Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, October 26, 1916, Page 6

{ i | SPECIAL OVERCOAT SALE ; A great exhibit of Hart, Schaffner & Marx and Society Brand Overcoats. gn and domestic weaves in the latest models for men and best makes of overcoats, highly tailored and of the finest forei Come in and get one at this sale. young men. EXTRA! Specially priced at Lo ) 26. 1916, THURSDAY. OCTOBER 26, 1018 These are the $12.75, $13.75, $16.75, $19.75, $24.95 FOR SATURDAY. ONE LOT OF OVERCOATS priced for this day, only - - - - - - - . - SHAVITCH BROS. successors to SCHNEIDER BROS. CO. HIGH TAX RATES IN BEMIDJI C AUSED BY LOCAL EXPENDITURES (Continued on Page 4) in a community between persons is on an equitable basis it makes but a slight difference what the aggregate are concerned. amount is as far as local purposes If each municipality or town was independent it would make little difference how these districts raised their money or whether assessments were high or low. Because, however, these communities must bear a share of the burden of county and state government it is necessary that each be measured by the same yardstick in order that favoritism may not be shown one and an injustice done another. . i In this connection it should be clearly understood at the expemse of repetition that the assessment is simply a factor to determine how much each person shall contribute to the not determine the amount of the tax. expense of government, but it does It is the amount of money that is voted for public purposes that de- termines whether taxes shall be high high taxes. or low. Large appropriations mean ‘When a community is spending large amounts of money taxes inewitably will be high and it makes little difference from purely a local standpoint whether the assessment is based on true value or is but ten per cent thereof. In either instance the same sum of money must be raised and the only variation will be the rate of per cent of the value of the prop- erty assessed which is required to raise the amount required by the municipality. ‘While the assessor has practically nothing to do with making the taxes of a community high or low he has nearly everything to do with making them fair and just. From the stand- point of the individual taxpayer he is the most important officer who has anything to do with taxation. If he complies with his oath of office and does his work in the way that the law provides, approximate justice will prevail among all of the taxpayers of his district; but, if on the other hand he departs from the standard fixed by law, or if he omits any consider- able amount of property from his list his assessment will inevitably abound in the grossest inequalities and re- sult in the rankest injustice. Tax- payers whose property is not all list- ed and assessed will pay less than their share and taxpayers whose prop- erty is all assessed will pay more than they ought to. High Tax Rates Not Extravangance In nearly every community tax dodging is resorted to most by people who are best able to pay. It is not the citizen of limited means whose property is all in sight and easily found by the assessor who escapes. Such people as a rule pay taxes on every dollar’s worth of property they have in the world. It is among peo- ple with bulging pocketbooks where we find our flagrant tax dodgers. Many of these people by one dishonest device or another evade every tax that they safely can. It is this class of citizens that makes the burden of taxation harder than it should be for honest taxpayers, because all taxes which by trickery and dishonest methods tax dodgers get out of pay- ing must be made up by the less fa- vored and more honest taxpayers of the county. In a general way growing tax rates are largely due to the expanding functions of government—state and local—and to an increasing demand on the part of the people for more things and better things from each of the units of government. We now demand and” insist that °numerous things be done by government that we did for ourselves years "ago or left undone entirely.' To do these penditure of money must inevitably be followed@ by higher taxes. High tax rates do not necessarily mean extravagant expenditures. If the money derived from tax levies is wisely and economically expended the benefits derived by the taxpayer may fully compensate for a high tax raie. Tkis is a question, however, that each district must decide for it- self. The total tax levy in Beltrami county last year and payable this year amounted to $633,680.40. Each $100 of this amount, whenr collected, will be apportioned as follows: To the state for support of state govern- ment and state institutions, $2.18; to the county, $31.58; to the towns, $4.98; to the cities and villages, $13.71; to education, $32.86, and to roads and bridges, $14.69. The total state levy in Beltrami county last year, including the state levy for schools and roads and bridges, amounted to $32,898.98, while the county received $46,090.16 from the state in aid of schools, roads and other local purposes. Expressed in another way; for each dollar lev- ied for state purposes last year, in- cluding schools and roads and bridges the county received from the state in aid of schools, roads and other pub- lic purposes, $1.43 in return. These figures show that direct taxes in their final analysis are levied almost en- tirely for local purposes. Hich Taxes Discourage Settlers. More or less discussion has taken place of late as to relative tax rates in the rural districts and in cities and villages. In comparing rates it should be borne in mind that farm or unplatted lands are taxed on a basis of one-third of value, while city and village or platted property is tax- ed on a basis of 40 per cent of value, or 20 per cent higher than farm prop- erty. It therefore follows that if the rate of levy was exactly the same on unplatted property the actual tax on the latter would be 20 per cent higher than on the former because of the districts of the county taxes have be-| course, a rapidly mounting tax rate. come so burdensome that settlers of moderate means are compelled to make many personal sacrifices in or- der to save sufficient money with which to pay them, or else let them go unpaid. This is to be regretted because it discourages new settlers from locating in the county. ‘While roads and bridges, and ditch- es and schools are desirable improve- ments in any community, there is such a thing as pushing them so rap- idly as to make them an unbearable burden to the settler. There has been a noticeable tendency in recent years toward large public expenditures, not only in Beltrami, but in practically every other county of the state. Large expenditures necessarily mean high tax rates. If mounting tax rates are to be halted it behooves every good citizen, and especially taxpayers of moderate means, to carefully serutin- ize public expenditures and to think twice before lending their support to new enterprises not now absolutely essential to the development of a dis- triet. Comparison of Levies Tell Story. The following table shows the com- parative tax levies for-different pur- poses in Beltrami county in 1914 and 1915: State revenue State schools ..... Interest and principal on state loans Teachers’ pensions County purposes ....... City and village purposes. Township purposes ... School district purposes .. Total The increase in 1915 over 1914 amounts to $100,368.12 or about 19 per cent. Of this amount the county increase is $63,303.74, the townsh.ip increase $7,964.44, the city and vil- lage increase $8,740.96, and the school increase $23,363.34. For state revenue purposes the levy in 1915 was $4,012.55 less than in 1914. A comparison of levies for the two years tells the story of growing tax rates in Beltrami county. In the city of Bemidji assessed val- uations have been at a standstill for the last few years while the expendi- tures of the municipality have been steadily increasing. The result is, of For instance in 1910 this is the way the taxes paid by Bemidji eciti- zens were divided: State ................$ 5,977.61 County ...... 23,923.60 City ........ 31,418.13 Schools .............. 31,299.16 Total ..ccooeveenoee .$ 92,618.50 The average rate in the city that year was 57.30 mills and the assessed valuation $1,615,5672. In 1915 the taxes paid were appor- tioned as follows: State ........ cierree .$ 6,874.50 % . . 25,679.25 . 63,197.81 43,776.16 Total ........ .$139,427.72 The assessed valuation in 1915 was $1,634,820, an increase of but $19,- 248 over 1910. On the other hand the amount of money required to be raised had increased $46,809.22 in the same period. That is while the 'assessed value was increasing ap- proximately 1.1 per cent the levy in- creased 50 per cent. This of course accounts for the increase in the rate from 57.30 mills to 78.96 mills, or 21.66 mills. It will be noted that of the total in- creases in the amount of money raised 1914 19156 $ 26,881.89 $ 22,869.26 9,282.03 9,637.96 28,467.09 29,353.60 . 391.76 163,477.94 226,781.68 68,000.53 76,741.49 80,156.54 87,850.98 ........ 157,046.26 180,053.67 ........ $533,312.28 $633,680.40 of $46,809.22 the city of Bemidji re- quired $31,779.68 more in 1915 than in 1910 and the schools took $12,- 477. The money contributed to the state was $896.89 more in 1915 than in 1910 and to the county $1,655.65 more. All this indicates that the high tax rates in Bemidji are due to increas- ing local expenditures and not to any outside influence. The only effect that doubling the assessed valuation would have would be the reduction of the rate assumipg the same amount of money had to be raised. If the valuation was cut in two the result would be simply a doubled rate. She—You don’t seem to understand that when 1 criticise I do it solely for your good. He—and you don’t seem to understand that when I am required to listen it is impossible for me to think of anything that is good.—Rich- | mond Times-Dispatch. Man’s Way and Woman’s. When a wife dies a husband says, “I would be a better husband if I had it to do over again.” But when a hus- band dies his wife says, “Well, T did difference in the basis of assessment. Separating the taxes levied in the towns of Beltrami county in 1915 from the levy in the cities and vil- lages of the county, exclusive of spe- cial assessments, it is found that the total township levy was $296,389.18, the average rate being 55.02 mills, while the levy in the cities and vil- lages amounted to $217,429.64, the average rate in the latter being 88.80 mills. Based on full value, the rate on’ unplatted land would be 18.34 mills and on platted lands 35.52 mills. numerous things revenues are neces- sary, and the necessary revenue must be raised by some form of taxation, 50 that every expansion of the func- tions of government entailing the ex- Much complaint has been heard of late about growing tax rates in Bel- trami county. That tax rates- are growing increasingly heavy in the county cannot be denied. In many my duty by him.”—Topeka ‘Capital. Called Down. “I would like to see the man or place that could get my nerve.” “Did you ever try a dentist’s chair?” —Baltimore American. Symptoms of It. “Is there any insanity in Billy’s fam- fiy?” “They all speak highly of Billyl"— Puck. By speaking of our misfortunes we i oft relieve them.—Corneille, KKK KKK KKK KKK KKK Read the Pioneer want ads. Tt I The Difference Between the Cost of Good ‘and Cheap Printing is so slight that he who goes shopping from printer to printer to secure his printing at a few cents less than what it is really worth hardly ever makes day labor=r wages at this unpleasant 1ask. If you want g.ood work at prices that are right, get your job printing : At This Office c L A s S I F I ED FOR RENT—Furnished room. quire Mrs. F, Lane, 502 3rd St. WANTED WANTED—To trade a forty-acre farm with barn and large bunga- low, for town property, consisting of 4-room house. Call Lake Shore hotel. Mrs. Edith Nybo. 5-1031 WANTED TO RENT—A five to eight room house from Dec. 1, 1916; will lease for one year. Preferably in Nymore. Please state terms per ‘month. Address ‘“Bemidji,” c|o Pioneer. 7-111 WANTED—To buy second hand coal stove in good condition. Address J. T., ¢c|o Pioneer. 6-1031 WANTED—To buy a good fresh cow, also some rutabagas for stock. Phone 26-F-11. 2-1026 WANTED—To rent five or six-room house, furnished, for the winter. C. W. Clark, Puposky, Minn. 6d-1030 WANTED—Phone 300. Edward An- derson, if you want to sell furni- ture, stoves, clothing, shoes, horses, harness, wagons. 1028 HELP WANTED. BOY WANTED —Must be over 16 years of age. Western Union Tele- graph company. = _ 1026 WANTED—Girl for general house- work. Phone 33-F-2. 6-111 WANTED — Night porter. Hotel Markham. . 1025tf WANTED — Night porter. Hotel Markham. 1017tf WANTED—Bell boy. Hotel Mark- ham. 1017tf HELP WANTED—Bemidji govern- ment clerks examinations., Nov. 4. $75 month. Sample lessons free. Franklin Institute, Dept. 23-S. T., Rochester, N. Y. d1030 FOR SALE. FOR SALE—Second hand piano; will sell cheap for cash or on time. 1019 Beltrami Ave. 6-111 FOR SALE—House and lot at 611 4th St. Dandy lot, 50x146, with small house and shed. Will sell cheap for cash or will give terms. Inquire Verne O. Kane, 615 4th®St. 5-1031 FOR SALE—Store building and lot, 307 3rd St.; 5 lots and 3 dwelling houses, cor. 3rd St. and Irvine Ave. Make me an offer. Frank Lane. 1030 FOR SALE—Hens and pullets. Call at 1122 Dewey Ave., or Phone 837- w. 2-1026 FOR SALE—Cook stove, rugs, stair carpet, chairs, bedding, iron couch- es, dishes, at 520 Beltrami Ave. 2-1026 FOR SALE—House; $900 if taken at once. Phone 704-J. 3-1028 FOR SALE—1,200-1b. horse, buggy and harness. Owner going away. Call Saturday or Monday at Hotel Remore. H. B. McConnell. 1021tf FOR SALE—Two Airedale pups, 7 months old, female, pedigreed; champion stock, large and rangy. - Best breed of hunting dogs for large or small game. R. E. Fisher. 1019tf FOR SALE—Good big work horses cheap as I have my season’s work about done. Tom Smart, Bemidji, Minn. 106tt FOR EXCHANGE—45 horse gas en- gine and lath machine, good as new, both or separate. What have you? M. Longballa, Bemidji, Min 1021tf 6th St., between Irvine and Miss. Ave. 6-111 In- 4-1030 FOR RENT—Two-room. house in Mill Park, furnished. Inquire Ho- tel Challenge. 6-111 FOR RENT—Five-room house. A. Klein. 3-1027 FOR RENT—Six-room house. Apply A. Klein. Phone 744. 3-1027 FOR RENT—Three-ro#n cottage, 1016 America Ave. Call 662-J. 3-1027 LOST AND FOUND. : Lifi?“finiser," 4 months’ old fox ter- rier, male dog, black and white, has leather collar. Return for re- ward. A. Brose, 317 Minn. Ave. 3-1028 Reguln{ Customer (;vAl_;o bas just en. tered restaurant)—Strong smell of _ paint here, William. Watter (cough- ing apologetically and indicating young women about to leave table)—Yessir; soon pass off, sir; they’re just going.— London Punch. Growth of Children. A four-year-old child is generally twice as tall as it was at the time of birth. Genins unexerted is no more gentus than a bushel of acorns is a forest of oaks. —_—— Might Be Done. “A man should never talk about what he does not understand.” “Well,” replied Senator Sorghum, “sometimes he can get away with it; if he is dead sure his audience doesn’t ‘understand it either.” — Washington Star. Attar of Roses. It requires one ton of musk rose pet- als to distill one pound of pure attar of roses. Not Idle. Willie—Dad,” what is idle curiosity? Dad—The busiest thing in the world. Willle. Save Pennies— Waste Dollars q Some users of printing save pennies by get- ting inferior work and lose dollarsthrough lack of ad- vertising value in the work they get. Printersasarule” charge very reasonable prices, £o:l£om of them get ricl ough near all: of them work hanliy Moral: Give your printing to a good printer and save money. Our Printing Is Unexcelled = | o 4