OCR Text |
Show MOVING PICTURES AND TAXATION. The Mayors of Utah cities have been in convention in Logan for two days, considering problems of municipal control and taxation. The subjects which aroused most discussion were "Taxation" and "Moving picture shows." On the subject of taxation, Dr. George Thomas, who was called upon to address the mayors, maintained that there is an inequality in the present system of taxation in Utah which practically exempts from assessment personal property. He recommended recom-mended the adoption of some new system of taxation, such aa Massachusetts has established, whereby the sources of revenue for the state are separated from those for the cities and counties. He would have the state derive its revenue from corporation taxes, licenses and similar things, leaving the real estate for the cities and counties to assess. As a result of Prof. Thomas' address, the following fol-lowing resolutions were unanimously adopted: Resolved, by the Municipal league of the State of Utahi That it respectfully petitions his excellency, the Governor of Utah, to appoint a committee of seven to investigate all matters pertaining to taxation in the State of Utah, both as to the method of administration and likewise as to the sources of taxation; and, be it further Resolved, That we ask the Governor of Utah to require the said committee to report on or before December 15, 1910, and ask him to furnish the president of this league with ten copies of the report, to be used as a basis for discussion at the next session of this body. This investigation, if followed out, will open the whole question of taxation and it will be disclosed that not only is personal property escaping just taxation, but the whole system in Utah is wrong, inflicting in-flicting an injustice on those least able to bear the burdens of a tax. The other subject considered, that of moving picture shows, received re-ceived the attention of Mayor Christensen of Richfield, who talked on the duties of cities in forbidding objectionable picture shows and advertisements, and while he was moderate in his views he was nevertheless against the moving picture show3 as now conducted. Mayor Southwick of Lehi took strong grounds against the moving mov-ing picture shows, as did Mayor Anderson of Logan, and in fact the discussion developed that nearly all present were against moving picture shows. A committee composed of Mayor J. W. Funk of Richmond, Mr. Clayson of American Fork and F. J. Marshall d Logan was appointed to ascertain the legal rights of the cities in the matter of regulating or suppressing if need be, moving picture shows and objectionable advertisements. The Juvenile court officers complain that, where these shows are run without a censorship or some form of restriction, much of their trouble in caring for youngsters arises from that source. There must be a limit placed on these attractions, is the opinion of all who have studied the problem. |