Bisbee daily review., 1914-12-06

the mining industry millions m taxes every year. and who. from repeated expressions. give the impression that they intend to impose still higher ! taxes upon the mines as soon as means to that end can be found The best opportunity that the mining men have ever had to meet the tax experts and the tax commissioners of the United States. and to present the case for the mining industry, was offered at Denver Yet this opportunity Che like of which seldom occurs under uch favorable circumstances. was ap- partltly totally ignored
 The mining industry is the one great industry that needed represen- tation most and yet it was almost the cnly one whih was not represented TLe other important industries of the country including the transporta- ton systems the telephone and tele- graph systems, the express compa- n'es Wall Street an dthe money in- terests. and public service corpora uons. were all repres snted. These have learned that the surest way to obtain a square deal in the matter of taxation is to meet. upon the cordial basis offered by the tax conference. those experts and public officials who exercise such a large influence in forming and administering present tax systems
 A great gulf, seemingly unbrdg- able. in the matter of taxation exists between the mining men and the tax men. The mining men of Arizona, Col 'orado. California. West Virginia. and other great states in the East and West feel strongly that they are over tdyed. The tax commissioners of ptany states, on the other hand, be- lieve that the mining industry had never paid and is not now paying its ilast proportion of taxes. At the pres eEt time this statement may not ap- ply 10 Michigan. Minnesota and Wis consn, but it does apply to many oth- CT states
 Without conferences between the officials and the mining men, how can this be overwhelming gulf be brdged2 If the mining men were in the majority in the several states. or even in a large minority they might hope Co control the policy of the states :n regard to the taxation of mineral land Tho ever-ncreasing iu- lluence of the agrarian party, plus the increasing influence of conserya- tive representatives of the transpor- tation, industrial, and other financial interests. prevent the shifting of the growing tax burdens from the mining lTen
 ] In the United States there exists today one body of men that is coming to eNerc.se an almost preponderating influence in shaping the fiscal pol- ciea of many of the progressive stares, and that is the National Tax Association. The influence of this oremization has grown SO rapidly that it now includes most of the prn- cipal joX authorities and taA cs.er's as well as many fthe tax commits sioners aud members of the boards of equalization. Among its members gre many of those who have been largely responsible for the creation of tax commissions as well as for much of tue tay legislation that has been enacted in the past ten years Al the annual conference the mining inter- ests ought to be represented by some of their ab,est talent And SO long as Che mining operators continue to fail in ooing this they must not be surprised when their taxes go sky ward
 Publicists and financial experts fore see D. o hope of any substantial reduc- . Ion in taxes In fact all reliable in- ued increase in ,he cost of govern mcn-. both federal and state. To meet this growing demand for more reye- nue. tax officials are now racking their brains It is only reasonable that the state officials should look 10 the mining interests for part of this increase; and to the end that this , increase should not be dispr0Dortion- nte the mining interests should be pI Iepared to argue their case when it ageain comes before the great tax
 court of North America-the annual , meeting of Che National Tax Associa- ton.
 The next annual conference will T probably be held in San Francisco, September 1915. At this conference the committee on the taxation Of |, mines will give in it's report, the re- , suits of three years investigation
 The conclusions of this report will undoubtedly have considerable weight with the delegates to that conference. , and also exercise influence upon sub , seguent tax legislation pertaining to
 mines.