Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-04-09
HOW WE CUT LOCAL TAXES.
First Got the Facts, Then Did Some
thing About It,

|
taxes. 1t is a very simple plan, and
one that you can easily apply in your
own community.
When the depression of 1920-21
hit us we were in just about the
same tax situation as any other
county in the Middle West We
were really worse off because in
1920 our county suffered a cloud
burst and scores of bridges were
destroyed and had to be rebuilt and
paid for. Before | begin to tell about
the remedy for the tax disease" let
me show right here at the start what
the remedy accomplished:
1t saved the cospty around 100000
on the one item Of bridges alone.
1t secured cuts of from to 20
per cent in the local taxes in in
dividual precincts.
1t increased the amount of prop
erty returned from IL to 20 per
cent. in years when the valuations
were generally falling, thereby re-
ducing taxes for the man who had
always been honest in making his
return.
Best of ALL the net result was a
feeling of confidence and general
satisfaction, instead of mistrust, un-
rest and suspicion.
Here is how it was done:
During the year or so that the de-
preston lasted in earnest, people
tended to become radical. But being
radical is more or less state of
mind. When we began to get radi-
cal about our taxes, it simply meant
that we didn't know where our
money was going. and consequently
didn't know how to stop the money
from going.
A farmer would see the school
ma'am spinning along in her jitney.
well, looky there" he would ex-
claim, that's where all our taxes
got" Another farmer d few miles
further on would see the road grad
ers at work ''Hump." he would ex-
claim. TN bet that's taking all our
taXes!' 1t all depended on which
way fellow looked as to what he
blamed his taxes on.
The fact was that most people
didn't know. Ignorance of where
our money went bred suspicion and
suspicion bred radicalism. A few
| pCOplt were dilSduy making IuGll-
selves heard when it was suggested
that the Farm Bureau might take a
look into the matter William
Wingett, president of the county
Farm Bureau, and little group on
the tax committee were handed the
job, Some people were for Calling
countrywide meeting to protest
vigorously and noisily against all
manner of taxes.
But before we had a public meet
ing it was considered proper for
someone to find out where our money
did go. So we went over to the
county Offices and went through the
books and determined just what our
money was being spent for. And a
little later we did this for every
school district in the county.
At the first public meeting there
were around $50 farmers and few
business men present. We began to
hold meetings all over the county,
and at every meeting we passed
around circulars that showed where
the money went in that school dis
trict We had wall charts and
maps.
The upshot of all this was that for
the first time it suddenly dawned on
people that most Of the tax eXpendi-
lures were for things directly under
their control. Politicians had some
times talked as if the state capitol,
the state government, the university
and normal schools, the state in
situations for dependents, state
roads-as if these things were TAX
ing the money. But if we had cut
out, all of these things altogether
where | lived, it would have de-
creased our tax bill only about 10
per cent. The largest expenditures
were concentrated right down in our
own communities, in matters over
which the people had the most init
mate control themselves.
We found that there were wide
variations in different parts of our
own county, and that taxes in indi-
vidual school districts varied all the
way from $1,000 to 5000 on $1,000
valuation.
When people began to find these
things out the attendance at the an
nual meetings of the school districts
to forty or fifty. In some districts it
was found that things had not been
managed efficiently. In some cases
it was found advisable to cut down
on one teacher where she was teach
ing only very few pupils and in
crease the size of classes for other
eachers-although in some cases the
salaries of these other teachers had
to be raised. In most cases there
was also a disposition to economize
on other matters, such as the pur-
chase of coal at the time of year
when it was cheapest, etc.
In this way cuts varying from to
20 per cent. were effected in the
taxes of individual districts.
The next big thing was to dis
cover hidden property which was
| escaping taxation throughout the