The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-11-09

throws a heavy burden upon the
groups of people whose sole income
is from this type of property and may
not require the person whose incomes
are in the form of wages and fees for
professional services to contribute
their full share.
Fortunately in Maryland we are not
burdened with heavy state debts. The
state of Maryland can pay every debt
it now owes by 1947 without any in
crease whatsoever in the rate of tax
alton. | wish the same might be said
for some of the counties. In certain
counties the obligations made in the
past will require heavy tax levies to
be made annually until 1871 in order
to- pay the interest and bonded indeb-
tedness. In other words, some coun-
ties are obligated two generations
ahead. Fortunately for you Garrett
County stands at the top of the list of
counties that do not have heavy bon
ded debts.
The state has made great progress
in the past in handling it's tax situa-
ton in the interests of the people.
Our state taxes are among the lowest
in the nation. Such taxes as are col
lected are returned for most part to
the direct use of all the people of the
state. About SO per cent of the farm
ers' taxes in 1882 were for support
of the county government and 81 per
cent for state government. OF the
increases in taxes Is per cent are used
for such items as schools, roads, and
the care of dependent people. A large
percentage of this state tax comes
from fees and indirect taxes, such as
the sales tax on gasoline. A forward
step was taken by the last legisla-
ture when all roads were placed I'M
der the state. In doing so there was
gained for the property tax very
real item of savings. By placing more
of the cost of schools on the state
and less on the counties, another
great savings could be made to the
over burdened real estate tax require
ments in Maryland.
l believe that every taxpayer in the
state should make it his business to
acquaint himself with the facts in the
case. They should make inquiries into
such items as the efficiency of the as
sessments; the relative amounts of
IdAtS Dctlu ny pCloO living VII ILO
farm and in towns; the separation of
farm land and buildings in the assess
ment method; the license fees for
motor trucks and buses on the high
ways; and the advantages of various
forms of taxable resources as es-
pecially sales taxes on luxuries. The
information is available to you for the
asking. l hope that many of you will
take advantage of this opportunity
and become real factors in the solu-
ton of the tax problems of Maryland.
Production
In turning to the production prob
lem, we find wide range of interests
that might be included. The Mary
land Experiment Station has issued.
since its beginning, more than $50
bulletins or phamplets. At least 80
per cent of these bulletins deal either
directly or indirectly with the produc-
ton problem. In looking over the
general field it seems to me that there
are two outstanding needs at the pres
ent time. The first of these is the
necessity for farmers to produce a
greater percentage of the feed and
food requirements on their own farms.
1t is not generally known that in ad
dition to all the corn and oats and
wheat and hay that is grown on Mary
land farms each year, our farmers
still find it necessary to spend more
than eight million dollars eachyearfor
additional feed supplies. A large per-
centage of this expenditure falls on
two important items in this state;
namely, dairying and poultry produc-
ton. Very few farmers buy feed for
the production of hogs, beef cattle,
and sheep. They dispose of this type
of livestock rather than buy feed for
them. Some of them, of course, buy
feed for work animals, but with the
dairying and the poultry the problem