Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-02-17
Senator Wilmer Discusses Taxes

Aull year employment, and the sum-
mer vacation offers meager oppor-
tunities for earning, Moreover be-
cause of the prevalent conception
that teachers enjoy munificent sal
aries. they are held up for extortiop-
ate living charges. The preteyt is
salaries remain unchanged. WHY re-
duce board?' 1t is plain profiteer-
ing
Teachers salaries should be suffi-
cient to keep the more capable men
and women in The profession, and
maintain a sufficient supply TO per
nit the wedding ont of unworthy
teachers. In my opinion the ques-
ton OF salaries in Whitman county
should be worked out by board or
commission, consisting of an equal
number OF teachers, school directors.
and taxpayers Salaries should be
standardized on the basis Of all fac.
tors affecting service This would
obyiate the haggling and BARGAINING.
and jumping OF contracts. and other
dlscreditable features incidental to
the annual reorganization of the
teaching corps.
This board, if composed of fair
minded men and women could iron
out many wrinkles, and remove
much misunderstanding. Probably
it would result in a moderate read
Justment of salaries at this time. But
that is only reasonable. Sacrifices
will be required of all before we are
/ again at normally. Later it might
serve as a protection to teachers.
Reports from state normal schools
| show an increase of attendance the
present year of nearly 65 per cent.
What will be done in a few years
with the influx of new teachers?
But where are we getting with the
reduction of the $136 school tax?
Not very far, / fear
Roads are the next big item SS1
per quarter 3 cents of the tax dol
lar. OF this the state levy for roads
gets SIS, Donahoe roads SIG. road
and bridge SIT, and road district
So /, a part of the latter for Donahoe
roads also. Roads are not so vital
as education. Stop building if we
please. We have practically stopped
building hard surfaced roads in
| Whitman county. But we can not
cut off all road taxes To stop build
/ ing state roads would be downright
bad faith TO sections of the state that
have been paying road taxes for
years, and are yet waiting their
! turns, and it will be poor business
to let the roads we have built go to
destruction We will be paying Don
ahoe road taxes for nearly 10 years
/ for the Donahoe roads now built
We can cut road and bridge and road
district some if we wish. Just petit
tition the county commissioners
not to work our country roads,
/
bridges, and they will cut these levies
I am sure But things will become
very quiet around the commissioners
/ office on commissioners days. No
more delegations from all over the
! county asking for roads What are
the prospects for big saving in
road taxes?
/ We now have left IS cents of the
rent year it is about $125,000. Not
quite cents, SIS of this goes for
county expense. In 1914. county eX-
pense was about 100000, The cur
rent var it is about 1925, 900. Not
all of the $4,000 increase can be
saved, because things yet cost more
than in 1914. Some might be saved
but the commissioners would prob
ably ask us to show them how.
The impression is so common that
( the legislature by its extravaganza
/ is accountable for high taxes, that
wish to go into some detail with
/ the = Genus Oh the IdA uOlldl' LHC
$32 yet remaining, which goes for
state expense.
Some of you may not know that
lthe state has u institutions in
which it cares for its criminals, its
insane and detectives, the blind and
deaf, delinquent boys and girls and
the war veterans. These institu-
lions have 600 inmates. The in
sane alone number more than $500,
and it costs more than $2,O00,OOO
per annum to care for all these UNI
fortunates This takes cents OF
the 10 cents, $13 of the $32 total,
for state expense. During the past
year the inmates have increased
more than 900, they will continue to
increase, and there is no hope for a
saving here.
The next item is the soldiers
bonus. 1t takes nearly } cents OF
the tax dollar, $500 per quarter.