257-267; Miller, J. D., in Arena, 23 (1900), 617-626; Jenks, J. W., in Review of Reviews, 21 (1900), 445-449; and in Trust Problem, Chapter XI; Adams, H. C., in North American Review, 175 (1902), 895–904; Bryan and Beveridge in Reader, 10 (1907), 34–46. 4. CHILD LABOR: Markham, E., in Cosmopolitan, 41 (1906), 480-487, 567-574; 42 (1907), 20-28, 327-333, 391-397, 667-673; 43 (1907), 310-314; Annals of American Academy of Political Science, 27 (1906), 259-399; 29 (1907), 1–141. Studies 1. National government as a teacher of road building. Speed, J. G., in Outlook, 84 (1906), 209-219. 2. Road building with convict labor. Holmes, J. A., in Scientific American Supplement, 55 (1903), 227–247. 3. Five years of railway regulation by the State. Huebner, G. G., in Annals of American Academy of Political Science, 32 (1908), 138– 156. 4. Remarkable growth of American banks and trust companies. Pratt, S. S., in Independent, 59 (1905), 1454-1467. 5. Trust company reserves. Young, G. W., in North American Review, 182 (1906), 285–297. 6. A program for labor reform. Century, 39 (1890), 938-951. Low, S., Ely, R. T., et al., in 7. The regulation of sweat shops. Kirkland, J., in Scribner's Magazine, 12 (1892), 22-25. 8. Peonage in the South. Irvine, A., in Appleton's Magazine, 9 (1907), 643–654. 9. Canadian Act to prevent and settle strikes. Eliot, C. W., in McClure's Magazine, 30 (1907), 149–156. 10. Protection of fish by the national government. Bache, R., in Outing, 47 (1905), 182–191. Questions 1. What is meant by the title of a piece of property? by an abstract of title? by a certificate of title? by a deed? by a mortgage? Who keeps records of changes in real estate ? 2. Are our rural roads laid out and cared for by district, town, or county officials? Are the roads of this section well located? How are most of them improved? 3. How is a street laid out? What percentage of the cost of improving a street is paid by the abutting property? Do the property owners pay directly for the sprinkling of the street before their homes ? 4. Give the powers of the state railway commission. If there is an anti-trust law in this State, ascertain how it aims to control the trusts. 5. Is child labor used extensively in the State? Is there a child labor law? What is the age limit for work in factories? What prog ress has been made during the last three years in preventing the employment of children? CHAPTER XII STATE AND LOCAL FINANCE GENERAL As The work of local government involves great expen ditures, 146. The Financial Needs of the States and Localities. the greater part of the work done by our towns, cities, and counties consists in the administration of state law or in the construction of local improvements, a great deal of money is required. Schools cannot be maintained without money especially for buildings, as well as for the payment of janitors and in cities. teachers. Highways and bridges are costly. The great Adams, expense of a police force, police courts, and buildings for Science of the imprisonment of criminals show that a high price must Finance, be paid for the preservation of order, especially in cities. 96-102. State, $185,764,202 County, $197,365,827 Town and minor, City Government, $551,234,172 National Government, $617,530,137 EXPENDITURES BY GOVERNMENTS (1902) Affairs, When we add to those items the cost of immense sewer Maltbie, M. systems, a vast network of water pipes supplied by large R., in Mun. reservoirs, the cost of street paving and lighting, the expense 4 (1900), of a fire department and of a system of city parks, we readily 685–697. see that the city governments are particularly expensive. Expenditure of state money. Morey, The amount of revenue which the state legislatures are required to obtain for the States is much smaller than that demanded by the localities. As the work of the state governments does not involve costly improvements, nor the maintenance of great military or naval establishments, comNew York, paratively little money is needed. In most of the States, the chief expenditures are for the payment of public officials, for the care of the insane and other unfortunates, and for the public schools - part of the cost of supporting local schools being frequently borne by the state governments (§ 126). § 81. Investments and current expenses. 147. Meeting Financial Needs. - A part of the expenses of these governments is in the nature of an investment, as Education, $281,219,278 General Outlay, $208,475,012 Roads and Parks, $131,406,404 General Gov't, $123,761,897 Law and Order, $122,648,331 Charities, $81,421,632 Interest, $78,902,297 Health and Fire, $74,064,176 Miscellaneous, $54,548,060 STATE AND LOCAL EXPENDITURES (1902) CLASSIFIED when, for example, a new city hall is erected, or new bridges are built, or state canals are constructed, but most of them must be classed as current expenses. Part or all of the cost of any investment may be met by borrowing money, but the money for the ordinary expenditures must be obtained from the ordinary revenue, the larger part of which is derived from taxation. latures in In America, the right to tax and expend money is a power Powers of left to our legislative bodies, the state legislatures, the the legiscounty boards, and the city councils. Limitations are some- regard to times placed on the amount of money that may be raised finance. in any year, by limiting the maximum tax rate to be levied, or in other ways. Although our legislative bodies always propose bond issues for extraordinary expenditures, they are obliged to obtain the consent of the voters before the bonds can be sold, and they are frequently restricted by a limitation of the amount of debt that their government may incur. The tax should be according to pay. Adams, Science of 328-332. 148. Characteristics of a Good Tax. -There are certain characteristics that every tax should possess.. Among these, five are especially important. (1) It should be accord- to ability ing to the citizen's ABILITY to pay. It is now generally felt that ability should be the test of the amount paid in taxes, because it is a social duty for the individual to contribute to the support of the government in proportion to his means. But there is still a great deal of disagreement over the best way to determine ability, some favoring the net income, others the gross income, and a third set the value of the property a man owns. (2) The times and methods of Plehn, assessment and collection should not be arbitrary, but fixed and known to all. (3) The tax should be as little felt as 110-122. possible. All of the burden should not be placed upon a single class, as in many of the French taxes just before the Other char great Revolution. An old but defective tax is often less acteristics. felt than a new, though much better, tax. Changes should, in consequence, take place only when the good to be derived Bastable, clearly overbalances the difficulty the people encounter in Finance, adjusting themselves to the change. (4) It should be easily 382-391. administered. It should not be so hard to assess the tax L Public Public |