Nebraska Newspapers

    *• -h# officer* and the Members of
the Xehraska p ate pres* Asto
dfHlM:
Ladies and Gentlemen —Your cam
toi'tee appointed at the last State
* 'ctid-.M, held us Omaha June.
5*: to »»esticate and report up
m •* Apct of uxitioa in Xebmn
ha. bet* rai* t» submit the follow
i&C in f'cmpuasce there* -h:
la b« :.rr. ins taper, this t mmmee
•* * res extend to the editors of this
state rs festitftlt thanks for their
read ass.* .ac* asked h> the c*a
«i"ee In order the better to ascer
tain £• tiers! public sen- intent, the
e -mm - — drafted a form of ballot
•'a .nr «• tun propusittuas in tax
reform and asked 'he readers of Ne
*'»•»*» paper, to role thereon The
emior* .4 he state to she number of
aPoat ««t> nuni-red and fifty, kindly
insef-ed .a in«*r papers a »tm>ratjrpe
ta e -4 the helior and tuau- others
^ *
l.sim-n * pafciabin* the same in
their papers A copy of the ballot to
•hiri;. reference is made is hereto at
tached and made a part hereof
' he m -• cot-e-," u-Jti* result of the
«-*e ta- s the demon*!ration made
* — the present n-iraa* system of
Vehrasaa has fee -f any ixre.iiaest
defenders anyahere aith-n the state.
Oar reset ar Kaiwst, published in a
hash of mare than ire paces, are a
toon? p> jnmb.e of idiocies, the
aTsc nictiptat of nhieh *ooJd
e-asfe - = <«f -lanrBf. e*er> vent ice
«* eti*-»f JO in the state of X-bras
fca except that of the foreciosinc of
■retatt* and the business that
*rw»* -• of sheriS s sake Were it
P-**».: - strict!y to enf-cca these
fe*et:a U*». the people sou d flee
* to state as ream a peer . inane. and its
prueye-e-. nuM be doomed There
- '«•* »tf » gew rally da'.geroa*
*■ * i>» pahtlr off *i* any disc-re
fMh In te* n*c.uc® of the low. oiill
•SO je-ep . of rt>* Mote o«e to -heir
t»* a“ - * a eerai# debt of gra’i
• ere tbe enforcetnont of those rev
•Sac Its poobr
Tilers- s today befor* the people Of
• -• s**;e as amendment 10 wr cos
- !•«’.«. which noeld if aihtpted. eo
•* *b» legislature akirg under our
a' ki C - '.-till n. lours !»
» . -de- th» p~ *p:e to remedy 'he de
■c" » of revenue system Tbe re
►c * • ' ot-rr upon !i# question
M ot.»-d »as to record a very large
■hap*"*' of the Seaspapcr readers of
• ->» suite .r fasw of that amendment.
K et ' -we who voted aha.ust it cri
de&r t a so -nro.gh a ®i*apprchea
»-0h •' He parpxr- Th e is proved
'h» tort that invariably these
...it' -iVf. lb, rejected hr their
i t » thus i mead men: made sugees
’ - ** of Changes its <mr resellue sye
• - *.er? otic Of Which woaid he im
pose >e .* *t - amendment is
• *r* d *» X etai»er Apparently
' - f r •* > t» rt» • i the *mend
• **f taoe ' -s to the iegislatane.
- r '">** fTfflf im*“ fct '&d* ifi-51*
fare of a*f 'l*r*.er power Vet this
tear » c.-... undies* eapoeMil in view
•dr •' e fact that h Xet.rhsfca 'hanks
19 Tte _t re and retereBdcra. -he
«t* a' 1 bat!.) or includes “The
peepte ”
' fe» au. t object of the ballot was
‘ •: ".’tee to tlOd OUt if IB
• he average render s mud there was
*: ’ *rs " • the b*ate ought hot to
. al tfc-oo ■ h.fats that ’-he people de
s-rsd and ought to have or th.ngs
• hot tv 3d tide or run away, or that
coaJd iif would rua> into the U'ate.
To «hr doertim as to whether the
rusher ‘amend ’he taxing of farm im
phhf-a. s oca or other products of
. farm. th“ . me shooed a hoot an
a dfkSst** u( optanm as it ainct
sb »ed ah equal 4:use* of opinion as
*» the tax at MO of personal property.
Vrt ac a® a*, us feaiure of the halloi
ng wa* The russuiie M.ar.ira t> of
uft'-'* t«Mf certain farmer* ihat
t-rw .aretossir and products should
si be taxed 'hough the;, toted “yes~
1, s. ms 1® whether mnnu
tprf-amg mart, inery and merchants"
* -u» !*• (ixn tn erlooK
- t er *r .e di»pu»=is« o tax the
el"- nhd t. ws producer while allow
in'* »h* far* pr»*d»r«*r to escape these
iwuivm failed to woe ’hat when they
nf* l» 'ax w manufacturer or the
»• -eha»’ they only ’.ate to tax them
•» s-*e* the tax is -nvnnably
e ••< * • price uf the cuodr pro
d-.ed and stirflod «a o the fanner
and ail other rott£!iut» of the modi
h <t taawe at* oeror paid by the per.
»-w spot wham they are ie>wd
’ !• pfwweot «-«?*• ui.jo <4 th»
•Sntr » > her .« wr’h 'be idex of eo
eeerva rt the planting of trees, coo
ta*w» Si* (mwiniK : "The legislature
a** asorkde that 'he ;ncrr*#ed value
cue* by rwwacio of live fence*
feurt »eS fcrest Tree*, grown and
ret*:rated tfaeewo*. shall not be taken
M« ececunt to ’hr _».-e*»n ni> there
Of "
» .<*< not •t the unfortunate word
!#: 4 fa* sac ion. « ha* not exmtn
H 4 as F otherwise might hare
dm* toward the cultivation of trees
Must Precious Possess on
* hrh I see about me in the fields
at C’i e* tuai attain toe:.: and culture.
!i :r »„>*.* of business and in lam
Uy e w nut.' disasters and trap
edew kmc drawn oot. of failing health
and w apse of nerve, hrsin and mus
cle, I teat that health is the only bul
wark upon slurs ewuyyt hiug we prize
it intellectuai culture and religious
perfection caa ever tie reared.—G.
ftaniey idaf
Prams.
Frame is of wo use as a mainspring.
tut' W*ts«f» Good Gardeners.
C’jwweltsetUe. Ftton. -Togetabies to
the value at M *»• are ma'wrag in
1C gardens at homes of workmen in
tbs Is wearing plant of the 1^ C.
Trick Coke Co_ according to the esti
t>a'- of judge*. who iespeted the
pints wad awarded the prize* for the
host The winners were George Orr.
asm miners. Mr lx .an. road man.
aad Andy CiUks. eoke drawer.
Twesuy persons were given honor
Okie awn’if*, and so well was the gar
tir-rr earned on that the commit
toe rvoommeaded additional prizes
of a'l kinds in this state, if it was;
the tret t .on of the framers of the
ctt.s . m.on to encourage tree plant-!
■i-~. this cction should have enabled'
sue legislature directly to exempt
ron tiis' on all trees, and not mere
»tat« it mat the increased value of
and c ue to that fact should not
be assessed This, for the simple
reason tha' the exac" amount of in
tr. i»e in the value of the iand due j
to the |. anting c-r cultivation of trees'
could ucier be use rained with any;
degree of accuracy. However, the \
»ct. showed about S5 per cent, of the'
r<acctt> voting to he in favor of the;
exemption from taxation of all trees.
This srow s ilia: in the minds of j
th- sc readers there is a eouiprehen
iob ot he iuea tha' to tax trees will!
••tin to the c im i nat ion of them,
either L> t ut ing d )\» n or neglecting!
hem end ois'ourxging their plant
fg and cultivation in the first in
»'a...e The '.in-.erse of this is also
per • ice b> these readers in recog
nt/tig the fact that to exempt from
taxut r all ir-.*s would encourage the
plan im. or cu.tua ion of trees in this
former! - treeless state
It is a fac deserving of notice that
th'-.gh the Constitution directs thar
tn - value of land by reason of trees
may he exempted, the law passed by
the legislature presuming to carry out
this |.-"V!sion. exempts only foresl
tree- Why this apparent di.-crimina
t.oo iu fa\or of timtier lands, which
lar.-ly require no attention, as
a gut nit the fru-t orchards, which re
:tre Lirge e»pt- .ditures and the con
stant attention of the fruit growers,
.iitj the ;. rot*nets of which come more
c ■ i:>u, icLCb wi:i. the consumers
of the State?
1.- il be i ;»-rved here that if to
• \*-it r.- Tree- from taxation will tend
• pm-duce orchards and timber lands.
will t et Mic exemption of in
d .rtry of ail kinds from -axation en
i rave the iblishment of mdus
r « .- . t at: kinds in this State"
T**re was also about S5 per cent.
• ’ <- w t- can n favor of Stale in
ct-iie ard li lifftance taxes.
Th" question of taxing the market
-alu- •; ri.ncmset secured the high
er gftirt ta ne vote of any question
c the ballot It was almost unanim
ur There might be rome of the
r; . ■ to ' r.iak the corporations'' in
t' ■ *on- and yet tb- re is some con
siderable degree of justice in the idea
mi' the tranchises of public service
■ 'porations should be taxed. For
fe franchise usually constitutes the
most valuable part of the assists of
be*e i hlic utility corporations The
ranchise is p-actically never taxed
t pr r**ur The justice of taxing
these ;ranch.se* is in the fact that
they constitute a natural monopoly
vat t -d by the people to the corpora
i >n and ar not in any sense the re
.- ..t <4 ’he effors of the corporation
’self. If the state were to exempt
il- laneible property of these cor*
:»*-v -ns and -ax only the land val
ue* tnd the franchises, it would at
*i *-e be seen tha- these properties
would lie greatly improved and in
creased, while the rates for their rer
• -ces would be reduced
" r q • r-;.tn of taxation, like most
public questions, proves how the peo
ple in genera may be opposed, and
■ -ore..- y opposed. to the present
-• stem, and yet utterly unable to sug
-c*’ a remedy. It is because of this
general ignorance of the question of
uxation that Privilege is able to
:-jt across' so many unfair jobs up
on the people And the pitiable
hing of it is that the people them
*• ves are misled into the support of
'fcese oppressive measures.
NsturaHy, ben. it billowed that in
•• .p*yn.-e to the question upon the bal*
it as to the source from which rev
• : ie should be derived, only about
half of those voting suggested any
r* :r-dies at all. However, of the
total who did make suggestions of a
• Tiled* about 7r. I>er cen-. either sole
• - tn cinnection wi*h other ideas,
mentioned the value of land as the
•roper source from which revenue
should be derived.
\'i overwhelming number of those
voting supported he dea that the
matter of local taxation should be left
3 tae hards of the counties or cities
directly interested Local control of
'axt'ion is one of the progressive
>** of our time, and soon or late
u in lie t needed to every commun
ity of the state.
Y»ur < remittee is disposed to pro
i> t— to ’he editors of the Sta'e some
>ug*estion* in the line of progressive
refirm m roarers of axation
1 "si. Tner si: mid be every stip
por given to the amendment to our
. .. ()p kolp<j ypjjjj jjj
vemher allowing mo-e discretion in
:na legs of taxation upon the part of
be legislative body whether that1
• •tv be the legislature or the people
direct.
Second There should be establish
»a a State Tax commission, with
power to appoint a State Assessor to
bold "Wee for several years continu-!
out!}, and whose conduct should be
IVwer lies oiiL. de. of it. and entirely
ndepend-mt of it. in ail truly valuable
ives. Tennyson, the poet, was also
the practical man when he remarked.
1 think ;t is w-i«est in a man to do
tiis work in the world as quietly and
a well as he can. wit.iout much beed
n« prai'e or aispraise.—Selected.
Could Stand It Longer.
i lecturer one torrential night ad
dressed an audience w hich might have
b*eu much larger without taxing the
•ating capacity of the hall. Natu
! rally, he was willing to curtail his ad
< for next year. The awards were
ffiFt under the geueral plan of the
steel corporation.
Snowball in Streets of Denver.
Denver. Colo.—Snow hail battles in
front of the Albany hotel nearly
resulted in serious injury to
thr“e Nebraska men. when B. F.
Whitman and \V. I. Whi'e of Chadron
land Henry Simmons of Fine Ridge
Agency were knocked to the pave
ment by an automobile.
! "It * asn't because of the snow,'■
but snow balls to the right, snow!
subject to revision by the commission.
There should be elected in every
county an assessor for such county,
with power to appoint his own depu
ties. He should be ex-officio a mem
ber of the State Tax commission.
There should also be chosen in each
community a local assessor whose
jurisdiction should be within such com
munity only. The County Assessors
should constitute a county tax com
mission. which should sit as a board
of equalization in all matters concern
ing assessments of property in such
county. The action of such county
tax commission should, however, be
subject to review and further adjust
ment, whereever necessary, bv the
State Tax commission.
Third. When the law makes cer
tain exemptions from taxation, as of
churches, schools and the like, it
should not leave such matters in the
hands of local assessors. Assessors
are not the proper persons to decide
matters of law. Such should be for
the courts to determine. Therefore
all assessors should be required to
make assessment of all property of
any class taxable under the-law
Church property, schools not owned
by the state or municipality, hospitals
and all similar institutions possessing
kinds of property taxable under the
law. should be listed for taxation by
the assessor. After such listing, the
parties directly concerned, feeling
the\ might be exempt from taxation
under the law, should apply to the
courts of proper jurisdiction for an
order far such exemptions.
(Parenthetically, it might be re
marked that it is the judgment of
your committee that the constitution
al provision allowing exemptions of
such properties, has been grossly
abused when exemptions have been
allowed to commercial schools and
hospitals privately owned for private
profit. There are many thousands of
doliars of such properties in this
State that have escaped taxation, not
withstanding the fact that these in
stitutions are privately owned and
controlled and conducted for the pri
vate profit of the owners.)
Fourth. Though the Constitution
directs that the value of all property
shall “be ascertained in such manner
as the legislature may direct," it
would appear that the courts have ar
bitrarily ruled to inhibit the legislat
ure from using any discretion. If this
general property tax which, largely,
the courts have forced upon the peo
ple. was intended to effect an equal
ization of the burden of taxation, it
has miserably failed. For instance,
household goods used in a private
dwelling cannot be said to be of equal
value for purposes of taxation as such
goods used for hotel purposes, out of
which a profit is gained. The same
is true of all other things privately
used. such as personal effects of
every nature. Under the law. the
clothing upon your backs is supposed
to be taxed on the same basis as the
clothes in the stores. The one has
reached its final consumer, while the
other is for sale at a profit. There
fore. even under the present anti
quated and clumsy Constitution, in
spite of the judgment of courts, the
legislature ought to be empowered,
and it is so empowered, to use some
discrimination in this matter.
Fifth. The statute providing that
lands should be assessed every- four
years, while osher properties are as
sessed every year, should be repeal
ed. If our Constitution intends what
it says about equality of taxation, this
statute is clearly in violation thereof.
It is an unjust discrimination in favor
of large land holders and against en
terprising citizens To illustrate this,
consider this single instance in the
city of Omaha. There is at the cor
ner of Sixteenth and Farnam streets
a single lot. valued by its owners at
$600,000. At the assessment of 1908
this lot was assessed at $132,000. At
the next quadrennial in 1912. the as
sessor raised this figure to double
that amount, or $264,000. which was
said to be the increase in value dur
ing the four years. The Board of
Equalization afterward raised it to
$400,000.
Let us be conservative. Let us con
sider the figures of the assessor only.
In 1908 the value of this lot, not
counting the improvements, was
1132.000. In the following four years
it had increased to $264,000. This
shows an average increase during the
quadrennial period of $33,000 per
year. Add these figures, aud you get
the following result: In 1910. $33,
000 land values on this lot escaped
taxation entirely: in 1911, $66,000: in
1912. $99,000. Added together this
showing is that $198,000 of land val
ues on that lot alone were not taxed,
and never can be taxed, because the
quadrennial-assessmen'-oMand law
exempted these land values from
taxation during that period. Now sup
pose a merchant or manufacturer or
farmer, through the individual skill
and thrift of either of them, had add
ed to his property in goods produced
by human toil that or any other sum
each year. Would the law have ex
empted him from taxation upon that
amount0 And yet the increase that
he might add to his property could
- - . -___
dress, and. having reached what he
considered the psychological moment,
said: "I'm afraid I've kept you too
long." Whereupon a voice replied.
"Go on. it’s still raining." ,
Ota Coats ana Ola Friend*.
My coat and 1 live comfortably to
gether. It has assumed all my wrink
les. does not hurt me anywhere, has
molded itself on my deformities, and
is complacent to all my movements,
and I only feel its presence because
it keeps me warm. Old coats and old
friends are the same thing.—Hugo.
balls to the ieft." explained White.
“We were crossing the street to the
Albany when a whole shower of snow
balls hit us. We had to dodge so
fast that we could not see where we
were going.”
General Strike No Remedy.
Paris—A general strike for the pur
pose of preventing war, in the
opinion of Gustave Herve, the anti
military agitator. M. Guezde. socialist
deputy and other speakers at the
French socialist congress would be
absolutely impracticable. The only
[result only from his individual entet*
prise, while this increased value
comes to this lane not only independ
ent. but in spite of what the owaer*
have done. That is the manner .n
which the present revenue laws of
this State reward those who are in
dolent and punish those who are
thrifty.
Sixth. There should be a provi
sion of law requiring each owner of
iland to make his own assessment,
[fixing its value for purposes of taxa
tion. As a penalty for false estimates.
|any person or the State itself should
he empowered to purchase such lands
at the value so fixed by the owner.
By this means them would be a more
equitable assessment of lands
throughout the State, most especially
uearest to the centres of population.
The nearer we go to the centres of
our cities the more inequitable do we
find the assessment of lands. In the
City of Omaha it will be found that
ithe highest valued tots average for
assessment about fifty per cent of
!their market value, while the average
home owner's land is assessed nearer
to 75 per cent, of such value.
Seventh. Many people do not
realize the absurdity of the law re
quiring that taxes shall be levied up
on only one-fifth of the assessed val
uation. This law was framed and
passed at the behest of the railroads,
and the only honest excuse, if such
can be considered honest, was that by
this process the taxing authorities
; would be limited in the amount of
taxes raised. In actual practice tne
taxing authorities can raise only suf
ficient revenue to administer econo
mic government, and if they dare go
beyond this the people will check
them. The result of this law is to
show high levies for taxation, which
give the state an unfair standing in
the other sections of the country,
[where it is not understood that the
levy is only upon one-tifth of the as
sessed valuation. Your committee
would, therefore, recommend that this
law be repealed and that levies be
made upon the actual assessed valua
tion, cutting down the levy.
Eighth. All persona! property taxes
should be repealed. They are unjust
in their very nature. They compel
people to commit perjury, and they
punish those who attempt to be hon
est. Furthermore they are utterly
impracticable. Xo assessor can
come any way near estimating the
value of personal effects of the rich,
while he may approximaie the value
of the personal effects of the average
person. This operates to compel
those who are least able, to pay a
higher percentage of taxes than do
[those who are better able. Further
more. if the cost of assessing and
collecting such taxes were carefully
considered, it would be found that the
cost about equals the amount of taxes
from this source. One of our leading
county assessors recently stated that
j if he were to attempt a strict en
i forcemeat of the personal property
tax lew of this State, he would be as
sassinated within two weeks. What
can be said in defense of a law t hat
is utterly impossible of enforcement,
and if it could be enforced would
about destroy the enterprise of the
State? The fact is. severe as the
[statement may seem, that much of
! the prosperity of tl*is State is due to
the fact that, judged by the standard
of honesty enforced by our tax laws,
nine out of every ten of our people
I are liars and willful perjurors.
I Xinth. As a step in the iine of
progressive legislation, the State
should provide for the assessment of
i all franchises in the State according
to their market value. It should also
j provide for the assessment of the
land of the State under the supervi
sion of the State Tax commission,
eliminating as far as possible taxes
upon improvements. This is the only
means by which a just assessment
can be made—an assessment that
would not discriminate in favor of
one county as against another. It
should then be provided by the Stare
that all State revenues be derived
from a levy upon such values. This
would effect a jnst distribution of the
burden of taxation among the several
counties of the State in exact. pro
portion to tite value of the lands and
franchises located in each county of
the State. Since the value of these
franchises and lands is a perfect
barometer of the general wealth con
ditions of the communities where lo
cated, this system would effect a con
dition which would soon make of this
State one of the most prosperous and
thrifty of the Union. Enterprise and
capital and population would be at
tracted to our State from all the sur
rounding states. Naturally. Nebraska
is the garden spot of the land, and
such a progressive move toward re
form of our tax laws would make it
■cononiically and in every other re
spect the most attractive place in tha
nation in which to live, in which to
produce wealth and in which to rear
the generations yet to come.
Respectively Submitted.
LAURIE J QUINBY.
Chairman.
BON C. VANDEUSEN,
HORACE M. DAVIS.
A. W LADD.
To Stop a Hole.
If using plaster of paris to fill i
wall crack moisten with vinegar in
stead of water, which will make it
more like putty. Work it in ibe gap
and smooth with an old knife. It
will not then harden before you have
time to apply it as when water is
used.
Character.
Character is made up of small du
ties faithfully performed, of self de
nials. of sacrifices, of kindly acts of
love and ditty.—Emerson.
way to avoid war. they declared, was
to improve France-German relations,
the principal obstacle to which was
Alsace-Lorriane. It is believed to be
accomplished by the granting of au
tonomy.
Sport Before Schedules.
“What time will this train reach
Perkins Junction?" asked a traveler
on a short line railroad. “There nint
no telling.” said the conductor affa
bly. “Me and the engineer are goin*
ter get off down the road a piece an*
hunt rabbits for a speiL”
FLORENCE IS ACT!
Business in Italian City AgainI
Has Full Sway.
All Activities Interrupted by Church
Ceremonials Are Again Taken Up
—Festa of Beata Giovanna
Ends Religious Features.
Florence*—Florence is settling down ;
to business again. All the activities
interrupted by church ceremonials
are resumed, the bells are ringing at >
regular and frequent intervals and ev- j
j erything is lively and bustling, says '
a correspondent. Out at Signa, a lit j
tie walled town about seven miles on J
the road to Pisa, a unique proceeding
incident to the season is in progress
—the festa of the Beata Giovanna—
and when this is over the local pro
gram of religious spectacles and signi
ficant services will have been finished.
We were strongly tempted to go there,
but on inquiry found that to appreci
ate it fully it was necessary' to make
an all-day trip, and concluded to do
our sightseeing at shorter range.
This ceremonial consists of a series
of processions from ali the villages
around the town whose chapels are de
pendent upon the pieve or parish
church of Signa. St. Giovanna was a
peasant maiden of the thirteenth cen- i
ttiry, noted from childhood- for her
piety and virtues. While young she
vowed herself to a religious life and
passed many years, walled up in a
little cell, in meditation and prayer.
Her neighbors, venerating her as a
saint before her formal recognition
as such, went to her for help and ad
vice. She performed many miracles
of healing, especially on children. She
died alone in her cell in 1837, and it |
is a local tradition that her death was
announced by the mysterious ringing
of all the church bells in Signa and
the adjacent villages. A chapel was
built to serve as a shrine and her
relics were kept for use on extraor- !
dinary occasions, being taken to Flor- ♦
ence and Prato and elsewhere to stay
public calamities.
Easter Monday is the special festi
val of St. Giovanna. when from the va
rious villages of the district offerings
of oil for the lamps of her shrine are
sent in processions, borne by Email
children dressed as angels, riding
richly decked donkeys, and accompa- I
nied by priests, acolytes and the peo
ple in their holiday attire. These of
ferings are carried one by one into
the church and transferred with sol
Public Fountain at Florence.
emu rites to the priest The entire
morning is occupied thus, as the re- '
ception of each procession takes con- !
siderabie time Meanwhile in the
public square a fair is held, and a j
great crowd gathers. In the after
noon the relics of St. Giovanna are
exposed to the populace.
These local ceremonies fill a large j
place in the lives of the Tuscan peas
ants, who, despite the differences be
tween the church and the state, cling !
to their religious observances tena
ciously The dispossession of the or- j
ders by the present government due !
ing the latter part of the past century
gave offense to a great number of
the people, but this feeling is passing
and a readjustment is in progress.
HAS 25.875 CHILD TOILERS
Young Workers in Philadelphia
Stores and Mills Are Listed by
Education Bureau.
Philadelphia, Pa.—Approximately
25.875 children under sixteen years of
age are at work in stores, factories
and other commercial establishments
here. This is shown by the report of I
a statistical investigation conducted !
by the bureau of compulsory educa
tion. Of the 25,875 little workers, 11,- !
71S are girls. The report shows that !
these children left school in various j
grades, but that the greater number
terminated their education in the !
sixth grade. Under the compulsory ;
education law, children cannot obtain 1
employment in Pennsylvania until
they have attained the fourteenth
birthday, but street trades, such as
selling newspapers and shining shoes,
are excepted.
BILLION INCOME IN DISTRICT
—
Tax Payments Indicate Wall Street j
Region the Richest in th*
United States.
_ I
New York—Estimates made here i
-based upon the total income assess- j
meats. paid into the office of Charles
W. Anderson, internal thx collector, j
Indicate that in this one district, which I
includes the Wall, street financial
houses. 13,000 persons have a total
annual income exceeding $1,000,000,
000.
The section in which all thiB money
is received is about two miles square.
Adjoining this district, which it is
said the income tax figure will show
to be the richest in the United States,
lies the territory east of the Bowery
and below Fourteenth street, that is,
the most populous, filled by 60,000 per
sons. few of whom pay an income
tax.
HORSE GAINS IN NUMBERS AND DEMAND
The Most Profitable Type.
The horse's place In the life of the
country' has been threatened many
times, but be has shown that he was
never really in danger, and he Is in
more request now than ever before.
When the first railroad was built in
New England it was opposed on the
ground that it would take the value
out of horses. In 183ft a committee
from the .Massachusetts legislature
concluded, after investigation, that the
steam locomotive could not be ac
cepted in the United States as a sub
stitute for the horse, as motive power,
writes Joseph A. Rickart of Missouri
in National Stockman and Farmer.
Later the bicycle was counted upon to
weaken the position of the horse
drawn vehicle for pleasure, and to
some degree for business. The trolley
car displaced a certain number of
horses and mules, but did not take
much from the prestige of the equine
race. The motor car and the motor
truck were considered the certain
doom of the horse, but he remains,
gaining in numbers and demand.
The reduction in the average size
of farms in the United States, as
shown in the 1910 census, makes more
farm horses necessary. Experiments
have proven that it requires propor
tionately more horses to work a small
farm than it does a larger one, for
there are more Idle days during the
year for horses on a small farm than
on a large farm. But it is the demand
for good horses from the cities that
is responsible for the advancing price.
The motor truck has taken the place
of draft horses to some extent, and
figures are given by interested parties
that show the great economy in using
motor trucks over horse power.
Various influences, pro and con, are
affecting the horse market at this
time. On one hand there is an excep
tionally good demand from the cities
for large expressers and truckers. The
government is buying horses, and may
buy many more. On the other hand,
the open winter permitted farmers to
do much plowing, particularly in the
central and western states. When
spring came, instead of having to
work all their horses, and perhaps buy
more, some farmers were in a position
to sell one or mo're of their teams.
During the Boer war England bought
a large number of horses in this coun
try for service In South Africa. Kan
sas City dealers secured most of the
contracts for these horses, and horse
and mule receipts at Kansas City
jumped from 33.000 head in 1899 to
103.000 head in 1900, and almost as
many were received in 1901. a volume
of horse and mule business that has
never been equaled at that market
since.
But only a fraction of the number
of horses In the country are handled
each year through the big markets.
The horse business is entirely differ
ent in this respect from the business
in meat-bearing animals. In 1913 of
the 21,000,000 horses in the country,
only 350.000 were handled at the prin
cipal bcrse markets, namely, St. Louis,
Chicago, Kansas City, Ft. Worth, St.
Joseph and Omaha, the relative impor
tance of these markets for the year
standing in the order named. St.
Louis, Kansas City and St. Joseph are
the only markets named that receive
mules In any considerable numbers.
They received 100,000 mules in 1913,
in addition to the horses received. At
lanta and Memphis handle a great
many mules.
The horse business at these leading
markets last year was greater than it
ever was before. In 1908, five years
ago, total receipts of horses and mules
at these markets was 333,000 head; in
1903, ten years ago, 369,000; and in
1898, fifteen years ago, the total was
317.00C head. So far this year these
markets have received practically the
same number of horses as they re
ceived during the same period last
year.
Horses at the markets are sold by
the head, at auction to the highest bid
der. either singly or in pairs, except
that unbroken range horses are /Sold
in car-lots, by the head. Auction sales
are held one or two days each week
at each of the big markets, the differ
ent markets having a mutual arrange
ment as to the days of the week,
which are fixed so that buyers may
travel from one market to another
and attend sales at several of the mar
kets each week, if they so desire.
Doubtless a vast number of horses
change hands in the country privately,
but country prices are governed large
ly by prices ruling at the horse auc
tions at the various markets. Horse
dealers travel about the country and
gather up horses, and ship them to the
central markets, and in this manner
the market price is established in the
country.
Prices for work animals cover a
wide range. $75 to $100 for light
weight, serviceable animals for street
driving and light expressing, medium
weight chunks for city service at $125
to $175, farm geldings, $140 to $200,
farm mares $150, to $225, well-shaped
i horses weighing 1,160 to 1,350 pounds
at $185 to $275, and $300 to $350 for
horses weighing around a ton. Fancy
I drivers and saddlers are not as much
used as they were ten or fifteen years
ago, and fewer of them are produced,
but prices on them remain at substan
tial figures.
Mare and Her Two Colts.
EXPANSION OF OUR
FARMING METHODS
Farmer Must Raise Some Highly
Organized Crop That Is
Adapted to Rotation.
(By R. G WEATHERSTONE)
In a measure the use of chemical
plant foods is the basis of expansive
, arming. The profits from using these
plant foods will depend upon their
right purchase and use. Rightly used
they enable a man to piace more of
his land under a remunerative system
of crop growing.
We have been farming along too
narrow lines. The fertility supply from
our farm stock as compared with the
size of our farms, never gets far from
our barns and feed lots, so that while ,
Good for the Pigs.
On farms where potatoes are grown
something has to be done with the dis
eased ones, and also the small tubers.
Pigs are obviously the best kind of
animals to utilize such produce, but
•i fed in a raw style they seem to give
very poor results, while the pigs them
selves are not very' fend of them. But
if boiled, mashed up, and mixed with j
meal or sharps, they form a very good i
food for either fat or store pigs, the
meal, of course, being added for fat
tening animals.
a few acres “hold their own” the
many suffer for the few.
To expand our farming we must
widen our methods and raise some
highly organized crop that is adapted
to our rotation of crops and our farm
and that will pay a profit when grown
under Intense conditions.
Intense tillage makes the soil more
friable, easier to cultivate and teem
ing with bacterial life, a condition
brought about by opening up the pores
and giving the air and its decompos
ing agents an opportunity to start
bacterial action. The plant food that
is insoluble, thus becomes available.
Poor Setting of Fruit
The poor setting of fruit, which
often follows a long rain, is due more
to a loss in vitality of the pollen or to
some mechanical injury to the pistils;
also, in a large measure, to the fact
that bees and other insects which pro
mote the beneficial cross pollination
between varieties are absent
Care of the Chick.
Young chicks should not be allowed
to roost too early. Let them seek the
rcost of their own free will. Care
should be taken, however, that they
do not crowd in the pens or brood
coops. They will sometimes persist
in piling up and the under ones suf
fer accordingly. The extra warmth
producing perspiration is weakening
and stunts them beyond point of re
covery. They are also liable to “catch
cold" with a si^lden change of the
temperature.