158 THE FISCAL PROBLEM IN MISSOURI considerable importance influence the ratios for the other forms of livestock. It is doubtful, however, if any factors that are normally operative account for the comparatively small ratios for swine. TasLe 47: Numer oF Princirar Kinps oF Livestock AssesseDp FOR Taxation CoMPARED WITH NUMBER REeporTED IN U. S. CENSUS oF AGRICULTURE, 1925 Source: Biennial Report of the State Tax Commission, 1925-1926, and U. S, Census of Agriculture, 1925 Assessed for Taxation as of June 1, 1925 Reported in Census of Agriculture as of Tan. 1. 1925 Ratio of Number Assessed to Number Reported Per Cent All Counties clorses. . . v5 Mules. . . Shr we SE. syns ren canna aE wo Sheep. . . Swine. 505,” ane 1.7 . 2 ¢ 3 75.6 71.0 kiXel All Counties, Exclusive of St. Louis, Jackson, Buchanan, and Greene, and St. Louis City Horse Mules. . .. i errereenen Cattle. ......... .......... Sheep. ..... - Swine 4) Ar 293,574 1,709,298 518,804 302.867 477 To asg- 2,267 - ocgr Os Ngo. ~ 1 Motor vehicles frequently escape taxation under the general property tax in Missouri, and the proportion of the total that is assessed varies greatly from county to county. Of all the property that escapes taxation, there is probably the least excuse to be offered in this case. As an approach to the problem of ascertaining the extent to which motor vehicles escape assessment, the state registrations in 19271 for each county were compared with the number of motor vehicles assessed? as of June 1, 1927. Table 48 shows the data used in making this comparison and the resulting ratios of the number assessed to the number registered from each county. Worth County showed a higher ratio than any other 1The state registration year begins February 1 and ends January 31 of the following calendar year. 2 The number assessed in each county was computed from the total valuation and average value data contained in the Biennial Report of the State Tax Commission.