Milford chronicle., 1927-07-15
TOO MUCH HOWLING
ABOUT HIGH TAXES
In Urging More Permanent Con-
struction For Schools, Streets,
ETC., He Points Out<That U. 5.
Spends In A Year Almost As
Much For Luxuries As For Gov
ernment And Public Improve
mentS.

If the average person had Always
- NC own way about establishing
the tax rate, "the average person
It'll would be bringing down MS
hrealfast with a bow and arrow ana
angaging in other pleasant prlmltNe
nupsritsH So declares James "A.
Eamnbell. veteran newspapermah ol
pbiIadelnhia, in defense OF MORE
and more permanent, public I'M
nrovements. such as schools, sewer
Zoo evstems. sewage disposal plants'
n9ved streets and highways ana reC-
reations centres, in an artlcle neau
ad "High Taxes - An American
MYTH" which appears in the July
issue of Building, published by Ine
pbiladelnhia Builders Exchange.
The writer is of the opinion that
+bere is too much complaining ABOUT
TOW rates and says it would be more
nIeasant and to the point IL people
ceased using the expression JUST
as certain as death taxes ana SUI
St;tuted for it "just as necessary as
education and taxes. With lnter-
osting statistics he points out t1aC
orr prosperity has Increased ahaI
inelv in the last decade, along WIN
the Increased rate of public improve
ment construction.
Despite this he says IL Seems
that to-day there is more CALAMITY
howling about taxes than ever tnere
was before. Alarmists who endeaVor
to throw a scare into the hearts OF
their readers and listeners by cltlns
fax rates and the amounts that are
eynended for public improvements
either ignore or refuse to consider
certain fundamental facts, such as
these:
81. Increasing populations, along
with higher and better standards OF
living need and demand NOR and
Increased facilities for sewage dls-
nosaI They need and demand more
in the way of water filtration plants'
school buildings, parks and recrea-
tion centers. Our 2200O,000 motor
iets need more paved streets and
roads than are in eXistance TO-DAY.
"2. The purchasing power OF the
dollar is considerably less today
than it was in the sO-called normal
Dre-war" period. But, the average
is considerably more today than II
was before the war. Even consider
ing the decreased power OF the doll-
ar, the average increase mas peeh
placed at 9O%h.
"3. Even though the per capita
tax rate. numerically may be about
double what it was before the war
if is scarcely any greater compared
with the pre-War dollar, and in some
cases really less. When the tremen-
dous growths of our urban populaI-
ions and their needs are considered
our general tax rate may be said tc
be too slow.
"While the alarmists are calling
attention to an alleged increase IL
tax rates and growing expenditures
for general improvements IN the
last ten or twelve years, they never
suggest that all the while our pros
perity also has increased. T1ey
seem in ignorance of the fact thai
civilization and prosperity increase
in direct proportion to the manner
and rate at which public improve
ments are executed. We will looi
at the following figures for bettel
insight into the real financial con
dition of the people of the United
States.
"In 1919 the individual bank de
posits in all banks was $17,475,764
1874. At the beginning of 1926 the to
tai was SAG, ,765, $4,000.
"In 1918 the people of this countr,
had on deposit in savings banks
total of 81, ,472.768. At the begin
ming of 1926 the total was $9,O55,
101.000.
"In 1918 the total Building an
Loan Associations assets was ST.
1877 7,600,648. At the beginning @
1927 the total amount was about S.
O00,000,000.
@'In 1918 all life insurance in fore
amounted to $20,520, ,598,372. At tn
beginning of 1926 it amounted
$4,000, 100000.
"In 1915 less than $50O,00O,OO
was spent for the construction {
homes in twenty-seven leadin
states. In 1926 well over $4,000
100000 was spent for homes in thes
same states.
"What could be more cOnclusiV
proof of our prosperity? Such fiji
ures really need not be cited. TT
prevalence and the increase of pro
perity is apparent to any one wit
half an eye. The average workiI
man need not go out of his ow
home to appreciate it. He sees it
his bathtub, his automobile, h
heating plant, his electric light, h
better clothing and his cleaner Ii
ing.
Recently an editorial headline
large and conservative metr
politan newspaper exclaimed
great agony that the cost of COVER
ment combined federal and stat
in the United States is $12,000,OO
900 a year, and declared this to
''the great American problem.
was inadequately eplained that me
> of this $4,000, 100000 was spent
absolutely essential improveme1
and the maintenance of many kin
of necessary public works. VII
it is said that the country speI
$12,000,000,000 a year for govel