bulletin, the aggre-
gate general property tax levied for all
purposes Estate, county, local AND
schOoD in 1919, and collected in 1920,
was $40, 19S,976. and the states share
of this amount was $7,l25S6o, or a
little more than 10 per cent of the
total. The aggregate income tax col
lected in the same year was S6,3lO,Zz9,
and the state received $631 ,O22 Of this
amount. 1t follows that the aggregate
taxes collected from the people of the
state for all purposes for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1920, was $76,-
5O9,2O5, and that the state received
only S7,7jS.SS7. or 1O.1 per cent of the
total.
Even if this entire amount were re-
tanned and used by the state, it could
not be charged that it was the cause
of high taxes. nor would it show ex-
trayagant expenditure, but, as a mat
ter of fact, over 81 per cent of this
amount was returned by the state to
the several counties in the form of
school and highway aid and for the
support of penal and refOrma tory in
situations. The exact figures are: The
state received $7,756,SS7 in the form
of property and income taxes during
the wear in question. and returned ST.
527. 424 to the local districts for the
various aids mentioned, so that the
net cost of state government to the
neople of the state for that year, in
Guiding the university and normal
schools. was only $229, 46S.
"Of course it costs more than 1929
1853 to support the state government,
but the additional revenue required
for that purpose was derived from
taxes on railroads, express, telegraph
and other pumlic service companies,
and from the inheritance and insur-
ance company taxes, to be explained
in subsequent bulletin. The soldiers
educational bonus and service recog
milton fund taxes are excluded from
the foregoing discussion because lev
led for a special and temporary pur-
pose, and if included would impair
comparison with taxes of other years
and in other states where no bonus
taxes were levied. The fiscal year
ending June so. 1920 is used because
it is the last complete year for which
the data is available"
The legislature convened yesterday,
recalled one or two minor bills from
the lower house for amendment and
then adjourned until next Tuesday.
Adjournment was taken after con-
ference with Governor Blaine. who
told the legislators that it would be
impossible for him to consider many
of the important bills before that time.
Forty-four measures, including the
university and normal school bills, the
marketing bill and park bills reached
the governor in the morning.
When the legislature meets next
Tuesday it is believed that date for