The Delta independent., 1921-02-04
ANOTHER INTERESTING. LETTER.
FROM SENATOR ROCKWELL

January 20, 1921
The Legislature is slower getting
down to work this session than at any
session which / have attended. Per-
haps too many bills have swamped
the committees, and they have been
slower to get organized and start
functioning. The Senate is recovering
more rapidly than the House as might
be expected from the fact that it is
composed of men who are used to
legislative work. Some fifteen or
twenty bills have already been con,
sidered by that body and by Monday
evesything should be in full swing.
The Stock Committee of the Senate,
Of which l am chairman, probably is
further advanced in consideration of
it's bills than any committee in either
House. OF the bills reported. to our
committee, all have been considered
and all but one of those that the com.
mittee will report out have been
printed and are before the committee
of the whole. This one bill has to do
with the eradiction of tuberculosis
from the dairy cattle of the state, and
we haven't had the time to consider
it in detail as we have all the other
bills.
Instead of discussing these bills at
length, l wish in this letter to study
with you the states finances, its
means of getting money, how spent.
etc. Not many private citizens, Nor
even legislators, l am afraid, have
eyfu th1
which they should. We find, in the
first place, that our state is in an
unusually good financial condition.
Our state debt in 1919 was s4,50O 900
i think it is somewhat less at this
time-while the school fund alone
holds securities and cash valued at
$6,000,000. Not including the state
coal and school lands, the financial
wealth of the state is approximately
si5,OOO,0O0. while the total assessed
valuation for 1919 was s1,5OO, 900 900.
The State Superintendent of Public
Instruction showed an investment in
school property in Colorado aside
from distinctly state higher institu-
tions of learning, of over $15, ,OOO. 900,
while the cost of conducting these
grade and high schools of the state
is 100000.
The strictly state educational insti-
tutions are inventoried at $500. 900,
and the biennial expenditures for
these institutions approximate $3.143.-
006. So we see that besides the ac-
tual wealth of the state, its state
lands, state buildings, etc. we have
many millions of dollars invested in
public schools and institutions of
higher learning.
Colorado has two ways of getting
revenue: one by direct taxation and
the other what Is generally termed
indirect taxation. For instance, the
total direct tax levied by the state
is 3.47 mills. which brings in appro
ximately five and one-half million
dollars year. All but about $500, 900
Of this money, however. is already ap-
propriated by constitutional provision.
or by statute. For instance one mill,
or one and one-half million dollars, is
spent for state roads. Another mil
lion and a half dollars is spent for in.
stitutions of higher learning. $50, 900
is spent for the home for the mute
and blind, the state hospital gets
$44O,000 a year, the new capitol build
ing 100000. the state military fund
$4,000. etc.
state derives income from many in
direct sources. For example,
Fees from the Secretary of States