The evening world. Newspaper, December 11, 1915, Page 3

Maes THE EVENIN SENATOR BROWN'S CHANCE JQ EQUALIZE N. Y. TAXES BY NEW STATE LAWS Evening World Points Out to Legis- lative Committee Here to Investi- gate Financial Conditions How Reforms Can Be Made—Where City Pay Rolls Can Be Revised to Retrench; Where New Revenues Can Be Obtained to Reduce Taxa- tion. — Am Open Letter te Senator Elen EB. Brown, Chairman of the State Legis- | tne of’ briay lative Committee Empowered to Investigate the Financial Affairs of New York City: Sir—No committee of the Legislature ever had an opportunity for per- forming greater public service for this community than that of which you are the chairman, When you and your colleagues meet here on Monday morning at 11 o'clock you will face this proposition: It ts within your powor to initiate and promote legislation to enable the City of New York to find its way out of a situation which points in the direction of financial disaster. " From the very beginning your committee must set aside as prepos- terous the suggestion of Gov. Whitman that there exists any necessity for the imposition of a direct tax of $6,000,000 next year. Should such a tax be imposed the share of this city would be approximately $4,200,000. The Evening World has shown that the huge direct tax of $20,000,000 for | the current fiscal year was unnecessary. A direct tax next year would offset much of the benefit of the remedial legislation your committee might recommend. You will have little difficulty, Senator, in finding out just what con- ditions must be removed to permit of the administration of the finances of the city in the interests of its citizens. You know already—else you would not be headed in thie direction as an investigator—-that the real estate of New York City is staggering under an overload of taxation, Permit The Evening World to inform you that the citizens of New York are not concerned in the causes which brought about the present condition of the city’s finances, They are not exercised about who or what is or was responsible for the mountain of taxation which has piled up on real property. They are looking for relief. 5 They want to be shown how taxation can be reduced and how th burden, now wholly upon real estate, may be distributed in part upon corporations and persons who profit because of the city's advantages and opportunities and now pay little or none of the taxes. If you, Senator, sare concerned solely in showing the way out, and if you do not care to ’ s and the dredging of creeks, THe passage of such an amendment would reduce tho State budget and, consequently the burden upon New York City by $1,000,000 an- tually, on the basie of past experl- ence. Of even more importance, Senator, is this aspect of the situation, Tho enactment of the absolutely just log- islation outlined above would obviate the necessity of any direct tax on the Whole State for years to come. The elimination of causes tending to tn- fluence legisiators to inflict a direct tax would, on the basis of this year's tax, save New York City $14,000,000, UNJUST BURDEN ON REALTY OWNERS INDEFENSIBLE, There are other ways, Senator, of relieving the financial gituation of thi municipality than finding means of re- trenchment and you will be able to! determine within q few hours after your committee gets down to work what legislation w.ll be required in that direction, You will learn that real estate pays about 22 per cent. of ite gross earnings in taxes, while pub- le utility corporations, which have, perhaps, a larger pecuniary inte! est in the development and main- tenance of the city, contribute in the taxes to the city, as a whole, less than 6 per cent. of their earnings. ‘ou will find that non-resident cor- jo yee and Individuals are building | rtunes for themaslves because of the | advantages and opportunities afforded | to them by New York City and are | oer little—and in most cases, noth- ing—toward the maintenance of the municipality which enriches them, You will find that the taxation co: tribution of the almost fabulous wealth which is in New York City because it is the foremost com- mercial and financial centre of the world, is utterly Insignificant. It will soon be plain to you and your colleagues on the committee that this distribution of taxation is unjust and indefensible. It is part of your duty, Senator, to compel an equitable division of the| load of taxation and thus reduce the tax on real estate which now threatens to annihilate realty values and op- not only the owner of real estate but every rent payer in the city. | A study of the history of taxation inj other States will show your committee how this equitable division may be obtained by a few amendments to the tax laws, MAKE THE BIG CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR SHARE. Taxation, as you and your legisla- tive associates know, is of two kinds. One ts property taxation im; by the State, which guarantees the pro} erty rights of its citizens. The oth in excise taxation which is imposed to secure a return to the State or muni- cipality for privileges and opportunt- ties given by them, In New Jersey utility corporations pay 6 per cent. of their gross #arn- ings to municipalities in return for $100,000 Hen’s Brother Only a $1,000 Rooster, Feminists Please Note the business-getting opportunities af- forded by mi municipalities. A number of other States impose «im- flar taxes on 8, while California and Michigan have justi- fled far heavier taxes upon corpora- tions. ‘The gross earnings tax reduces the expense of collection to a minimum, is certain as to amount and elimin- ates opportunity for Itigation, It insures a return to the city for bene- go into a fruitless investigation of causes, your labors here will not last very long. You will soon discover that taxation may be reduced, without sacrificing in the least any public benefit or minimizing any public service by the simple and direct methods presented by The Evening World. ~ BY DIGGING DEEP, COMMITTEE MAY LEARN MUCH. Dig right into the subject at the start, Senator, and you will learn, without much effort, that the city pay-roll carries several millions on dollars of salaries of employees whose duties and work overlap or are identi- oal. These employees are in Mfferent departments created by the charter. Legisiation will be necessary to per- axit the elimination of unnecessary positions, knd you will find that such legislation wif! reduce the olty budget for engineering and other technical work to the ex:ent of some $2,000,000. It 1s unnecessary to remind you, Senator, that the Public Bervice Com- mission 19 a Btate board, performing, fm addition to its duties as a State regulative commission, certain work fer the city in connection with the con- struction of rapid transit extensions. Legislation whieh will separate these two functions and leave the city to do its own work will reduce the budget by $1,800,000 through the elimination ef excessive engineering oosts and overhead charges. ‘The Board of Water Supply, which has charge of the construction of the new water supply system, was created by statute, The Ashokan water supply system is practi- cally completed and is sufficient to supply the water needs of the city for fifteen or twenty years. The Commis- aloners will admit this. Nevertheless, the Board of Water Supply and the city have entered into an arrange- ment to complete the wholly super- fluous Scoharie extension at a cost of $80,000,000, Legisiation which will abolish the Board of Water Supply and provide for the connecting up of the Ashokan SS “Best Advertising Paper!” Go writes a business man in. South Norwalk, who speaks from ex- perience after advertising in The World's “Business Opportunity” Columns, LOUIS AVRICK, Men's Outfitter, South Norwalk, Conn Dec, 7th, 1945, New York World: Enclosed please find check for $3 for system and its maintenance by the city will reduce the budget $1,250,000 by means of consolidation of posl- tions and outting off of interest charges. You recall, Benator, the enactment a few years ago of a law which pro- vided for the mai:ftenance of State armories by the levy of a direct tax upon the judicial districts in which they are located. The law was passed on the just and reasonable theory that those immediately and directly bene- fited by the armories should bear the burden of their maintenance. The same plan is followed in providing for the support of the Supreme Court and no valid argument can be raised against it. You will learn here, Senator, that New York City paye for its own special echools, for the training of teachers, for schools of commerce and for training in the manual arts, On the same legislativé theory that com- pels each judicial district to support its courts and armories, all other parts of the State should pay for their own normal schools, agricultural schools and schools of forestry, and you can find no ground for not urg- ing on the Legislature the enactment of laws which will establish that equitable distribution of taxation. Such laws would lift $2,000,000 from the budget of this city. RELIEVE CITY'S BURDEN FOR UP-STATE ROADS. You know, Senator, as a member of the Legislature, that the city pays a very large sum every year for the maintenance of its streets and roads and receives no ald whatever in that respect from the State. You know, too, that the city, injaddition to main- taining its own roads, contributes the major portion of the cost of main- tenance of roads elsewhere in the State, You know, furthermore, that New York City receives no part of the tax on motor vehicles owned in the city although these vehicles are the greatest cause of street main- tenance expense and that the city’s contribution to the tax on motor vehi- cles goes, to the last penny, for the repair of roads in the State outside the city. ‘The injustice of all this 1s apparent, You can remedy the injustice, Sena- tor, by legislation, which will require each section of the State immediately benefited to provide for the muin- tenance of its own highways or by securing an amendment to the law which will require equitable appor- tionment of appropriations for high- ntenance to all parts of the State, a 3-time advertisement in the “Busi- cluding New York City, ness Opportunity” columns of The] In the first instance the $6,000,000 @ World. ’ year which goes toward the main- 1 was surprised to get as great results as | did from The World, I find it the best advertising paper on the market. It is -vorth all I paid for advertising. Yours very truly, , LOUIS AVRICK, wa The World Prints More tenance of up-State highways would all be raised up-State and New York City's budget would be relieved of the city's share, now amounting to about $4,000,000, In the second instance, New York City would pay its $4,000,- 000 or thereabouts, but would get it back in the State-wide apportionment of funds and would thus be relieved of a budget oblfgation of that fits conferred which is not dependent in any way on the bad manipulation or extravagance those in control of the corporations. If your committee will seoure the enactment of a law an ex- cise franchise tax of 6 per cent. of gross earnings, 5 per cent..of which shall be apportioned to the city ac- sore to the amount of business done therein, will take a burden of from $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 from the city’s back. Such a law would, of course, have to make special pro- visions about public utilities corpora- tions In which the city has a partner- ship interest. By passing a law along this line you will compel those cor- porations which have thelr principal offices elsewhere, but do ali their business and make all their money in New ‘York City, to assume a por- tion of the cost of maintaining the government which makes their Profits possible. Another piece of legislation which your committee oan secure is an amendment to the personal property tax law providing that tangible prop- erty of any one which {s in the form of capital employed in earning money in New York may be waxed by the olty, Such a law would exact large revenues from persons who live outside the city and pay no city taxes although they spend their busi- ness days within the city and receive the benefit of all the city’s advan- tages. Finally, Senator, your committee can render a great service to the City of New York and at the same time meet the demands of justice if you will secure the passage of an amend- ment to the stock transfer tax law enabling the city to collect and retain the revenue from the esamp tax on stock tranafers made in the city. As a State tax the stock transfer tax is essentially unfair, as 1t amounts to a tax on New York City. All the privi- leges and opportunities which justify the Imposition of this tax are af- forded by the city and not by the State and would exist here {f the city were not @ part of the State, Any loss in the State revenues could be easily replaced by fixing the exemp- tions of the inheritance tax law as they formerly were. Such a course could be completely justified on its merits. To sum up, Senator, if you and your committee will secure the enact- ment of a law imposing a tax on gross earnings of corporations and a tax on tangible property used in business, and if you will compel the Legislature to give to the city the revenues which justly belong to the city, the large interests which do not pay their share for the support of the city will be made to to more, those who now escape entirely will be com- pelled to shoulder part of the burden, and most important of all, real pr erty in New York City will have a ehance, pees ee DRUG VICTIM ON RAMPAGE, MeMahon Wrecked a Store and Emptied a Barber Shop. Joseph McMahon, otherwise Hardld of No, 663 Second Avenue, starts on a course of treatment for the cure of the drug habit to-day after some weird antics in the vicintiy of Thirty-fourth Street and Second Avenue last night Firat he wrecked the delicatessen shop of M. Schubel at No, 645 Second Avenue and cut Schubel on the wrist with a butcher knife when he attempted to fei “BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY” | amount, which now goes to the nain-| stop the destruction ADS. Than ALL the 6 OTHER | tenance of the streets and roads of| He then ran into the barber shop of AV: 4 the city, “Joe the Barber" nearby and Jc 4 New York Morning and Sunday| "tt is ‘in your power, Senator, to emi ne ban ereny ithe sy Newsmipers COMBINED! start tho machinery which would! iit his attention was diverted by 1 eventually bring about an amends |chestnut ped He knocked his stand Rather Convincing Evidence] iment to ihe Constitution to prevent |over, took his knife and was heading of. falue} the State from paying for purely | tr Patrolman O'Conner when the po- ts Value Joon improvements such as the bulld- | Yo wighteticl knocked bin out, Stenographers Who Have a Back Yard to Stop Pounding Their Machines and Go to Raising Poultry. By Nixola Greeley-Smith. Maria Thompson Daviess, author of “The Melting of Molly,” the book ‘that made a fat heroine famous, was Poultry, Show yesterday morning, an’ > ? Christian, owner “I bought Fi regenerate the p tremendous poultry growers in Tennessee,” the author- farmer explained. “In one district 1 worth of chickens and eggs. and in chicken raising as a professio! “I don't see why any -«irl should pound a typewriter if she can set & hen, and I advise any woman who has a back yard to buy a hen and @ #et- ting of eggs right away, It takes time to learn to keep chickens, of course, but at the end of a few years you are independent, It took me four years and I burned up a whole in- cubator—250 eggs—in my first expert- ment, but I Lave learned @ lot from chickens, I can tell you, . “Until I went to farming I laughed at the idea of eugenics and like many spinster I fo’ ;ht a little shy of tho subject, but, I can tell you, I believe in eugenics to-day. That's why I bought Lady Egiantine's brother, Ho is going to be the eugenic salvation of the poultry industry in Tennes- B00.” “Was his name Franchise when you bought him?" I asked the blue-eyed, smiling Miss Daviess, who ls honor- ary president of her State Suffrage Association. Miss Da- “No, I christened him,” viess answered, “I would oot buy him until’ found out where he stood on the Suffrage question, He is sound. Why, I have promised the first set~ ting of eggs from his pen to the cause and that means $25 at least. “From his pent” 1 repeated won- deringly, 1 had heard about educatea roosters, but never before of one who could write, “His pen—his home—the place where he lives with his fifteen hens,” Miss Daviess answered patiently. “Do you consider uoral?’ I asked reproachfully. "Do you think you have a right to encourage polyg- amy to that extent?’ “You simply can’t afford to be moral in the poultry business,” re- plied the practical Miss Daviess, and I saw that there was little use in ap- pealing f Maria Daviess, pouliry- chicken raiser, to Maria Daviess, suf fragist, inist, preacher of single moral standard and confirmed spinster, “Women might learn a lot from hens," Farmer Daviess added musing ly. “A hi ads such a busy, active useful life, and her family d me care so incidental, She ts self-respecPng, eelf-supporting. Sbe does not have to full brother to Lady Eglantine, the $100,000 hen, mediately Franchise became known in the Grand Cen- tral Palace as “the $1,000 rooster,” and Miss Davies: will not deny that this was the sum named by A. A. to buy the brother of the famous feminist hen who laid 314 eggs in 365 days. Tenn.,” Miss Daviess admitted to me yesterday in the Martha Washington Hotel. the | _ the most distinguished visitor to the d while there purchased Franchise, a Im- of Lady Eglantine, when she offered ranchise for my farm near Madison, “I fully expect that he will poultry of my native State. We are last year we sold more than $1,500,000 I am a great bellever in the woman farmer mm for women. clamor for equal pay for equal work. Look at Lady Egiantine, worth $100,- 000, and her brother selling to me merely for the price of a good race horse. That's @ tact. 1 didn't pay any more for Franchise than has been paid for many and many a race horse, to the ruin of the South, The horse race ruined the South, you know. ybe a rooster will regen- erate the fortunes that the race horse ruined.” Miss Daviess turned abruptly trom the subject of her ambitions for Frat chise to the development of her rea- sons why women may learn from hens, “Women are much too dependent on man,” she sald, ‘They should work for a living like Lady Egiantine. And they should be Interested in their work and think about men as incidents, Just as Franchise's nens will think of him, In the life of a woman who has @ real work man can exist only as a happiness bringer. That is what men and women should be to each other— that is what the word mate should mean—the happiness bringer, Man @ supporter will pass, but man as happiness bringer will rem: Just so Jong as ho brings happiness franchise knows bé will never be anything more than an inctdent m the jlives of his wives, and so he will not try to impose upon them By the way,” Miss Daviess con- tinued, “four years of observation tn my poultry yard have taught me an lextraordinary thing, that a blooded jrooster has 4 distinct class sense, Put ‘him in a pen with ten or more hens of jordinary quality and threo pullets of |high degree, and he will gather his eugenic mates about him and tgnore tely the plebelans who surround Daviess had dwelt so much on what a woman could learn from the Jhen that I could not help thinking \tha might well take.a lesson \ fro: barnyard, too, | n should make conjugaltty an incident instead of @ career,” Mise Daviess concluded, “I am glad that | Franchise is so thoropghly an accora with my feminist views, If not, he might not pt so fully my plans his future, But he Is a docile bird really very Umid-—and he is quite | thrilled by his mission of regenerating the poultry industry in Tennesses. 1 am shipping him to-morrow, and he will be met at the Madison station by several of my neighbors with my car My foreman will take him in the auto- mobile to “ et Briar’—that's what 1 call the farm—and, as I said, the first eggs from h is pen-are. pledged to women suffrage.” a 4 WORLD, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1915. : WILSON WEDDING DETALS ARE STIL CLOSELY GUARDED Not Even Hour of Ceremony Next Saturday or Name of Clergyman Given Out, .|MRS. GALT GETS GOWN. Dr. Only Immediate Families and the Wedding Party. ( Coes ton 8 ee ee vient of The Tre WASHINGTON, Dec. 11.—A week, from to-day President Wilson is to be | Margaret, offered to give up her mu- married to Mrs, Galt, The interven-| stead of going about for concerts and Ing seven days do not give promise of | {24 Galt's own family are to be there.” Even Col, EB. M. House, of New York, the President's close friend, is Hot to be in the wedding party. The only outsider on the list is Dr, Gray- son, his physician and inseparable companion, who is currently reported to have played the role of Cupid in making the match. The President's three daughters and his two sons-in- law, Secretary McAdoo and Frank Sayre, are reported to make up his | party, Mrs. Gait'’s mother and some | ot her brothers and sisters are to be present on her side, ‘The secret of the wedding trip is still kept despite the inquisitive ef- forts of swarms of reporters. Not even the name of the ciergyman who will read the marriage service has been divulged. Gait Aged to conceal information trousseau, and tho efforts of auciery editors to find out about the wedding gown have been [ruitioss, It was delivered at the Gait home yesterday by Jullus Kurzman, of Kuramian Bros., New York, who also furnished the gowns for Mins Jessie Wilson when she became the bride of Francis Bowes Sayre and for Miss Eleanor Wilson when she married Secretary McAdoo, PRESIDENT ALMOST A PRISON- ER; LONELY IN WHITE HOU: The President has been having @ very lonely timo of it during the au- tumn and winter tn the White House. His only unmarried daughter, Miss MUSCUM RODBER tween $35,000 and-$50, Mra. atitute of Chic on Michigan vard early to-day and escaped collection of rare jewel between $35,000 and $80,000, ‘The collection was the gift ve turer, in memory of bis wife. made up of Ave pieces, all of French make. It Included « Grayson Invited for and pendant of opa Entrance was # skylight on the roof The thief lowered himself with collection and climbed out Hundréds of thousands of worth of tapestries were not career and stay with him in- teales, but he would not listen to GETS RARE EVEL WORTH THOUSANDS Noyes Collection, Valued Be 000, Carried Off in Chicago. CHICAGO, Dec, 11.—Kluding thitee watchmen guarding the bullding, @ thief «ained entrance t6 the Art Tn- Boule- with a valued. at oft' Ia W. Noyes, Chicago wiaai anotept necklace of diamonds and_opals, & brooch of diamongs, earrings, a watch, tuokie ined a Or ene bulla, robbed the glass case containing to merit. his mind. Accumulating troubles ow submarine attacks to capture it next election, prelude to any man’s wedding day. day's event. Not even the hour of t the President and, Mrs, Cale. even relatives have been invited, John Wilson, the President ing at the White House this week. ft out. that freedom from worries of business H neg, Reverite vocation, & prospective bridegroom is supposed | take: On the contrary, there are indications of disturbing incidents of state, particularly in international af- fairs, to occupy his time and distract hyphenated American plottings, pros- pects of a crisis with Austria over in the Mediter- ranean, Congress trying to edge in on the management of foreign relations, and Republican party bosses coming | the furance room underneath the ex- to town next Tuesday to plot in the very shadow of the White House how All thene | tended do not tend to make a serensly happy Extreme secrecy still guards from the public the details of next Satur- ceremony has yet been announced, It ia supposed to take place In the eve- ning and .will be a very almple and qv'ot affair, The guests will be strictly Hmited to the immediate families of Not cousin from Franklin, Pa., who likes to play the role of benevolent pantata to the entire Wilson family, bas been stay- “I am not Invited to the wedding,” he sald, “and I guess If Tam mot to twenty-five yoars in be there no one can feo! alighted over bower) It'a going to be a retary + Mayor He insisted she sbould keep up en the extraordinary precautions n by the Secret Service guard to protect the President from possible arm have scemed to him almost like in.prisonment, He has made several | attempte recently to escape trom thin! supervision and Ket @ moment of free- | dom. One of his intimate friends tells this story: One day recently the President looked out the window of the White Houre, saw how beautiful was the weather and resolved to make a break for freedom. Hoe had an idea that be could escape from his guards by dodg- ing into the basement, then through ecutive office and through a side door leading to Seventeenth Street. He went first to his office and pre- to be working hard his desk, having taken care to send the secretaries and attendants off on} trumped up duties. Watching for a moment when the cokst was clear, he tiptoed out of the room, found the stairway to the base ment, slipped along @ cloomy passage- | way and had just reached the street door when he ran plump into a big policeman on guard there. The story goes that the President exclaimed: “It cant’ be done,” and went back to hin denk, leaving a much surprised officer holding the door. ‘Tax Comm! er Taggard Dead. Edward T. Tageard, seventy-four years old, a Deputy Tax Commissioner home in Ne: mn Rochelle. He went home Wednesday. been Mr. Taggard had of this city, died this morning at his PrOVeS | being strictly limited affair, the President's household and Mrs, on the Mail No one but Hil earlier in hit-coreer, ‘and Bx Like Rust in a Fine Watch— That Is Constipation RUSTY watch loses time. In the same way, a rusty” human system is clogged and slowed down by con- stipation, which causes a tremendous loss of mental and physical energy. The remedy in the case of the watch is a fine grade of ma- chine oil. And the remedy for constipation, according to the latest conclusions of medical science, is an even finer lubncant—Nujol—the pure white mineral oil. : Nujol lubricates the intestinal tract throughout its entire length, and softens the intestinal contents. In this way it facilitates the processes of normal evacuation, and eventually makes possible the return of regular bowel movements. Nujol is not a laxative-drug nor a bowel stimulant. It is not absorbed by the system, hence it may be taken in 3 quantity without harm. It does not act as a purge, but if used regularly will bring permanent relief from constipation in the course of a week or ten days. Write for booklet, ‘‘The Rational Treatment of Constipation.”” If your druggist hasn't it, we will send a pint bottle of Nujol prepaid to any point in the United States on receipt of 75c—money order or stamps. STANDARD OIL COMPANY (New Jersey) Bayonne New Jersey AcO.u.s. J | THE PURE WHITE MINERAL OIL Approved by: Ha W. Wiley, Director Good House- eon Bureau oe Foods Sanitation and LL-ANS Absolutely Removes Indigestion. One package oe 25c at all druggists,