The Tacoma times. [volume], November 16, 1915, Image 1

About The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
FRENCH ARMY ATTACKS GREEKS
THREATEN TO DETHRONE KING CONSTANTINE
One of the rubber companies of
Stockholm is renting automobile
tires by the day to owners of cars.
Pending Suit May Make
a Taxpayer of You, Mr.
Man- Who's - Exempted
By E. A. Peters
There is soon to go to trial
In the Pierce county courts a
lawsuit of iiii|i<>i-«aii<i< to
YOl' and to me and to every
other owner of property iv
the ni.mc.
It's entitled "The KtHto
Tax Commission of Washing
ton vs. James .1. Oimeron,
**s< -,i>r of Pierce county,
M ill."
It'.s a suit to determine
i lu-iiii-i we little fellows will
Jig ill* alwut twice as nun h
taxes m-. we now pay, for tiio
benefit of tike big taxpayer.
If our assessor loses, there
ivill he thousands of n- not
now |Mi)ii>}( taxes—heiaiisn
of the $;»<><> exemption—o.i
.icrvoiial possessions, who
ivill I ><-iiin |«.i> ii>ii more than
t cents on e\ery dollar' 4
north of pijinos and furni
ture and bicycles and • nipiis
mid clothing and everything
else tliat we own except real
estate.
Something that affecM
every one of us vitally. Yet,
ten to one, you never heard
of It before,
» • •
For 1 ."> years the assesso's of
counties in Washington have only
taxed us on part of our wealth
In Taconin, we have paid IMM
on half of what we own. And
the commonwealth has kindly al
lowed us an exemption of It 1)9
on personal property.
That is, married men and
heads of families have been al
lowed this exemption. Bachelors
and other independent persons
have paid on everything they own.
Which Is as It should be. But
that's another question.
Our assesors have for years
followed the custom of subtract
ing the $300 exemption from the
hair valuation of our person;.]
property, and taxing us on wb.it
remained.
For Instance, V. F. Adams,
1709 South Bth street (we pick3.l
his name at random from th■■ as
sessor's hooks) figured his per
sonal property this year at $?' I >.
Assessor Cameron took out the
60 per cent valuation, as has al
ways been done, and put Adapts
down on his books as owning
$350 worth. Then he took away
the exemption, and found that
Adams should be taxed for J r>o
worth of personal property. Alia
tax on it is $2.
• • •
nut a few weeks ago tho
stale tax commission hail an
outburst of originality and
decided that Assessor Cam
eron and all the other as
sessors of \\ .ishiuton wera
going at it wrong.
The commission declare)
that the exemption should be
taken from the actual valua*
tion and not the assessed val
uation. And It sent orders
around demanding that every
assessor change his methods.
It overruled all precedent
in taxation systems.
Assessor Cameron refused
point blank to obey. And the
commission immediately
jumped on him with a man
il.imiis suit. It in that suit
which is to come frp for trial
in a few days.
• • •
Now let's see what happens un
der this apparently trivial change
of method. Take Adams' case,
for instance.
At present Adams pays $2 taxes
on $K0 taxable valuation. Under
the proposed system, the $300
exemption would be taken iroin
Its $700 actual value, leaving
$400. Then the 00 per cent val
uation would be cut off, leaving
$200 on which taxes would have
to be paid. Adams' taxes next
year on the same amount of per
sonai property would be $8.
• • •
Mere's another example, Hiioiv
inK how some of us who don't
pay any taxes now because of
the exemption, will be caught un
der the new ruling.
Charlie Epp, a waiter at the
Majestic cafe, has personal prop
erty worth $400, or $200 on a
60 per cent valuation. He doesn't
pay any personal taxea, being
married, because the $300 ex
emption covers him. But the
state wants to deduct the exemp
tion from Epps' $400 worth, di
vide the $100 by two, and tax
him for $50 worth of stuff.
We said a while ago tint the
new scheme would be to the ilia
advantage of us little fellows, aial
the benefit of the big taxpayers.
We'll prove it.
Under the proposed new system
there would be $r>o,ooo taxes pai:l
by persons in Pierce county who
do not pay a cent on personal
property. The taxes of those al
ready paying small sums would
be increased by fully $2.'),000.
These are conservative figures
by Assessor Cameron. This mean)
$7ri,000 added to taxation rev
enue.
The total taxation amounts to
$3,600,000 at present. ¥7'>,o'iO
is one-forty-eighth of $3,(!UU,OO*',
meaning that we would reduce
the total amount of taxation from
other sources by 1-48 th.
It would mean that the Stone-
Webster syndicate, for example,
now paying $200,000 taxes a year
in Pierce county, would get a $:■,
--000 reduction, because tho littlo
taxpayers would be digging i.p
the money that the street car cor
poration had heretofore paid.
Get it?
'^^^^ \ WE fIRE!
m /k—B^ ■BTIT ALL,
■s\J*_*_*^ Guess
LEAGUE
BEGINS
INQUIRY
The Tacoma Central lmorove
meiit league today began an active
investigation of pending action
by the city council, in which pow
er franchises, street car fran
chises and an auxiliary power con
tract are Involved.
At a meeting called this after
noon in the offices of Dr. It. V.
Hoyt, Provident building, presi
dent of the league, a large com
mlttee of citizens will discuss Hie
council's action.
It Is probable that the mrtter
will come up In definite for v !>e
fore the league, when it is to meet
next Tuesday night in tne count.l
chambers.
"We have none of us received
expert advice regarding the tech
nical Bide of the proposition,
therefore we do not care to ex
press an opinion," said James A.
Lytle, one of the leaaers of the
committee, this noon.
I "But there ia no doubt th*t
members of the league are arous
ed, and want action taken. We
are meeting today for the purpose
of determining what action to
take. It is a aelf-appolnted in
vestigating committee, and we
will most certainly make a re
port to the improvement league
on the result of our investiga
tions."
linFissafe
BORDEAUX, France, Nov. 16.
—The liner Rochambeau, afire
at sea a few days ago, arrived
safety today. Captain Juham
expressed himself as undecided
over the cause of the blate.
The Tacoma Times
i r THE ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER IN TACOMA. I wm/r -.
30c a _—______——_____________________^________— I HUME
| MONTH I VOL. XII. NO. 281. TACOMA, W ASll.._Tr KSDAY, XOYKMBKU 18, 1915. [ EDITION
And It doesn't work pro
portionately for all tuxuiM'
ers, either. While Mr. Adams
of South Bth street would be
paying lour times as mm h
personal taxes, Mr. Chester
I'lhh-iu-, whose residence at
Thoruewood In the most pa
latial in the Northwest,
would pay just 90 more taxes
on personal property worth
tf.tt.4MO.
Mr. Thorn pays $657 taxes a
year now on his personal prop
erty at Thornewood, and unuer
the new system he would pay ex
actly $663. Figure it out for
yourself.
Edward Forserg, a cabinet
maker, Ittl North 7th street,
would pay $2.4 0 taxes on $':!0
worth of property, while he pays
nothing today.
A. A. Hinz, a florist, 618 South
X street, would pay $19 taxea on
$1,290 property, where he pays
|1| today.
The law says that a county as
sessor must obey all mandates of
the state tax commission, but. As
sessor Cameron says that the
commission is wrong, and h»* Is
making au effort to prove it.
LABOR
UNIONS
ALERT
Labor unions of Tacoma will
protest the city council's acilo'i
last week of handing over fran
chises and vuluale contracts to
the T. K. & P. Co.
At a meeting tomorrow night
of the Central Laor Council the
city council's action will comj up.
Secretary Hea Last today de :'.ir
ed that the unions are exceeding
ly interested in the franchise
business, and that probably won 11
adopt resolutions condemni>i£ the
council.
Last today attempted to obtain
copies at the city hall of the aux
iliary power contract and the
franchises, but was given ehuive
directions at each office, an I fail
ed to obtain any documents that
might throw light on the scho.no.
1 FLASHES!
DETROlT—Prctically all of
the northern states covered with
two inches of snow today.
NEW YORK—Cunard liner
Saxonla docked from EngVuid
with 123 Irishmen aboard, but
no Englishmen, all being disal
lowed passage. A large shipment
of English gold was aboard.
CALUMET, Mich. — Steamer
Alfred P. Wright, laden with
wheat for Duluth, burned to the
water today.
AMSTERDAM—NearIy 40 Ger
mans were killed and wounded
today In an allied air raid o.'
I Llchtervelde near Ypres.
POHTLAND— Marconi wlraless
station at Astoria .learly d9»*.ro/
ed by lightning during terrific
storm which raged all last night.
PETROGRAD — Vigorously
pressing their advantage, Rus
sians on Riga front swept (ier
mans back three or four miles
north of Kanger.
VIENNA—That Goritz has suf
fered heavily from bombardment.
Is officially admitted today. Fifty
soldiers wounded, 58 civilians
killed so far. Three hundred
buildings, churches and convent*
badly damaged.
ENLIST MILLION
WOMEN IN U. S.
WASHINGTON, D. C, Nov. 16.
—The promise to enlist a mil'ion
women in the campaign for na
tional preparedness was made at
the first annual meeting of tiie
women's section of the Na.y
league here yesterday. A per
manent organisation was effect
ed.
MAYOR DENOUNCES
FRAUD ON PEOPLE
POINTS
TO BAD
JOKER!
BY A. V. FAW<i:TT
.Mayor of Tacoma.
Again the Stone-Webster 1 owerj
trust is seeking a strangle-hold
On Tacoma.
And as usual the subsidi -.«\l
press is busy with half truths aii'l
I niisstatements trying to trick tlioi
people for the company's benefit. I
When the subject of restoring j
the cancelled franchise to Stone-1
Webster was broaclied I waa told
it was a neighborly deal by which)
they would furnish current at a;
satisfactory price to the city in
case of break down.
1 was fuvoruhle to that, but I
was amazed when the proposition
was brought into the council and
Commissioner Mills said he and
Atkins had been working wiih the
company on it six months, to find
that there was nothing neignbor
ly about it.
II wan a cleverly concocttxl
(leul to gi'xb a franchise
worth |n-i'liiil>l> limli a mil
lion to lln- < <iiii|>'iiii, an<l
then hog-tie the municipality
for IS yearn for Stone-Web
ster benefit.
This noise about "protecting
the city power plant" is dust to
j blind the people so they will not j
see the dark gent in the woodpile, i
The Tacoma plant ran about three
yeßrs with one break of 40 min
utes and we had but one trahs
inlgsion line then. We have two,
now.
There is hardly onechance in ft;
thousand of our plant's breaking, |
and to guard this slim chance the
four councilmen would nlve Stont- I
Webßter a franchise worth half!
a million, grant other valuable
concessions besides, and then I
make an agreement that wuiuld'
put this city at the mercy of tli.i!
corporation and enable ii to!
gouge $150,000 a year from the
city.
The proposition is to furn
ish current to the city in <i-o
of reakdown at :t-l cent a
kilowatt, if tlie break is re
paired in 2 1-2 hours, if it
taken more than 2 1-2 hours
to fix the I.i.iii.. then the
city must |wy the company
$2.50 v kiliAviitt for the en
tire month. With 10,000 j"
kilowatts needed this means
925.000 the firM month.
This Is the joker in the scheme.
I do not say it would happen,
but it presents a fine chance und
tremendous incentive for corpora
tion tampering with city power
plant employes to see that sonm
thing does go wrong with tlu city
plant. And the people should
recoguize that Stone-Webster nre
determine to control and domin
ate the power situation in the
Northwest, and the Tacoma mu
nicipal plant Is In their way.
The sinister motive is ahoy/a
in this joker when It is reatit.-vi
that it is Improbable that any
serious break 20 miles from town
could be fixed in 2 1-2 hours. If
the company can furnish the city
juice for 2 1-2 hours for 3-4 MM
a kilowatt why should it ask
$2.50 a kilowatt If the city takea
the juice for two hours and thir
ty-one infinites? Any legitimate
proposition would incline 'o re
duce the price witli the increase
of the business.
The whole deal is simply an en
tering wedge of Stone-Webster tp
get a grip on the Tacoma pant
The company by control of th,«j
legislature last winter prevei.tei|
any- expansion of the city porrfer
business. It is preparing n+w
to marshal an army pf lobSyUtg
and attorneys at Washington this
winter to control congress anil
get concessions that will enable
it to grab all power sites. When
this Is accomplished the city will
be hedged in. Then it will know
how to use this agreement to put
the city plant out of commission
and finally grab it if possible.
Titroma rejected the nd
vice and refused to be trk-k
--ed and deceived by the mil»
-•tldlsed organa when they P
BELIEVE THESE OR NOT—
KAPOWUN, Nov. 16.—Bud Hatchette, a ranc I.er near here, has succeeded in utilizing the in
telligence of his pet piK. Roscoe. Hoscoe brings in tlio MWIUHr, helps round up the cattle and fol
lows Hatchotle to the TUOBI BMlfl station when UM Irnin Qtim in.
LONDON, Nov. 16. — A Red Cross physician at Nisb, Serbia, writes that Nelit (iroulct, a widow
of a Serbian infantryman and mother of nine children, lias received periiiiMxion fronr the Serbian
Btaff to shoot with her own hands all German spies caught within Serbian lines. Thus will she
takt- lier revenge.
CKNTRALIA, Nov. 16. —Blondo, a trained vaudeville monkey, got away from the baggage car
of a Union I'acific train here and finding himself in the rear of a saloon, proceeded to empty a bot
tle, as he does water on the stage. iHut this one contained whisky!) Then be proceeded to paint
Ceutralia red. . . .
Imili the |M>\ver plant. Tlu-v
should not be bunkoed out of
Ks advuntuKeti now by Hi ■
sunn- K"»K Hint tried to pre
vent its runs!ruction.
The proposition agreed to by
Mil); . Atkins, Woode and Drake
Is » fraud on the people ani not
an honest move to protect the;!.
It Is putting tills city at the ineroy
of a soulless corporation thft we
know by dear experience will
stop at nothing to destroy il c
city's light and power business.
It is time for the people to t-rt
busy if they do not want to l>e
robbed.
HEAX WON'T MSCUSB IT
t,"uis Bean, manager for the
T. K. & P. Co., wu invited yes
terday to prepare a statement i;iv
ingv lils side of the power mattor,
for publication today, but th's
morning lie declined to have any
thing further to say.—Editor.
RATTLiT
AGAINST
BANDITS
&HN JOSE, Cal.. Nov. 16. —
Two unidentified men, who early
today held up the bar of the Swiss-
American hotel here, robbing four
persons and the till, were over
taken by a sheriff's posse at
Mountainview.
In the ensuing battle. In which
many shots were exchanged, one
bandit was killed and another
wounded.
None of the officials was In
jured.
'"The bandits entrenched them
selves in machinery on the flatcar
of a freight train, on which they
escaped from San Jose.
Talk o' the Times
W li.ii an auto looks like com
ing, and what It smells like going,
are two different things.
Hobson Is swinging nround
the circle for peace, prepared
in--*, and prohibition. You
can't hobble Hobson's hob
bles.
It mußt nearly have choked cer
tain Tacoma editors to write those
editorials "congratulating" the
city on making "a wise contract"
with the T. R. ft p. Co., etc. They
didn't believe a word of it, and
the fortunate part of it is their
remarks aren't fooling anvUody..
CONGRESSTO
INVESTIGATE
P.O. SITE BUY
WASHINGTON, D. C, Nov. 16.
—Congress, at its coming session,
Is going to look Into the purchase
by the government of an under
water sub-postoffice site In Seat
tle for $169,5U0, which it bought
on the recommendation of Con
grrßKLimn Will Humphrey.
When the matter of appropria
tion comes up, and it is expected
this will be early In the session,
the natter of the "duck pond"
purchase will be given a thorough
airing. It was declared today by
a member of the house.
Assistant Secretary Newton of
the treasury today explained addi
tional objections which had been
found in the Bite bought by the
government from one of Hum
phrey's Seattle friends, after the
congresman had given his ap-
WEATHER
Tacoma: Occasional rain.
Washington: Occasional rain
west, rain or snow east, colder east
portion tonight.
It In said the vtorlrt'ti sup
ply of coal will ta»t SOO
years. That lx-ms ours.
Let's give the T. R. A P. Co.
all the <;ity aiiios to be used on
tlie Pacific aye. Jitney line Bean
is promising.
A Dallas l>. D. mij-v "A
man ran love more than one
woman but only one at a
time." What you meant was
"should not," wasn't it, doc
tor?
The heat face beautifier is a
pleasant smile.
proval of the deal.
It 1b too hi null, 30 feet below
street grads and entirely too far
from the railway stations, he said.
,The statement adds that the
Immediate purchase of the site
was recommended by Congress
man Humphrey, who, in Seattle a
few days ago, declared, "I never
had anything to do with the pur
chase of the site."
The Merchants Who
Advertise
No one can afford to advert im in tliesa day* unlem they can hack as
In tholr offerings the kind of goods that tatinfy
The merchants who advertise are the ..new who give the has* iilbm
♦♦♦♦•*
Turn to the Times' Happy Wednesday Page 1m (bfa Una
* ♦ * ♦ ♦ #
Leather (toods, Glove*. Hata, Jewelry an* a Aomtm «ther good Heats
will repay you for yonr trouble.
♦♦♦♦♦♦
It pays to read advertising cnrefnUy—
♦♦♦♦♦•
The Department Stores at* aUv* with mi wttmktg* aaate todar
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ + •
Read their Ads, too.
RULER
FACES
CRISIS
UKRMN, Wot. u\ -<;,,-k
anil IYen. h force* liny i
. Imsluml al Salonika, the uolnt
<*f (lelxirkation for the illi< I
11-lin|is .11 rollti. tO Nellli.l,
H.<or«liiiK tv Vlmm mimes
ttxlay.
The Fro n.li tried t.i oc«u|if
n <in-€>k jt iii it ton loner,
Itilt WAN forillily pn-ieiil.-.1.
lj>i<-i- the French authorl
(i«H h,|M)liikl/(mI, shy I tig I lie if
fnli «»-. ii "mistake."
MAY I'NVROWN KINO
PARIS, Nov. 16.- Ortteee has
refused demands which the ulllaa
liiHUt are essential to their viiely,
diplomats today admitted.
Moreover, the allies are pre
pnrcd to force com pi lance, while
the central power* will help king
Constantlne resist.
mi*.in ni:\i> i'M:i:r
If ne. i.. .n „ the allies' fleet*
will be tent to Ureece to In «'i-o
non-interfcrenue with Balkan
liliuin, and, It is hinted, Greece's
klux may l>e uncrowned if that
Blei> in taken.
The allies' fleet In likely to
meet strong resistance from Au»
tro-Uorman undemea boats
known to be heading for the vi
cinity of Greece.
WILL BRINU I'HKHNriu:
The allied diplomats insist
tliat inasmuch as Venlielos r >\in
tenanced and invltnd tbn landing
of allied troops at Salonika,
Greece has not the right to
threaten thut the allies, if forcej
to flee to Greece for safety after
the Halkan reverses, b« Internal.
In the nieuntlme the allies will
bring presume to bear on the
king to force him to alter his at
titude. He Ib being strongly re
minded of his ties to the entente
powers and It Is the hope of tne
allies' capitals that he will not
dare to defy their warning*.
BOY JUDGE WON'T
"SQUEAL;" PINED
URNVER. Nov. 16—Judge Ben
Llndsey, of Denver's juvenile
court, refused to disclose Infor
mation given him confidentially
through the confession of Nenl
Wright, a 12-year-old boy. Yes
terday he was fined $600 by
Judge Perry in the district conrt.
Llndgoy refused to gl»e the in
formation in the trial of Mrj.
Herta Wright for murder.
f What's Doing
Today
Sacred concert; Church of the
Holy Communion; direction Mrs.
H. R. Maybin; evening.
St. Leo's bazaar; St. Leo's
hall; evening.
"Huskln' Bee;" Commercial
club; 7:30 p. in.
National Council of Women
Voters, headquarters, 2 p. m.
Ladles' Musical club concert;
Commercial club; 2:30 p. in.
Cake and candy sale; benefit
Vocational home; 945 Broad way.
"Twin Beds," Tacoma theitur,
evening.
Tomorrow
Lecture; "World Bibles;" O. P.
S. chapel; by Prof. Georgia Re
neau; 8 p. in.
Annual inspection of troop B,
by Adjt. Gen. Maurice Thompson;
for two days, begins; armory;
evening.
St. Leo's bazaar; afternoon and
evening; St. Leo's ball.