Evening star., 1932-07-10
GOV. CONNOR LOOKS
TO BRIGHT FUTURE.
Pins Hope on State Sales
Tax and Democrats in
Mississippi.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, July 9 (NAN.A)-
Gov. Mike S. Connor of Mississippi is
no pessim!st. AS a Democrat, he be-
lieyes Roosevelt will carry all the
Southern States the party lost in 1928
and as a legislator, he believes that his
pet sales tax will pull the State out OF
any slough of depression.
Come down and settle in our part
of the country" says the Governor.
"When We get through lowering prop
erty taxes we'll be able to offer you
80 acres practically tax exempt. A
family can always raise enough Vege-
tables to live on and all you have TO
do for wood is to go out and pick 1t up.
While the young and alert Governor
has implicit faith in the efficiency OF
the sales tax. he frankly admits that
the tax, which went into effect May /
and on which first payments were due
as of June l, has so far produced no
more than $4,000.
Adjustments Being Made.
But" he asserts, that sum is no
indication of what the tax will pro-
duce. The wonderful thing about this
tax is its broad distribution and the
decreased cost of collection, With the
full cooperation of the taxpayers,
which it has, the collection of the tax
becomes almost automatic and saves
the State at least one-third in costs.
It isn't really in working order yet.
Many of our largest taxpayers have
asked for an extension, in order to re-
adjust their accounting systemss TO the
new law. These will not make their re-
turns for several weeks"
Under the new system 1t Is eV1dent
that Gov. Connor is convinced that
prosperity is just coming around the
corner of the barn, although he does not
DENY that it was about time something
was done for the farmers, who were
pretty hard hit. The Governor knows
what he Is talking about, as he himself
Is the owner of some 10000 acres.
what has made it hard for the farm
ers." said Gov. Connor, sis that more
than so per cent of the population OF
the State is colored, and only about 5
per cent pay taxes. Many more of our
citizens are not landholders. That
means that more than IS per cent OF
land taxes are paid by is per cent OF
the population.
Taxes Widely Spread.
snow taxes are widely spread, paid
bv many. and felt by few. Our gaso 'ine
tax is spent wholly on roads. SSlce
June / our tobacco tax Is collected ftyvr
the wholesaler. Our retail per cSFl.
tax Is paid on invoices, and on credirs.
when collected
In addition to a poll tax" continued
The Governor, eve have law whereby
q citizen who has not paid all State
taxes of the previous two years is not
kInl 1o,,A &ux-
system. men were losing their homes
and their votes. Under the sales tax
they will not be disfranchised and will
pay taxes in the manner least felt and
most convenient"
Gov. Connor said that he never has
believed in discriminatory taxes, taxes
on specified commodities and predicts
that the United States, within reason
able time, will adopt the sales tax and
get rid of q number of the present
nuisance taxes. Both he and Alfred H.
Stone, chairman of the State Tax Com
mission, denied emphatically that 25 per
cent of Mississippi's farm lands have
been taken over by the State for unpaid
taxes. They said that story was ridicu-
lous and that the truth is that less than
8 per cent of such lands has been seized
by the State.
Much of this" said Mr.. Stone. was
poor land which the owners did not
wish to protect. Moreover, they had
two years In which to institute redemp-
tion proceedings"
This, Mr.. Stone contended was little
more costly than borrowing on the land,
and frequently much more convenient.
Much property In Mississippi is pro-
ducing no income.
Salaries Cut Heavily.
In Mississippfs economy program
salaries Of State officers have been re-
duced from is to 25 per cent. The
Legislature gave the chairman Of the
Tax Commission power to regulate sal
aries of all public employees, subject to
approval by the Governor In control
of expenditures, an executive budget
system has been set up. No money may
legally be expended without approval of
the Governor and the chairman Of the
State Tax Commission, who has been
made assistant director Of the budget
Gov Connor's tax program has at
tracted widespread interest Not only
did many Governors of other States ask
him for details at the Democratic con-
vention in Chicago, but since he has
been In New York his quarters at the
hotel have been filed with economists
and writers wanting his views on tax
alton.
The Democratic party will win this
election" said Gov Connor, "but Mis-
sissippi Is not waiting for or counting
upon a change in naticI34i administra-
tion 10 solve its problems. There al
ways viii be a difference in interests
between the Northern and Southern
Democrat and we believe that we must
carry our own load and tighten it by
our own efforts Mississippi is going to
be all right"
(copyright, 1892. By North American News
paper Alliance. 1ne)
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