The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-01-19
TAX XBURDENS0FN PEOPLE
MUST BE REDUCED, GOV. NEST0S
TELLSC0UyTY COMMISSIONERS
Taxes Have Increased During
The Past Five Years From
56N to III 6/1O Percent
IT'S UP TO COMMISSIONERS

They Are In a Position To Speal
For and Also Speak To Citi.
zens of The State
Jamestown, N. D., Jan. 19-TaA
burdens Of the people of North Da
kota must be reduced, Governor H. A
Nestos told the County Commission
ers of the state in their annual ses-
sion here today. Increase in the gen
eral taxes for the five years preced
S tihg and including 1920 had been
from Sc IA to III 6-10 per cent the
Governor declared and the tax burden
has reached the point where economy
must be practiced If it is to become
possible for the people to continue
living, working and raising their fam
lilies here"
"By law, you superintend the fiscal
affairs of your respective counties
and as such have the handling OF
much property, large funds, and a
very important public business" Gov
ernor Nestos told the commissioners
after his greeting. with the expert
ence that most Of you have had in
dealing with the problems confront
ing the county commissioners, in rails
ing and expending the funds of a
county, you realize am sure, not
only the importance, but the difficulty
of handling the public business, IN
trusted to your care, economically and
we'll
Governor Speaks Plain English
'As Ia body, you represent pretty
we'll the aggregate public business OF
the state, and you are in a position to
speak for and also to speak to, a
large proportion of the citizenship OF
our state. It is to you, therefore, as
representatives of the people Of the
state, in CLOSE and constant touch
with the taxpayers in your counties,
that l desire to speak today on some
of the problems confronting us-con-
fronting the state as whole and also
the different counties and local politl-
cal subdivisions of the state.
There is usually great deal or
talk about economy and then very lit
tie done in actual practice, but am
sure that you realize that the situa-
ton is SUCH now that we need to prac-
tice as well as talk, and to exercise q
rigid economy in all the business at.
fairs tof our state, counties and local
political subdivisions. presume
that you are familiar with the figures
and that you realize that from 1916 to
1870 inclusive, the total general pro-
perty taxes levied, increased as fol-
lows:
State j. 103.70 per cent
County -: ...... 67.30 per cent
City, Town, Village. 1890 per cent
l,ownship ). ........ 56.25 per cent
School -. 1880 per cent
increases Too Large
"The figures for 1921 are not yet
available. but you know that these will
show still further increases, and
would have made the percentages still
larger. Tnese are the increases In
general property taxes only and we
have in addition for state purposes all
the special taxes that have been i'm
posed in recent years, such as ION au.
tomobiles, oil; etc, and three cent hail
taxi For theblocal subdivisions, we
have alsoithe special assessments OF
every kind, character and description.
] DO not suppose there is person
present but feels that this increase is
larger than it ought to be, and that
we must discover some method OF cur
failing the cost Of administering the
public business of our state, and the
various subdivisions thereof. We
must, however, also realize that to 80
back to the levies and expenditures
of 1916 and before would be impos-
Z, sible.i There are more duties imposed
upon the public officials, and more
public business intrusted to them than
ever before, and the people who have
intrusted this business to these Of
ficials have right to expect and do
expect that it will be looked after ef.
tlciently and economically. To make
such reductions in the levies or ex.
penditures as will destroy or seriously
cripple the public service would be a
serious mistake. There must be
enough money provided to secure the
successful management Of these diff
ferent lines of public business.
Citizens Approve Economy Program
During these weeks, when / have
been writing some of you about the
responsibility and practicability of re-
ducing expenses and levies, | have
been approached and written to by a
number of people who are interested
in special institutions or lines of the
public business. Without exception,
they approve of the program of econ,
pmy and express conviction that it
must be carried out if it is to become
possible for the people to continue liv-
~ing, working and raising their famil
les here. But usually they express a
fear that most of the cut is going to
come in the field where they are in
terested and some; even go so far as tc
insist that, while expenses must be re
duced, that it must not be done in the
particular field where they are inter-
ested. Without exception have ,tolc
these people that this is case where
all departments of the public business
and all political subdivisions, as wei
as the state itself, will have to beal
it's share of the burden. / am sure
that there is no subdivision and M
department of the public business tha
will enjoy having its revenue curtail
ed, but when the need is great w
must all be willing to bear the incon
venience, and, if need be, suffering en-
tailed by the cutting off of lot o
these appropriations, and curtailmen
of expenses. We should, however, b.