The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 1, 1917, Page 8

» Efficiency Is the Watchword Something About the Work of the North Dakota Farmers’ Administration From the Purely Clerical Side—Public Servants Who Really Serve BY RALPH HARMON O save at the spigot and waste at the bunghole is poor economy. When the people of North Dakota a year ago turned out the old regime at Bismarck and put a new one in office, they knew there were some big things to be done. They knew, for in- stance, that there was vast wealth go- ing untaxed, and that under a proper system, this would be added to the tax rolls. They believed there had been slipshod methods used in the past, and that the whole machinery of state gov- ernment needed to be screwed up and made more efficient. But they did not expect the administration they put in office would rest content with merely spectacular things. They expected it would do the multitude of small things necessary, just as well as the few big and striking ones. In short, they did not expect their state administration would save at ~e spigot and waste at the bunghole. In this they have not been disap- pointed. One of the offices that has a multitude of small things to attend to in addition to a heavy share in the big policies, is that of the state audi- tor. As a niember of the state audi- ting board, and of the state board of equalization, State Auditor Carl Ko- . sitzky has participated in the good work of adding many millions to the assessed valuation, and in conserving the money that goes out of the treasury in pavment of the state’s running ex- but getting some fruit for every shake. From various other sources, includ- ing some 200 telephone companies that had not been asked by the former ad- ministration to pay their taxes, the state auditor’s office has collected in the last 10 months since the Nonparti- san league has been in office about $85,000 in back taxes. When Kositzky got into the office, he said he intended to mend all the leaks and make every dollar count. What he has done shows the people how badly a change was needed at Bismarck, when they stop to think that the sum of $85,000 that was owing to the commonwealth, had been left scattered around and never even picked up, or demanded. . LEAGUE AUDITOR SAVES 2931 PER CENT And this big sum has been collected at an additional expense of only $2900, ‘“What have they done?’’ the question that old gang politicians began to hurl at the North Dakota farmers soon after their stgte officials were put in office, has Hecome about as unpopular with them as that other famous slogan, ‘‘Carry the truth to the peo- ple.’”’ Big Business doesn’t want to hear any more about w}}at the farmer administration has done. It has only been in office 10 months, but it has made a record of achievement that puts former administrations to shame. what officials elected by the Nonpartisan league in North Dakota have done—and there are several still to come. This is the sixth article telling sitzky with which to pay an extra clerical expert or two, has already’ yielded the taxpayers more than 2931 per cent—and there are still 14 months to go. Ever since North Dakota has been a state, its- funds have been loaned out to banks—designated as state deposi- tories—at three per cent interest. There was an old superstition that if banks paid more than this it would be unsafe for the people, so the amount the people’s money could draw .was limjted. The banks that got this three per cent money turned right around and loaned it back to the people -at eight or 12 per cent, often with a bonus charged in addition—but after this sort of thing had gone on for 20 years or more, the legislature passed another law raising the interest the state could get to five per cent on funds not im- mediately needed. A form of property that was not taxed until State Auditor Carl Kositzky, elected by the Nonpartisan league, called upon the car lines for back taxes for five years. Up to October 23 he had collected almost $10,000 from this source alone, and there is almost as much more still to be collected, and coming in rapidly. penses. But there are many duties he has to discharge all by himself. If he didn’t do these things, they would- n’t be done. SAVED TWICE HIS SALARY IN ONE ITEM ALONE It is the auditor's duty to collect the tax moneys from the various counties, and if the counties have not done their share, it is his duty to prod them up and see that they do. Under the last administration, the state audi- tor entirely overlooked the presence in North Dakota of oil tank cars on many railway lines, refrigerator cars, and other cars of special service lines. But as soon as Kositzky got-into office he began to make good on his cam- . paign pledge to the people that he would see that _these car lines paid their share of the taxes. Up to date througfi his efforts he has collected nearly $10,000 from these companies, some of the delinquent sums dating back to 1912 and belong- ing, to every intervening year from that time down to 1916. This alone will twice pay the auditor’s salary for the whole time for which he was elect- ed; but in addition to this he has col- lected more than $3000 for the year 1917, and before the-job is finished there will be $10,000 more. The odd thing about this is that the companies have not resisted paying up. All it took in most cases was notice from the auditor that they were delinquent—in. other words attention to business on the part of the state auditor. What good is it to add large sums to the assessed valuation of the state in order to get more taxes and then fail to collect the over ripe.taxes that are ready to fall into the people’s lap by a little shaking of the bush? Ko- sitzky has been shaking the bush in which was granted by the farmer legis- lature last .winter. . Again let me call attention to the fact that the people’s legislature of last winter has to be taken into account in connection with almost every good thing that the state administration has been able to do. The legislature passed the necessary bills that served to bridge over the chasms, appropriated the small sums of money without which things could- n’t be done. This $2900 it gave to Ko- DIFFERENCE BEWEEN THREE AND FIVE PER CENT The officials of former administra- tions, who had the parceling of this out among the banks, did not, how- ever, pay any attention to this new law. It specifically said that funds for which there was no immediate use should be loaned out at five per cent, but- Auditor Kositzky was the {first state official to make this law effect- LABOR MEN WITH THE FARMERS Natiofi’al Nonpartisan League: ; This is to advise you that at its regular meeting held Oct. 1st, St. Paul Printing Pressman’s Union No. 29 unanimously voted to St. Paul, Minn, indorse the resolutions which were passed in the conference held under the auspices of your organization at the auditorium Sept. 18-20, 1917. - : ‘With best wishes for your succeés, we remain, 7 Yours fraternally, ' Heip- the Boys ‘Work for the French, Russian and Italian armies, as well as for the Unit- - helping in the campaign. ed States soldiers in the training camps and on the front, is included in' the program for the Y. M. C. A. war work ‘ council, which “is planning to raise $35,000,000 for the work on the week of November 12-19. The state council of North Dakota has pledged $125,000 for the work. ’ Y. M. C. A. workers take the same risks as the soldiers in their efforts to carry a touch of home life into the advance trenches,” says J. J. Virgo of —manv__ways. courteously, efficiently, “London,M 1_‘_91?1_, ;‘epregentative of - the JOS. KOVEC, 1398 Sherburne Ave., St. Paul, Minn, British association, who is in America ‘“Many as- sociation ‘huts’ near the British front and dugouts in the advance trenches have been struck by shell fire and the -workers. killed. “The men who are fighting now will be the men who will reconstruct the nation after the war, and we want. them to be elean men, physically and morally. . The Y. M. C. A. does this, and we should support it strongly.” A chairman in each county will dlrect' the campaign in the state, W. P, Stock- well of Fargo is state campalgn direstos, - Bt ""’"‘“"PIGE’BI'_X“‘_"'” t e S, ive. As long ago as last May he called the attentien of the board of auditors to this statute and the state officials were surprised to find that there were bankers ready to bid five to six per cent for this money. They immediate=~ ly put out $103,000 at five per cent in- .stead of three, (the terminal elevator fund), and the proceeds will become part of the fund. The additional in- terest this will draw amounts to '$2060 for one year, a tidy little sum that can be put to very good use in_ these days of counting pennies, When the League auditor took office, one of the first things he discovered was that much information which he and many people of the state needed to refer to continually, could only be found by digging up old rolls and packe- ages of papers from dusty pigeonholes, and half-finished, half-forgotten books. This was brought forcibly to light when some counties asked where they stood with regard to their accounts with the state insane asylum. It was found that many asylum accounts with the counties had not been put into books at all, and that large bodies of official data needed to be made avail- able for instant use. The same was true with regard to inheritance taxes collected, many receipts being missing so that the auditor had no knowledge of when taxes had been paid, or even whether they had or not. After floundering around as in a "thicket for & number of months, the auditor’s office is now cleared up and on an efficient basis. Records are promptly entere@ of all inheritance taxes collected, and books so kept that counties can be instantly told where they stand with regard to their insane and feeble minded accounts, GENERAL EFFICIENCY RESULT OF NEW ERA A complete record of all mileage books issued to the many traveling employees of the state is-kept, and a report is filed showing the distance traveled and the points visited.’ prevents anyone junketing about the state on mileage books paid. for by the taxpayers except on official business. A record of all bills allowed by the state auditing board is kept so that in- stant reference can be made to it, pre- venting the paying twice of the same account and eliminating useless delay in looking up such things. There is a great deal of purely clerical improve- ment in the handling of the office which is too tedious to mention, but which makes it possible for the state auditor to answer the many questions continually . coming to him from the citizens, as they never could be an- swered before. An instance of this is the new state directory that the auditor’s office has compiled to answer the numerous re- quests for lists of state officers and legislators. Evidently the people are taking greater interest in their state government than ever before, for more of them are asking who the state offi- cials are, and this volume of inquiry became so great that it was decided to issue a complete directory. Many tables of assessment, schedules, etc., including the framing of a new tax schedule with about one-third the number of items contained on the old tax schedule issued by State Auditor Carl Jorgenson, have also been pre- pared' by Mr. Kositzky. In place of the chickens, fences, dogs and other trifling bits of property owned by every farmer or city resident, the new tax schedule contains tank cars and the big oil tanks situated along the railroads from which foreign corporations have made hundreds of thousands in profits, but upon which they paid no taxes until the Nonpartisan league officials were put into office. g ‘ “Believe me there are a good many things to do, when you come to read them all in the law books,” said Mr. Kositzky the. other day, “and it has kept me humping all the time. The state auditor's most important duties are to superintend the fiscal affairs of the state, to audit all claims against the state, to direct and superintend the collecticn of all money due the state, to draw warrants ‘on the state treasurer for the payment’of money to be paid out of the treasury, to dis- eharge the duties as memher of vari- - ous boards, and to perform such other keep_nu'mm:mh duties as prescribed by law—anad it This ~ ~i