The Redwood gazette., 1934-10-18

Gated sums q money not exceeding
the amounts which would have been
realised By such governmental subdf.
or taxation Of such lands e privately
owned"
It will be noted that the present Sec
ton 10 of Article remains unchanged
as the first paragraph of the proposed
amendment but that second paragraph
il added to said section.
The Purpose and Effect Of the Proposed
Amendment
The purpose Of the proposed amend.
ment IL to give the legislature the power
to do one Of two things which It now
namely: first, to authorize the taxing OF
any land, and the assessment OF bene-
fits for improvements against any land,
which the state has acquired and owns
operation Of the system Of rural credits
and to provide for the payment OF such
taxes and assessments out OF the funds
Of the Rural Credit Department; or, Sec
towns, school districts, cities, villages and
borouahs In which are located lands ae-
quired and owned by the state under
the rurai credit acts sums OF money not
exceeding the amounts which would be
realized by said governmental subdivi.
sions from the taxation Of such lands
and from the assessment OF benefits
against such lands II owned by private
persons.
Under the Rural Credit Act the state
has become the owner Of thousands OF
farms located In various counties Of the
state. As our State Constitution now
stands, such land, being owned by the
state, cannot be taxed. II naturally fol-
lows that other land within the same tax
ina district must pay higher taxes.
Likewise, the legislature does not now
have the power to appropriate to the
counties, towns, school districts, cities,
Rural Credit Department to reimburse
them for losses suffered by them be-
cause large areas of land acquired BY the
state under the rural credit law thereby
have been removed from the tax rolls.
The effect of the passing of this amend
ment, II the power thereby given 10
acted upon by the legislature, will be to
make good to these local subdivisions.
suffer because they cannot tax rural
credit land.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 8.
BY the adoption of Chapter 442 Of the
Laws of 1888. the legislature has pro.
posed an amendment to Section 1 of Ar
ticle Of the State Constitution.
This section now reads as follows:
'.The power of taxation shall never
be surrendered, suspended or con-
tracted away. Taxes shall be uni
form upon the same class of subjects,
and shall be levied and collected for
public purposes, but public burying
grounds, public school houses, public
hospitals, academies, colleges, uni
versities. and all seminaries of learn
ing, all churches, church property
of purely public charity, and public
property used exclusively for any
public purpose, shall be exempt from
taxation, and there may be exempted
exceeding in value 5000, for each
household. individual or head of Q
family, as the legislature may deter
mine: Provided, that the legislature
may authorize municipal corporations
to levy and collect assessments for
local improvements upon property
benefited thereby without regard 70
q cash valuation, and provided fur
ther, that nothing herein contained
shall be construed to affect, modify
or repeal any existing law providing
for the taxation of the gross earn
ings of railroads.
II amended as proposed by the legisla-
ture, this section will read as follows:
be surrendered, suspended or con.
tracted away. Taxes shall be uni
form upon the same class of subjects,
and shall be levied and collected for
public purposes. but public burying
grounds, public school houses, public
hospitals, academies, colleges, uni
versities, and all seminaries of learn
ing, all churches, church property
and houses of worship, institutions
of purely public charity. public prop
erty used exclusively for any public
purpose, shall be exempt from taxa
tion, and there may be exempted
from taxation personal property not
exceeding in value 5000, for each
household, individual or head of .
family, and household goods and farm
machinery. as the legislature may
determine:
Provided, that the legislature may
authorize municipal corporations to
levy and collect assessments for local
improvements upon property benefit
ed thereby without regard to cash
valuation. and provided further, that
nothing herein contained shall be
construed to affect, modify or repeal
any existing law providing for the
taxation Of the gross earnings of
railroads."
Amendment
The purpose and effect VI this amend.
nent 10 to grant to the legislature, In ad.
dition to the power now granted by said
authority to exempt from taxation, such
household goods Of each household, and
such farm machinery Of each farm, as
II may see fit BY the present Section
the authority to exempt from taxation
unspeciaed personal property not exceed.
Ing In value $500 for each household, In.
dividuaI, or head Of a family.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. T.
By the adoption of Chapter 443 OF the
Laws of 1888 the legislature has proposed
an amendment to Article 8 of the State
Constitution. This amendment will not
add to or alter any existing section of
the Constitution, but will add new Sec
tfon to be known as Section of Article
8. The proposed amendment reads as
follows:
ANY Of the public lands of the
state, including lands held in trust
Tor any purpose, may, with the ap-
proval Of commission consisting Of
the governor, the attorney general
and the state auditor, be exchanged
for lands Of the United States and
other privately owned lands as the
legislature may provide, and the
lands so acquired shall be subject
to the trust, IL any, to which the
lands exchanged therefor were sub
ject, and the state shall reserve all
mineral and water and water power
rights in lands SO transferred BY the
state"
Amendment
The purpose and effect Of this amend.
ment 10 to authorize the legislature to
provide for exchanging any Of the public
lands OF the state for lands Of the Uni.
ted States and land privately owned, such
exchanges to be made with the approval
Of commission consisting Of the COVER.
nor, the attorney general and the state
auditor. Such exchanges Of land can
not now be made because the State Con.
stitution does not permit the legislature
to authorize the sale Of school lands.
state swamp lands and state Internal i'm.
provement lands except by public sale.