The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 5, 1920, Page 4

[ 4 North Dakota,the EX-Soldier and Taxes League Legislature Takes Better Care of the Service Men and Cuts the State Tax Bill at the Same Time - or four years most of the boys Bismarck Bureau, Nonpartisan Leader. ~]ORTH DAKOTA, at the regular 3 | session of its legislature in January, 1919, took the lead in providing for returned soldiers by enacting a law providing for a half-mill levy to raise funds for ex-service men to be used in educational work or in purchase of homes. This aid was to be at the rate of $25 for each month spent in service with the United States or allied armies. 3 The special session of the North Dakota legisla- ture, meeting in November, 1919, improved this act by increasing the levy to three-fourths of a mill to provide additional funds, and by adding to the purposes for which the money can be used. The money can now be used: To secure a home or a farm home and improve, furnish or repair same. To make payments on pre-existing indebtedness on a home or farm home of any improvements or furniture. To buy farm machinery, seed . grain, livestock, poultry or feed or to pay pre-existing indebtedness on these items. To establish or invest in a business or trade or to buy tools. . To complete or procure an education in any ap- proved educational institution.- By orphan children or dependent parents of sol- diers who have met death. In such cases the money can be used in any manner whatever for the sup- port of the dependents. For medical or hospital expenses of soldiers who suffered disabilities as the re- sult of service. As Adjutant General Angus Fraser puts it: “This bill gives the soldiers everything that they possibly could use money for, except to ‘blow it in.’ ) “I only wish there had been some law like this for me, when I came back from the Philip- pines. If we had been given cash, 90 per cent of it would - have been ‘blown in’ in the first three or four days, and that is what will happen now in the states that are giving cash bonuses. It is a fine thing for the merchants, but not for the soldiers. “But within the next three who came back will be marry- ing and settling down. Then they will be getting the benefit and they will appreciate the law more than ever.” . AMERICAN LEGION BACKS LEAGUE BILL But, it may be added, most of the soldiers appreciate to- day that North Dakota’s sol- dier relief bill is in a class by itself when compared with all other state laws. American Legion representatives came to the recent session of the legis- lature with a so-called “bonus bill” of their own. When they saw the bill prepared and in- troduced by the League farm- ers, and compared it with their own measure, the Legion men withdrew their bill and gave -the League bill their undivided support. - Enemies of the League farm- ers, after the regular session of the North Dakota legisla- ture, predicted that the farm- ers would have trouble with the soldiers over the service men’s bill, first, because it did not provide for cash payments, and, second, because none of the money would be available League enemies thought North Dakota legislators would be “up against it” at the recent special session. The re- turned soldiers wanted more money; the taxpayers would object to higher taxes. How the legislators broadened the soldiers’ act, providing more mon- - ey and making the law the best of its kind in the United. States, and at the same time reduced the state general fund taxes 25 per cent, is told in this article. Last week the Leader told about new measures to better farming conditions and ‘aid drouth victims, passed by the special session. Next week’s article will tell of the attitude taken by the legislators in regard to the attempt of traitor officials to disrupt the farmer administration. until 1920. The levy to provide funds, under the law, could not be made until the fall of 1919 and taxes under this levy would not be received until March, 1920. But the trouble didn’t happen. Most of the ap- plicants for aid wanted to use the money for educa- tional purposes. The farmer officials decided that they would find means to give the service men the bene- fit of the act immediately, in spite of the' fact that _the tax money would not be available until 1920. This was made possible by the action that the COST AND RESULTS NORTH DAKOTA FARMER:- : WELL | PAY LESS INCREASE AN GET MORE TAXES THAN THEY DO IN / MINNESOTA AND OTHER STATES! IN RETURN FOR MY —Drawn expressly for the Leader by Congressman John M. Baer. PAGE FOUR 4 legislature had taken consolidating the university, agricultural college, normal schools and other edu- cational institutions under the direction of the state board of administration. The board of adminis- tration, working in co-operation with the adjutant general, made arrangements with all these educa- tional institutions by which the institutions would . advance funds to ex-service men who wanted to take up their studies immediately. ; When the money comes in on the soldiers’ tax levy next March the educational institutions will be repaid for the loans they have made. WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S ALSO A WAY In the meantime, to say that the ex-service men are jumping at this plan is putting it mildly. A month ago the University of North Dakota reported 104 service men Teceiving loans and more coming every day. The agricultural college reported 60 men to whom loans already had been made, 25 others on the ground and more than 100 ‘coming for the winter term short courses. Thé state nor- mal and industrial schools all reported student ex- soldiers in attendance to whom loans had been made. Adjutant General Fraser did not confine his at- tention to the state schools. He asked private schools whether they were patriotic enough to ad- vance funds to support students. One Fargo trac- tor school not only was willing to do this, but cut its tuition charge $25. Seventy-one service men are taking the'.course at this institution, and several other private schools have recently come in under the same plan. All this means that several hundred returned soldiers are getting the benefit of the North Dakota soldiers’ act a year in advance of the collection of. the money. The North Dakota administra- tion has shown that it was not merely passing the bill for po- litical. purposes; all obstacles have been conquered and the law put into effect a year ahead of time. 3 Minnesota passed a law to tional purposes. The differ- ence between the laws is worth noting. . The Minnesota educational bonus can only be used to pay tuition charges. Part of the money is going to the state " university, which has a high tuition fee, part is being raked in by correspondence and other schools, many of which are of doubtful merit. In North Dakota, on the other hand, the money can be used not only for tuition, but also for board and lodging, books, laundry. and any other legitimate - expenses. North Dakota state educational insti- tutions do not charge tuition; there are comparatively ‘small matriculation and registration fees and the large bulk of the money will be available for the support of the student. The fact that funds under the Min- nesota educational bonus bill can be used only for tuition purposes has deprived, thou- sands of former soldiers of the benefit of an education. While it was necessary to raise state taxes one-fourth of a mill (25 cents on an assessed valuation of $1,000) to add to the soldiers’ fund, the League legislators at the special ‘ses- sion: far more than counterbal- anced this by reducing the state general fund tax levy 25 per cent and providing for refund and remission of 25 per cent of the general fund taxes. This means a reduction of $859,195 to be effective imme- (Continued on page 138) give soldiers money for educa- R