Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1893 — STATE OFFICER’S REPORTS [ARTICLE]

STATE OFFICER’S REPORTS

Auditor Henderson and Secretary Matthews’ Annual Reports. A Redortlon of the School Levy Kecora. ■ - -mended-.The-9F«re~fct»ir-Fretted' t—l Report at Secretary Matthews. From advance sheds of the annual report of Auditor of State Henderson tto« following facts and figures tire gleaned; Tho reports commends the new tax law. and shows tha t there lias been au Increass in valuation of $397,331,651, and that thi levy for 1891 of 12 _ rents for State and< cents for benevolent Institutions yielded 12,! 5),459.86. The Auditor then continues; ‘‘lnstead of an annual deficit of haif a mill on dollars under the old regime, w< now have a not surplus of that mnonnt. Instead of borrowing money to pay Interest on the public debt, as was done under the old order of tilings, wo now provld* for our interest and have a handsome surplus besides. * _ “A number of tl.e largest railroad corporations are resisting the now tax law, and thus temporarily withholding from the State and counties thousands upon thousands of revenue. In every instance where trial lias been had in the lower courts, the State has" won, and there is little doubt, lint the law will he upheld by the Snpromo Court. A number of I>ank9 are resisting the law. Tho State Board of Tax Commissioners and the AttorneyGeneral aro leaving nothing undone to [irotcct the State’s interests and to enforce tho collection of theso taxes.” * The reports speaks as follows of the State debt; “ * * * Tho present foreign debt of the State is $8,315,815.12 aud the domestic debt $434,000, making a totai debt of $8,830,015.12.- Of this sum the temporary interest loan bonds, dated April 1, 1888, aggregating $240,000, fail duo April 1, 1893. The temporary interest loau bonds, dated April 1, 1839. aggrogating $370,000, fall due April 1, 1824. In 18:5 bonds of the State amounting to $1.0f5,000 become due. If the present General Assembly makes no extraordinary. appropriations there wiil bo sufficient moneys in the general fund to pay the bonds due in 1893 and 1894. “There is now laill 15 cents on tho linn3red dollars for State school purposesUnder the present appraisement this levy produces in round numbers $2,008,409. Un, ier the old assessment this levy raised 11,372,279, and this amount was adequate tnd highly satisfactory. The levy remain* ng the same, there is raised annually tinier the new tax law $636,120 mere than die old law produced. Now, there neve 1 sas a need or a demand for a large ichool revenue, and this excess of more dian half a fnillion dollars is just so much noney unnecessarily taken from the people. It is a burden that should be lifted rom the shoulders of the tax payers Unnecessary taxation is anlust taxation.’ “If the levy for State school purposes sere reduced 5 cents we should then raise 11,380,781 school revenue, which is $8,502 noro than was raised under the old law. “I therefore suggest that the State ichool levy be reduced from 16 to It cents >n the SIOO, thus giving the counties :8,502 more school revenue than they ever received before, and at the same time iesicning tho burden of taxation 6 cents on die SIOO, or an aggregate annual tax reiuction of <636,139. A reduction of the State levy from 12 rents to 10 cents is recommended. The Auditor favors the creation of asinkng fund and a levy of 4 cents on the >no hundred valuation for Uiat purpose. Die aggregate debt of the State is sB.B* 0,515.12; annual intercut, $286,025; and the innual surplus above expenses and inters >st by the present levy is $500,000. The Auditor speaks thus of savings janlis. “There are now five savings banks >peruting under the State law. The sueress as these iustitutious, aud the good :hey are accomplishing iu encouraging layings by tho people, iuvito attention to ;ho desiiabilily of encouraging the organi:aiion of savings banks among the people, l'o this end i suggest that the present law no so amended as to make them stock assoriaiions. By this means those who are lctivo in tho management receive some rompensation for their services. Under die present law the trustees of these initltutions are required to act without adeluate reward, and it is difficult to interest those who are competent to manage them .n their organization. 1 also suggest tiiat tho law governing 'lnvestments of these Dauks be so amended that they make . loans upon real estate secured by mortgage any where within the State.” • i here will become due on April 1,1334. the temporary interest loan bonds issued A pril 1, IsSD, amounting to $370,000. This, w. tli the incidental expenses of the Solhug’ and Sailors’ MoniimentCommission, ivili reduce the balance for the year 1e94 tot 302,» o‘.ill. “The estimate of expenditures submitted does not include a dollar for extraordinary expenses. It is based on the actual accessary expenses of the State government.” ' : ' OF STATE’S REPORT. Tho report opens with an address to the Co . ernor, and continuing, says: “For tho.first time In the history of this dlYicc It has become a source of revenue to tiic Slate, tho amounts paid into the State treasury for tho last fiscal year exceeding $46,000. In addition to this will also td found the report of the Attorney-gen-eral of fines and forfeitures, tabulated statement of tho vote of indie* a at ihe November elfc’ion of 1892, for Presidential electors, Slate officers. Congressmen. Legislature, judicial and county officers of the btate, articles of incorporation, commissions i-sued, excculivo appointments, pardons, remissions, requisitions, warrants and proclamations, and general information of a political nature. also-havn the-Imtor to stibtnft wit Mir llic report of Mr. Cjm fl. Stein, clerk of the bureau of public printing, b ndiug aud stationary, j “Mr. Stein has brougtit to the discharge as the duties of this position a careful and painstaking ability. Competent, agreeable and at ali times faithful to the interests of the St vie, his work cannot be too highly commended. “in view of the increased demauds upon the usuai appropriation for this depart* meat and the greater expenditure rendered necessai y for stationery.priiiting and bind*, iug through tho aditionat benevolent insiitut ons and the Appeliate Court, newly created, 1 would suggest an Increase In the appropriation for these purpose by thonc .t I cgislatnre.” htnretary Matthews makes further rocctr men Actions us follows*— That notaries should file certificates; that the price of Revised Statutes be reduced to *1.3) per volume; thut Justices of the l'cace Ole certificates from county clerk: mid the balance of the report Is made tip of a register of State officials and employe*, a list of trademarks, pardons, requisite ns. and a complete tabulation of tho vote last November, and closes with the coust unions of 1810 and 1 51. 1 - p *7V-'r - --T-i I'-/Af :