Newspaper Page Text
of calling a mass meeting and denounci*# the
situation, the facts and did something sfcaut if.
. c .
tv Wi’ IN Thurston County, In
Iyf | northwestern Nebraska,
jet' B where I live, we have
(olirif l a way to cut our
• ylSj&Zgf' local taxes. It is a very
simply plan, and one that
W you can easily apply In
y your own community.
' When the depression of
*“ 11 ¥ 1920-ill hit us we were In
In just about the same tax situation as
any other county in the Middle West.
We were really worse oIT because in
1920 our county suffered a cloudburst
and scores of bridges were destroyed
and bad to be rebuilt and paid for. Be
fore I blegin to tell about the remedy
for - the "tax disease” let ine show
right here at the start what the remedy
accomplished:
It saved the county, around si>o,ooo
ori the one item of bridges alone.
It. secured cuts of from 8. to 20 per
cent in the local taxes in individual
precincts.
It increased tiie amount of property
returned from 12 to 20 per cent in
years when the valuations were gen
erally falling, thereby reducing taxes
for the man who had always been
honest in making his return.
Best of nil, the net result was a feel
ing of confidence and general satisfac
tion, instead of mistrust, unrest and
suspicion.
Here is how it was done:
During the year or so that the de
pression lasted in earnest, people tend
ed to become radical. But being radi
cal Is more or less a state of mind.
When we began to get radical about
our taxes, it simply meant that we
didn’t know where our money was go
ing, and consequently didn’t know how
to stop the money from going.
A farmer would see the school ma’am
spinning along in her jitney. “Well,
looky there,” he would exclaim, “that’s
where all our taxes go!” Another
farmer a few miles further on would
see the road graders at work. “Hump!”
h> would exclaim, “I’ll bet that’s tak
ing all our taxes!” It all depended on
which way a fellow looked as to what
he blamed his taxes on.
2t£e fact was that most people didn’t
know. Ignorance of where our money
went tired suspicion and suspicion bred
radicalism. A few people were already
making themselves heard, when it was
suggested that the farm bureau might
take a look into the matter. William
Wingett, president of the county farm
bureau, and a little group on the tax
committee were handed the Job. Some
people were for calling a county-wide
meeting to protest vigorously and nois
ily against all manner of taxes.
Kilt before we had a public meeting
It was considered proper for someone
to find out where our money did go.
So we went over to the county offices
and went through the books and deter
mined just what our money was being
Spent for. And a little la er we did
this for every school district in the
county. On this page Is reproduced
the poster we got out showing what
every man paid on SI,OOO actual valua
tion In School District No. 13.
There was not any hedging or guess
ing, here was everything in black and
white: $3.30 for state
taxes, $4.90 for county
tuxes, $45.50 for sctiool
district No. 13, and $0.50
for the village of Walthlll.
And each of these was
subdivided off to show
even somewhat minor ex
penditures.
At the first public meet
ing there were around 150
farmers and a few busi
ness men present. We
began to hold meetings all
over the county, and at
every meeting we passed
around circulars that
showed where the money
went In that school dis
trict. We had wall charts
and maps.
The upshot of all this
was that for the first time
It suddenly dawned on
people that most of the
tax expenditures were for
things directly under their
control. Politicians had
sometimes talked as if t lie
state capitol, the state
government, the university
and normal schools, the
state institutions for de
pendents, state roads —ns
if these things were tak
ing tlve money. But if we
had out out all of these
things altogether whore 1
lived, it would have de
creased our tax bill only
about 10 per cent. The
largest expenditures were
concentrated right down in
By H. L.KEEFE
frc*s/dc?nt of J/ate farm fureau federation in an in ter y/ey/
witii ff. Crswford in farm fireside ■& "Cf
the attendance at the annual meet
ings of the school districts increased
from four to live persons to forty or
fifty. In some districts it was found
that things had not been managed
efficiently. In some cases it was
found advisable to cut down on one
teacher where she was teaching ouly
a very few pupils and increase the
size of classes for other teachers —al-
though in some cases the salaries of
these other teachers had to be raised.
In most cases there was also a dis
position to economize on other mat
ters, such as the purchase of coal at
the time of year when it was cheapest,
etc.
In this way cuts varying from 8 to
20 per cent were effected in the taxes
of individual districts.
The next big thing was to discover
hidden property which was escaping
taxation throughout the county. Our
tax system lias always been so consti
tuted that the man who is honest about
turning in his property at its rightful
value indirectly pays the tax of the
man who just forgets that he is quite
so well off when the tax assessor
conies around. You know an assessor
hates to raise a rumpus with his next
door neighbor and too often a whole
lot of things do not appear at all on
the tax books.
So the tax committee decided to give
the community another shock, and
something to talk about for months
afterward. We hired a couple of men
to go down to the county offices and
copy off of the books the amount of
property which each man in the coun
ty had turned in. We had blanks
printed where each man’s name.could
lie listed with the value of ills cattle,
horses, automobiles, jewelry, in fact
everything that he owned, according
to the figures he had given the asses
sor. These, blanks were compiled
with the names in alphabetical order.
Then we proceeded to paste these
blanks up In the postofflee, banks,
stores, and other public places, right
in the man's own community. You
can imagine what interesting reading
HOW YOUR TAXES ARE SPENT
Thurston County, Nebraska
Taxes Paid on $1,000.00 Actual Valuation, in
School District No. 13 $30.20
STATE TAXES . 3.30
S for State Cupltol S -23
foi State Government 44
for State InNtltutlunH
for Stnte It,unis, etc .88
for Education. 1.10
$ Totnl 9 3.30
COUNTY TAXES 4.90
Satt.3tM.lß* for County Genernl Fund.,..? 1.75
17.1H17.U2 for County Bridge Fund 80
8,1)83.81 for Conun’r Itoud District..,. .40
8,083.81 for Local Itond District 40
1.132.08 for Building Fund -05
1,122.08 for Mothers* Pension 05
1,122.0$ for Cos. Agricultural Society.. .05
22.430.13 for Old IndebtednesM 100
4,401.81 for Emergency Bridge 20
4,40101 for County Bond Fund 20
$110,051.01 Total 9 4.00
• 85% of the amount of Hit levied,
which in the haul* named by law for
InNuinit warrantSj
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 13 15.50
$11,075.41 for Teacher* $11.47
132.52 for Repair* 40
384.03 for Fuel 20
100.00 for Books 084
302.40 for Text Books 28
220.25 for Furniture 17
140.48 for All Other 11
for Bonds 3.00
$202128.08 Total $15.30
VILLAGE OF WALTHILL 6.50
Genernl -. .. , S 4.00
Bonds and interest 2-50
Totnl £ 0-50
TOTAL TAX $30.20
THE QANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA.
our own com
munities, in mat
ters over which
the people had
the most intimate
control them
selves,
We found that
there were wide
variations in dif
ferent parts of
our own county,
and that taxes, in
individual school
districts varied
all the way from
$10.50 to $30.20
on SI,OOO valua
tion.
When people
began to find
these things out
When the farm bureau took hold of
the matter there had been a rather
tentative settlement on sixty completed
bridges on which the total cost ap
peared at $131,898.77. A reduction of
$8,22(5.92 had been made from this
amount and warrants to the amount of
SIOI,OOO issued, leaving a balance of
$22,671.85 unpaid on these particular
bridges.
The farm bureau appointed a com
mittee of sixteen taxpayers to investi
gate the matter. An engineer from
the State department was secured.
During five days more than eighty
bridges were visited. Bolts, washers,
and it might even be said spikes and
nails, were counted. Then the charges
made by the bridge company were
carefully checked. In some cases
where the bridge company appeared
to have charged too little, something
was added, but in most cases deduc
tions were made. Here the deductions
exceeded what was added by $7,665.-
50. I tear in mind that we were not
finding any fault with the bridges but
only with the cost. The bridge com
pany agreed to tills reduction.
A little later we discovered state
ments for twenty incomplete bridges.
We went through these in the same
way and here we made a net reduc
tion of $6,125.47. The bridge com
pany again promptly agreed to having
this reduction allowed.
they made. War bulletins from the
World war never proved half as in
teresting.
What .do you .suppose happened a
year or so later?
The actual returns of property in
creased in the various precincts from
12 to 20 per cent, notwithstanding that
it was between years when everything
was supposed to be going down. This
simply meant that the honest man had
ceased to be penalized for being honest
in turning in his property.
There’s one more chapter to our
story.
I mentioned to you that we were un
fortunate enough to have suffered a
severe cloudburst in 1920 which had
wiped out several score bridges in our
county. Following a county-wide in
sistence on replacement the commis
sioners declared an emergency levy for
new bridges. Here is where we saved
around $30,000 and since have caused
other counties to scrutinize matters of
this sort more carefully.
After the bridge contract had been
let and the bridges were going in, there
was a frequent allowing of county war
rants on the contracts, in excess of
funds on hand, and these warrants
were naturally registered at 7 per cent
interest. Finally these amounts grew
to an excess of SIOO,OOO and people be
gan to get a little alarmed.
It appeared that there were no defi
nite records available which showed
just how things stood. Some of the
county officials and taxpayers began to
ask how an accounting might l>e se
cured.
And then we were
able to secure an
other reduction of sll,-
576.08, because we were
able to show that the cost
of material had come
down since the first of
the bridges was built
This made a total of $33,-
593.97.
Since our bridge experi
ence other counties in
Nebraska have been doing
some checking up and we
have been building some
of our own bridges.
Our experience shows, I
think, that people in the
county should take some
thing more than a merely
perfunctory interest in
their tax affairs. You de
termine your own taxes.
If you check up to see
what you are spending
your money for, either
you are going to admit
that you are satisfied or
you are going to find a
way to make a reduction.
The biggest thing that
we accomplished in our
county was not the saving
of more than $30,000 on
the bridges nor the ruts
in taxes in the various
school districts, nor the
resurrection of much hid
den property. The big
gest thing was that the
people found out that the
question of taxes rested
with themselves.
English Cottage' Type of Home,.
Presents Very Pleasing Picture
• . • 0-
HgR v . ,
1 . ... 40-0 - a
r* m
U
fP=JL_ L
d= KITCHEN 7 ~( I
jf X*l:o’ — |
I __ HI .
/CL a rj h =r:
BLI7-RiA U HFINING-Rrt 7 /---.—--/-
13V "‘"'- 4 ' E II \J TtetAoi !;
L.^f l ~ Hj
3 _ n B
BH7-RM B= j :; J
(3-i?"* - |h-| < ;; L -Tr*
• TtRRAC E.
RO O F
N I MALL. _
o='J Btp-Rn H
JJ 15V x ls'-*r p
By WILLIAM A. RADFORD
Mr. William A. Radford will answer
questions and give advice FREE OF
COST on all subjects pertaining to the
subject of building, for the readers of
this paper. On account of his wide
experience as Editor, Author and
Manufacturer, he is, without doubt,
the highest authority on all these sub
jects. Address all inquiries to William
A. Radford. No. 1827 Prairie avenue.
Chicago. 111., and only inclose two-cent
stamp for reply.
Acquired knowledge of generations
lias contributed to form the English
cottage type of house and this devel
opment of years finds its expression
in the beauty of the exteriors and in
the livable qualities of the interiors.
The home illustrated here presents
a very pleasing picture with its com
bination of brick, stucco and timber.
The arched doorway of the vestibule,
with its contrasting keystone set in
the arch of brick, helps to make a
pleasant panel of the vestibule with
its brick front and individual gable.
The terrace will prove to be comfort
able and useful.
The arrangement of the seven major
rooms is such that they will render a
maximum amount of service without
demanding an extravagant amount of
housekeeping.
The hall, which opens from the ves
tibule, houses the stairway to the sec
ond floor. Provision is made in inis
room for a cloak closet, which should
help the housekeeper in her constant
warfare to keep cloaks, wraps and
bats from being strewn about the
home. The living room, with the
cheerful fireplace at one end, is ex
ceptionally well lighted, and opening
directly off this room is the dining
.!> ui. • The recessed terrace, with its
' is from both the dining room and
kitchen, will provide a setting for
. ...nv suinme# evening meals. The
First Floor Plan.
•ueid jooij puooag
kitchen is well lighted and arrange^
• The two bedrooms on the firs’ ' ’
with the accompanying hath,
reached through a small hal 0
dining, room. Both are of' a *
size arid are well supplied with
An extra closet in the hall pro
storage space for linens.
The two bedrooms on the
floor are of an interesting shape • *
large enough to insure the co
their occupants. The upper
has two closets. The ba a |h(
floor is separated by the wh
hall from the bedrooms and
ible from both.
Demand Protection in
Purchasing of Real
The purchaser of a hom .®
mand I hat his purchase ’ cv erj
through title insurance .
small item agreed upon u*
tion is put in writing. l"„. vay witl
protects the buyer, but uo 1 m , ts <>•
any misunderstanding * 1 tin
a much better connection
seller and purchaser. jn ro i*c
When you buy a home, k I #n#
that the seller is anxmu o bnt in
will satisfy your demands U
sist . If there are any ’ ghall m
in the home which it Is . - {bere
made, put It in wnttag. ?re agrt *<
certain Improvemen - •• contra ct.
upon, make it P art ° absolute P r<>
Title insurance is a j estaI e
tection to the purchaser m „
It is a guaranty tha. Y, inco inbrnr.
free and clear from ® licT . If iE
unless so stated in tbe r ' ny .’ '
sunt nee is issued, the - “ t 0 t 1
one who is responsive ; pßf
amount of the policy, nan, - •
c hase price of the Droped