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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1920)
'a '.V. r i 10 rue SUNDAY OREGOMAX, TORTLAXD, MARCH 21, 1920 GOUNTY ASSESSOR REED TELLS WHY MULTNOMAH COUNTY j TAXES HAVE INCREASED 1091 PER CENT IN LAST 20 YEARS Public Indifference to Causes and Effects and Demands for More Elaborate Government Held Responsible for Condition Problems Presented ' by 6 Per Cent Tax Limitation. BY HENRY E. REED. V. County Assessor. CThls Is the first of a scries of two arti.l-B prepared for The Sunday Orego n.&n by Mr. Keed. The concluding article v. M be printed next Sunday.) NUMBER of people with whom I have recently discussed the rapid rise -In state and local tayes in Oregon have asked me to this article. sKetcning v effect upon cost 01 r.rts of the legisla- A write tendencies, the iriA'err.ment of his fare, his portion of the taxes as sessed against the Portland Railway. Light & Power company. The office building tenant pays through his rent his moiety of the taxes levied upon the capital represented by that build ing. The automobile owner who now pays the state license is a taxpayer, even though his name no longer ap pears on the tax roll. Taxes are a part of the cost of production or op eration of every line of business and ,191s he who navs them to government '. HH4 must have them back with interest calculated by dividing the assessed valuation for each year into the total levy of taxes and la as follows: Bate at Multnomah I.arjre. County Vcar- t 1!I06 11107 1 :"8 1 !! '.)10 1!I 1 11112 assemblv. the operation 01 me . an(i prof it. . . ndi cent tax limitation amendment! One does not need to have his fiame tot the constitution, and any other j on the tax roll in order to be a tai totne consniui ' f m payer. All that is necessary is for fats that might enable them . to form aa indepenaem juupiut-in " ' the wheel begins to turn and keeps not five in four under 30 was over oO the roll ation. They are justly concerns thi mounting tax rate, which affects everyone, whether employer or em ploye, whether owner or omce uunu in'sr or bungalow. The city dweller finds the taxes on' his home increased 20 per cent in a "incle year without any chance in j the assessed valuation; the farmer in tlxj eastern and western sections of ; th county, strucgling to make a liy-j infc off a few acres, is confronted with the same condition: and it is the same wkh investors who put their money into office, store, apartment and rcsi-T.mT.A-fv in expectation of a ... ,.m. with an of them two questions naturally arise, first Can there be any relief from the burden renting upon real and per sonal property without impairing the functioning of government? Second Since real and personal property now assessed are bearing all tne taxes they can stand, can a more equitable svstem of taxation be formulated. In" what follows an endeavor will be made to answer these questions. - Increase IOJII Per Cent. in the past 20 years, upward of SluHOuU.OOO has been levied in taxes upon the property of .Multnomah county as a whole. It is to be ad mitted that expenses of Kovernment will normally increase irom e.lr year, and with them taxes, unless re lieved by revenues from other sources. But the public has reason to expect thiit there will be some sort of sta bility to the levies. This has t,wvH to be the case. In only of the 20 years have the total taxes levied in the county shown a de crease. In the other 15 years there have been increases. In two years the increase was less than 5 per cent; in" one year it was over 5 and less .w n m ncr rent: in rive years it was over 10 and under -0 per lem. vars it was over JO ana nor rent: in one year it and under 40 per cent; in two years it was over 40 and under 50 per cent. In the 20-year period the total taxes extended upon the county tax ran have increased lo'.il per cent, while noniiiinn hns increased about 2:0 l-rum..".. piir cent. Jn every part of the county f.vtf.n.l.-H nnon the 1!1 'J wre largely in excess of those ex tended upon the 1H14 roll. In Port land the increase is GO per cent; in Gresham 53 per cent; in Troutdale 120 per cent; in Park Hose school district 119 per cent; in Munson school dis trict 65 per cent: in Cilhert school dStrict 50 per cent: in Orient school district S per cent: in Scappoose school district GS per cent; in Hills view school district 80 per cont. And so" it coes. whether one s investiga tions take him to the cities, the sub urban home sections, or the farm and gardening; spots in the hills. Two IteaKonn Paramount. At the outset of any discussion of frovernment two things should be borne in mind, one being the attitude of the people toward the payment of taxes, and the other being the atti tude of those upon whom the law flies the responsibility for levying taxes and spending the money. Kor the people it can he said that the vast majority of them cheerfully sup port government, and are willing to pay their fair proportion of the taxes, oniv riesirino- to be assured that the ' i levies will not be in excess of legiti . mate requirements and that the money - paid into the treasury will lie intelli gently and profitably expended. The ' ! percentage of taxpayers who sit up nights scheming to beat the ex ' , chequer is small. ;.They are few. indeed, who. in ren- (teTing their accounts to government care to qualify under that saying . which John Locks of England, over 200 years ago attributed to a ship ping master: "God forbid that a cus torn-house oath should be a sin.' Therefore, it must be manifest that . the people, even though they complain s when they receive their tax nuis. can be brought into hearty accord with ' government, if government in its turn '. will ' play an open game with them and let them understand fully what ' It is doing-. People Control I.evien in Fnd. For the tax levying and spending 1"" officials it may be suggested that they are not so bad as they are reputed to be. The idea I have in mind was re- centiy expressed hy a New York " writer, who said: "Office holders will . spend as much as they believe is good ,'" ' for their political health: they must . i be credited with using much more .', j discrimination and courage in deny- f fng requests than is generally evident V among private citizens who feel but Jfear to express their opposition." The office holder may he a bit liberal, if not radical, when he is a candidate, but after he is elected the responsl , 3 biUtj.es of his position tame him to conservatism. J It Is very true that when commit- tees'and push clubs demand of him this or that expenditure he will fre- ? quently be swayed by what he ana lyzes as public sentiment, but which A is in reality nothing but government bv clamor. He will often bow to the shifting and transitory opinions of the crowd, instead of forming his own Judgment and following it. When all this is said, the fact remains that the matter of levies is very largely in the hands of the people themselves. Tux Limitation In Factor. One of the aspects of the tax ques tion which is continually bobbing up. Is the tax limitation amendment to the constitution, adopted in Novem ber, 1916. It was designed to limit the amount of taxes levied in any unit of government in any year to a specified increase over the levy of tne preceding year unless the electors approved. While it has not done all "' that was promised for it when it was pendinfr. it has been productive of good. At the special session of the legislature last January, a repealing measure to be referred to the people was defeated. Since then the Port land Municipal Service association has started a repeal movement.. Com menting upon these attacks upon the enactment, one of the Portland news papers recently said that until the clamor for repeal spread to those whose pocket books bear the burden of government it would not believe that public sentiment Is weary of the law. I Here arises the question of who and what is a taxpayer. If by the sentence, quoted above it is meant that they only are taxpayers who pay their money to the tax collector and take receipts, the number of tax payers must be relatively small. All Pay Taxea. - Everyone pays taxes in some way or another. Nobody escapes taxes. The person .who rides to and from his work, on the street cars pays, through 1!1 MiUa. .. 17. .-.0 .. 34.B,-. .. 185 .. 17.21 ., 17.K4 .. 21. Ill . . 20.2.! . . 24.1 .. 22.41 . . 23. 62 . . 2.".. 03 .. 24.:t . . 20.0S Mills. 15.36 13.84 19.42 17.48 21.21 23.60 21.30 26.20 22.53 24.67 26.60 27.70 20 SO 3.1.62 turning until he is laid away In a taxed coffin. People generally do not understand the incidence of taxation. If they did. they would not be so eager to vote taxes, regardless of merit, on the theory that the other fellow the fellow whose name is on the tax roll foots the .entire bill. Iluek Pausing Futile. He who so happily passes the buck to others when he votes new taxes finds the buck passed back to him in his food, his rent, his clothing, his amusements, and all other things that make life in this world such a continued round of pleasure. There is no one so much in need of instruc tion on the subject of where taxes finally land as that familiar subject of the cartoonists the comical little chap with the stubby mustacle, rak- lsnly set cap, and checked trousers. usually labeled "The Common People it nas been said, also, that the ex perience of the past three years has not furnished a fair test of the 6 per ctnt limitation provision; that the times have been abnormal and the costs of everything very high, gov eminent included; that the cost of public service in every department has risen out of all proportion to the normal scale of increase, and the time will come when this cost will fall again. In answer to this, it is to be con ceded, of course, that the world war brought its train of abnormally high prices, and that these will in time recede in some degree. It should, however, be borne in mind, as the economists have pointed out, that the uorld has reached a new price level and that whatever may be the future movement of prices, we are not going back to the pre-war status. Ilie Begins 33 Years Ago. Aside from war conditions and new price levels, the increased cost of government may be traced to other causes. It is because that long ago the popular concept of government as a big policeman standing on a street corner with a club in his hand and a gun in his hip pocket gave way to something entirely different and more elaborate and costly. Cost of government began climbing throughout the world' 35 years ago, when there was no war of any con sequence, and when people had lulled themselves to sleep with the idea that the four-year conflict between the north and the south was the last word in wars, and that nothing like it could ever occur again. The up ward trend in taxation is tersely stated in a report published in 1914 by a Nebraska revenue commission 1 quote as follows: 1018 1919 The state rate on the 1919 valuation has not been officially computed at this writing, but it will be higher than in 191S. from which The increase of taxes shown in these talU-s is peculiar to Nebraska. Since about l.VSj there has been a murked increase in state and local revenues throughout the country, and in fact throughout the western world. This growth has been es pecially marked during the last dozen Mars. On every hand the complaint is made of the increasing burden of taxa tion. For a quarter of a centurv writers on public finance have called attention, sometimes with alarm, to the growth of public expenditures. In the main, how ever, this increase is looked upon as a natural growth. The functions of govern ment have been constantly widening; all the old services are continued: new ones are constantly being undertaken: and new anil old are being conducted on a higher plane than formerly. Citizens are no longer content with mere room and con venience, but demand something of ele gance, in their public buildings. They are no longer satisfied that their duty is performed toward the unfortunate wards of the state by providing them shelter and food, but feel impelled to make use of ail the methods of modern science to remove their abnormalities and restore them when possible to the usual paths Hie. Such expenditures, so far lis they resuit in reformation ami restoration t health, aside from humanitarian consider ations. are properly held to be jusiiiied by their economic results. The same true of the recent tremendous Increase In expenditures for education. There is no intention of placing education on a merely i:tiiltarian bains, but such expenditures in large part directed toward the devel opment of those physical and intellectual powers of youth upon which industrial prosperity must rest. They are therefore looked upon not merely as the satisfac tion of a claim which the individual has upon society, but as an Investment from wnich society secures a return in numer ous ways. There is the same sort of jus tification for expenditures for the preser vation of the public health and numerous other activities which directly or indirect ly add to the producing power o the people. Speech to Point. In less elegant language, but very much to the point, a speaker at the New York state tax conference in 1815 said: We want every new government fad that anyone is willing to suggest. We are ever lastingly frothing at the mouth over some new plan that some person with plenty of oratory or influence asserts to us is ab solutely good, will make us either quickly rich or reduce the time, the effort, t!ie danger or the drudgery of labor. The moment such a man comes along he has a ready audience and an enthusiastic re ception. The working-man on the one hand is to have better wages and shorter hours and the capitalist Is to Bet greater efficiency nnd Increased dividends. All you need is to pass some statute, create some new theory of economics, enforce the theory at the other fellow's expense, and these results thigher taxes) will pres ently follow. During the seven years I have been assessor of Multnomah county there have been times when I had hoped to see taxes strike something of an even keel. But I do not entertain any hopes along that line now. Expenses of tate and local government are go ing up with no sign of a stop. I am merely wondering how long people are going to stand for the increasing burden that falls on property taxed under our ad valorem system and at what point in the ascent they will decide to sit in the game and ask for a new deal. When they do take a hand it will not necessarily follow that govern ment will be impaired or its cost re duced: it may mean that a different method will be devised for dividing up the burden. Time was in Oregon when people scrutinized the expenses of government and demanded to be shown. Interest In Government Lag. That time seems to be past, but it must come again with the back swing of the pendulum. There seems to be no general interest In the conduct of government, at least no organized Interest, though there is Individual grumbling when tax bills are ren dered. At that there is less com plaining in Portland with the tax rate at 36.8 mills than there was a dozen years ago with the rate at 14.2 mills. For years, the amount of taxes levied and the grand tax rate have steadily climbed without more than passing protest from any one. It may be if interest here to note the grand tax rate for Oregon at large and sepa rately for Multnomah county on each assessment roll since 1906. This is Meaning: of Limitation Explained. Coming back to the tax limitation provision of the constitution. I sub mit that this enactment separates it self into five major propositions, as follows: 1. That unless authorized by a vote of its electors, neither the state gov ernment, nor the government of any municipal subdivision of the state which is vested with the power to levy a tax, shall in any one year so exercise that power as to raise a greater amount of money for pur poses other than the payment of bonded debt and Interest thereon, than the amount raised for similar purposes in the preceding year, plus 6 per cent. Voiding; of Limitation Seen. Here an interesting question pre sents itself. If the state may, with I the approval of the electors under the referendum, authorize a continuing tax for market roads or any other purpose and exempt such tax from the operation of the tax limitation amend ment, what is to hinder a county, city, port, school district or other govern mental agency from doing the same thing with the approval of its voters? Nothing, that I can 1 ee. Ail govern ments, state and local, are subject to the tax limitation, or none are. The tax limitation applies to all of them in the same way and in the same de gree. What is permitted to one is permitted to all; what is forbidden to one is forbidden to all. The fact is that the voters of the city of Portland have, since the adop tion of the tax limitation amendment, so amended the city charter as to authorize continuing levies. On June 4, 1917, by the adoption of what is now section 291 of the charter, the voters authorized a vote of .4 mill for parks and playgrounds. On No vember 12, 1919, by the adoption of section 190-A of the charter they au thorized an additional tax of 3 mills for the general fund. Both of these taxes are annual levies and both are expressly exempt ed from the tax-limitation amend ment. They are in the same class with the continuing taxes for market roads voted by the state at large, with this exception, that the market-roads tax is a statute and not a constitu tional provision, while the city taxes are charter provisions and not ordi nances. The city is proceeding upon the theory that the 3-milI levy au thorized November 12. 1919, Is for one year only and that if it desires to col lect this tax upon the 1920 valuation it must again go to the people for a further mandate. But if the people of Oregon have acted legally in voting a continuing tax for market roads, then the people of Portland have acted le gally in voting a continuing tax for the general fund and the city govern ment will not be compelled to appeal again to the people for authority to levy the additional 3 mills. Imposition Fall lpon Couatiea. A little further on I will present some more tacts touching the relation between the tax limitation and county levies, but for the present will call attention to acts passed by the legis lature authorizing or directing tax levies or expense that will call for levies In local government but which come within the scope of the tax limitation provision. 10 get the ap propriate angle on this aspect of the suoject it should be remembered that wnen the tax limitation amendment became effective the base for all fu ture levies, except for the payment ot oonaea dent and interest thereon became the money levied upon the 1915 valuation for purposes other than the payment of bonded debt and in terest. 'ihe constitutional provision is rigid. It makes no allowance for ex pense foisted upon a county, school district or other unit of government without its knowledge or consent, as is frequently done by the legislature. It takes not into account the fact whether or not the year 1913 might or might not have been a normal or abnormal year. other than the payment of bonded debt and interest thereon; third, that under the initiative and referendum provisions of the constitution the peo ple, through the referendum, may pass upon all acts of the legislature. At the 1917 session the legislature, after wrestling long with the newly born tax limitation, passed and re ferred to the people an act authoriz ing the expenditure of $400,000 for the building of a new penitentiary. It was provided that the money was to be raised by taxation, $100,000 each year for four years, and the pro posed expenditure was excluded from the tax limitation provision. Now here is the problem. Measure Are Compiled. Looking over the 1917 session laws, duc not attempting to make a com piete compilation, I find the follow ing measures of the kind Just da scribed, adding expense to local gov ernment: . . nen a levy a Rove 6 per cent limitation is authorized by the electors concerned, it is good for one year only, and is not a continuing levy. 3. That when a levy above the 6 per cent limitation is authorized in any year, such excess must be ex cluded in determining the base for the following and subsequent vears. 4. That any levy made contrarv to the constitutional amendment is void, but the issue is between the authority malting the levy and its taxpayers. 5. That all levies for the Davment of bonded debt and the interest there on are excluded from the limitation. INew Um Confirm Act. The foregoing is a reasonable In terpretation of the tax limitation pro vision. The legislature seems to have adopted similar construction when in 191 1 it passed the law (Chapter 150) defining the manner in which elec tions to exceed the 6 per cent limit may be called and held. In cases where it is deemed necessary to in crease state taxes above the 6 per cent,, the enforcement law (Chapter 150) specifically provides that the state tax commission shall take the initial steps for an election by filing a proper certificate with the secre tary of state. The state tax commis sion did,indeed, follow this procedure in its certificate filed September 17, 1918, wnerein it recited that it was "necessary to levy an amount of state taxes for the fiscal year 1919 larger by $940,000 than the amount limited by the constitution." It is worthy of note that the tax commis sion asked for the increase for one year and not for an indefinite period. The proposed tax was voted down at the state election In November, 1918. Acts May Be Questioned. If the tax limitation amendment means what it appears to say, and if Chapter 150, Laws of 1917, supple ments and enforces it, then some of the enactments of the legislature since the amendment went into effect are open to serious question. In what follows two things should be remem bered: First, that any increase in any year above the 6 per cent limit is for one year only; second, that when the limitation amendment became effec tive in December, 1916, It automatic ally fixed in every taxing district as the initial base for all subsequent levies, the amount of money raised upon the 1915 valuation for purposes State Faces Problem. If an act authorizing a tax for series of years, or an indefinite num ber of years, is excluded from th operation of the tax limitation amendment, is referred to the people and. by them adopted, is the tax eo voted a continuing tax for a series of years or for an indefinite period, as the case may be, or is it for on year only? If it may be effective. fo a series of years or for an indefinite period, what is the meaning of that phrase in the 6 per cent limitation amendment which says that no tax ing authority, the state included, may in any year so exercise its power o taxation as to raise for purposes other than the payment of bonded debt and interest thereon a larger amount than the amount similarly levied in the preceding year, plus 6 per cent? To what extent is the state controlled by Chapter 150, Laws of 1917? Granting for the sake o argument that continuing levies may not be authorized under the limita tion amendment but may be - under the initiative and referendum, what becomes of the 6 per cent limitation amendment? These questions could not arise under the penitentiary act as it was defeated by the people June, 1917. hut they can arise with respect to acts submitted by the leg islature of 1919 and adopted on June 3, 1919, and acts submitted by the special session of 1920, and to be voted upon at the election on May 21 1919 Lam Present Puzzle. The acts submitted by the 1919 reg ular session and approved by the peo ple June 3, 1919, which authorize an nual taxes for indetinite periods, ana excludes them from the tax limita tion amendment are those providing for two-tenths of a mill for soldiers. sailors and marines, and one mill for market roads. The market road bill excludes also from the limitation any tax levy made by counties for market roads to match a probable appor tionment from the state market road fund. In both these cases, the first levy was made upon the 1919 valuation, and the second will in due course be made UDon the 1920 valuation. The levies authorized by the 1920 special session, and to be voted upon May Zl, all of which are for more than one vear. and all excluded from the 6 Der cent limitation, are the following (1) Tax for the University of Oregon, State Normal school and Oregon Ag ricultural college; (2) additional tax for soldiers, sailors and marines; (3) two-mill tax for elementary schools. Directing Crook, l.ake, Yamhill, Marion, Polk, Lane, Columbia and Washington counties to pay bounties for jackrabbits, sage rats, gophers, moles and gray dig ger squirrels and to levy a tax therefor. (Chanters 2. 4. Co. 10D. 119. 300.) Requiring school districts having 20,000 or more children of school age to estab lish and maintain kindergartens, and lim iting the expense for this purpose to siu, 001) per year for the first five years and to $20,000 per year for the second five years. (Chapter 25.) Authorizing boards of county commis sioners to establish and maintain tuber culosis hospitals and to levy a tax there for (Chanter 82.) Authorizing county courts to establish interstate ferries or to contribute to the maintenance of such ferries already es tablished. (Chapter 139.) Providing medical treatment for sick and deformed Indigent children, and au thorizing county courts to pay the ex penses thereof. (Chapter 145.) Authorizing counties of 75,000 popula tion and over to levy a tax not exceeding 15-100 of a mill for rose festivals. (Chap ter 155.) Authorizing school districts having 20. 000 or more children to establish and main tain parental schools. (Chapter 242.) Authorizing county courts to erect and maintain public market buildings on pub lic property. (Chapter 251.) Authorizing sheriffs to take finger prints of convicted persons and providing for the establishment of a central office for finger prints in Multnomah county. (Chapter 256. ) I Providing for the examination ana com mitment of feeble-minded or criminally- I inclined pacsons over 5 years of age. (heir ronvevnnre to the Institution feeble-minded by a trained attendant, and for the payment of their maintenance by the county from which they were com mitferi (Chanter 354.) Calling a special session. (Chapter 422.) In the 1919 session laws are to be found the following: Addin- MO00 to the annual salary of circuit judges In counties of 100.000 popu lation, the same to be paia oy tne county, whereas in all other cases salaries of cir cuit Judges are paid by the state. (Chap ter 67.) Authorizing all counties to levy a tax tnw IhA nnrnnse of Daving bounties lor gophers, moles, gray digger squirrels and other rodents. (Chapter i4.) Making it un awful to pay a teacner in public school less than $75 per month. (Chanter 79.1 A nthnrizinff each county to spenn .-v for a memorial arch in honor or its men who fell in the world war. (Chapter 99.) (itihnriKiTiff counties to create a re volving fund of $500 to De usea ror ine vtAfminntion of ground squirrels ana other noxious rodents. (Chapter 127.) Authorizing counties of 100.000 popula tion to Increase the library levy from one half mill to 1 mill. (Chapter 135.) Increasing the county scnooi tuna -to bi least 10. for each person of school age enumerated. (Chapter 1.".) Tiirectlne the board of county commis sioners in counties of 100.000 population and over to appoint a supervisor of elec tion in each election precinct, ti-napier ''r'i.Hni, domestic relations court in counties of 200.000 population and over. (Chapter 296.) Providing for the appointment of part- time schools and classes In school districts. (Chapter 324.) Athorizing county courts io uae tain streets in towns ot 2o00 population and less. (Chapter 326.) Authorizing llultnoman county to issue bonds for the building or Driages across the Willamette river. (Chapter 338.) The county never has heretofore built bridges across the Willamette river, tnai luiit- tlon being exercised by tne city oi Port land. . Authorizlns counties to levy not to ex ceed a l-mill tax for libraries. (Chapter 357.) Authorizing counties to spend money In co-operation with the state agricultural college In the extemination of predatory animals. (Chapter 366.) Creating the office of county meat ana herd Inspector In all counties except Til lamook, which already had such an of fice. (Chapter 383.) Authorizing a special state election. (Chapter 429.) 1,1st Illustrates Tendency. The foregoing list by no means ex hausts all the state laws increasing local expenditure, but it is sufficient ly comprehensive to illustrate the legislative tendency. Many of theBe laws are ot local origin and interest. that is, they affect one or more coun ties, but are given a state-wide range and application. Many of the laws are mandatory, in which case the counties or the school districts which are chiefly concerned by these leg islative enactments, have no alterna tive but to levy the tax. Others are directory, but this does not prevent interested groups from -Don't CDaSA ) Beauty Potnpdan" i... ...... .p...t. Her Heauty Draws Them All HER beauty compels them her lovely color attracts. Wherever she goes she is followed by the admiring glances of men and women. Her face is radiant with happi ness, for she knows the secret of Instant Beauty the com plete "Pompcian Beauty Toilette." First, a touch of fragrant Pompeian DAY Cream (vanish ing), to soften the skin and hold the powder. Then apply Pompeian BEAUTY Powder. It makes the skin beauti fully fair, and adds the charm of delicate fragrance. Now a touch of Pompeian Bloom. Do you know a bit of color in the cheeks makes the eyes sparkle ? 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XSMSspsrlsrAnsM.CImltns.a Omlms : I sarins state sir 1 1J rska IT An Pirwl mi IsMisi Smart aamslai. Ala aslaiaf Nltit Cic.a aa4 reactance ulcaaj. gat. wall 1 Fleaae rtal slalslr la saacll. Km. Ctrr rushing county courts and boards of school directors at budget making ime, pointing to the authority for a new tax granted by the legislature, nd demanding is. the name of some cause or other that the tax be forth with levied. Is it any wonder that county and school governments watch ith concern the proceedings of each succeeding session of the legislature, ot knowing that the year ahead of them may bring an election which they have not expected and the cost of which they have not provided for in their budgets, not knowing that a score of new expenses may be added to their costs, but sure that the new expense will be included within the tax limitation? Is it any wonder that county com missioners and school boards take no chance of running out of funds, or incurring the odium and expense of a special election, but play safe by levying taxes up to the full limit allowed by the constitution? When this Is the condition of affairs, when this is the system, can it be fairly charged that tax levying bodies are constantly searching for excuses to levy new taxes, or are they merely registering the will of the legisla ture and acting in conformity with state laws whose operation they are powerless to escape? CEREMONIALDATE FIXED Hundred and Fifty Candidates for Shrine to Be Admitted. CENTRAXJA. Wash., March 20. (Special.) April 3 has been set as the date for the first ceremonial of the newly organized White Shrine In Cen tralia. One hundred and fifty candi dates will be Initiated, the officers of the Mizpah Shrine in Tacoma put ting on the work. A special train will be chartered to bring visitors from Seatle, Auburn and Tacoma. At 6 o'clock on the evening of April 3 a dinner for 350 will be served at the high school. Tuesday night a big delegation o local White Khriners attended a meet ing of the Kastern Star In Tenlno li the interests of the new Ccntralia or ganization. $1,000,000 for University. QUEBKC, P. Q The premier has presented a bill to the legislature pro viding for a grant of one million dol lars to the University of Montreal which was r-ently destroyed by fire. Safe and proper directions are in every "Bayer" package Take as told! BALDNESS f rapidly tnrrraalnff mmyu IrC John If. Anafla, ChlrHKO'i ! ertoliw Kilt, hair and acalp aprclal.Nta f ftv yrmrn practice aari la In many caara dlrrcll or Indirectly canard by Alopecia Pityrodes a ver? common scalp trouble. It starts with a scaling of the scalp: sometimes slight, called "dandruff": sometimes abundant producing thick graylnh-whlle. dry or greasy scales which leads to falling of the hair. At first, whn the hair starts to fall. It is hardlv uitiral!e. but as tills ailment, "Aopcln I'ltjrndcs." be comes deep seated, and the germs multiply, as they alwavs do. the fall ing of the hair Increases rupidly, find In time the top f the bead becomes entirely bald. Both men and women of all ages of lile are subject to Alopecia Pityrodes, but particularly thoKe between the ages or 20 and 3 yeHrs. People who are at all troubled with any kind of hair and scalp trouble, such as HrhlnsT Srmtp hslllim Ifnlr Kirrwlvrl; Oily llnlr Dry and llrillle Hair Dandruff Spill llialr .. rny or Faded Hair should have their hair examined at once under a powerful mlcroHcope. Professor Anatln tbal tar nmr of mange cures, dandruff cures, hair tonics, vaseline and elltlra Is like t a k I a ST mrdlrlnr without kanwlna" what you arr fralaic to rare. Both men anil wntnen are Invited to take advantHne of the KKKI-: Mh'liO- SCOPIO KXAMINATION of the hair ar.d scalp hy the Prof. Austin melbe4 all this week. Private offices at the Owl Irug Store, liroudway and Washington. Hours, 10 lo 11, 2 to 4. Advertise ment. "Bayer Tablets of Aspirin" to be genuine must be marked with the safety "Bayer Cross." Then you are getting the true, world-famous Aspirin, prescribed by physicians for over eighteen years. Always buy an unbroken package of "Bayer Tablets of Aspirin" which contains proper directions to safely relieve Colds, Headache, Toothache, Earache. Neuralgia, Lumbago, Rheu matism, Neuritis, Joint Pains, and Pain generally. Remember "Bayer" means genuine! Say "Bayer." Handy tin boxes of twelve tablets cost but a few cents. Druggists also sell larger pack ages. Aspirin is the trade mark of Bayer Manu facture of Monoaceticacidester of Salicylicacid. DRUGS BY MAIL! PAY TIIK POST At. K. If In need of Pure llruas and t adm irals. Khouldrr llrarra. Area Sup ports. 'I It !:. r:iasllr Mtoeklnaa. thdoaalaal Sop port era, Sa-praaorr HaudaKra for lra, and all other rubber toods of every dest rlpilun. send to Ihe THINS KSPKRTS, Laue-Davis Drujr Co. t hird aad laaaalll.Pwrtlaad, lrraoa h -' 'i-( . - f W'-- ;r.x . ' '-. -''.', . -