The copper era and Morenci leader., 1915-01-29

Carlos Highway. Mothers Pen
sion Law Repealed in the Senate
The Legislative Grind Condensed.
The assessment of mines of the
state has been the all important
measure before the legislature during
the third week of it's session. There
have been extendd hearings before
the joint committee consisting of the
Ways and Means committee of the
House of which W. j. Graham, of
Cochise, is chairman and the Commit
tee on Taxation in the Senate. of
which DR.. Bacon, of ella county, is
the chairman Prominent mining
men, representing the legislative COM
mittee of the Arizona Chapter of the
American Mining Congress. have ap-
peared before this joint committee
and also members of the Arizona
Tax Commission, and P. - Miller,
ex-member of the. State Tax Com
mission The mine tax Eill as intro
duced in the Senate is receiving the
opposition of the Tax Commission,
but at the conclusion of the hearings,
which continued for several days,
the Senate Committee on Finance,
with some slight amendments, re-
ported the bill to the Senate with the
recommendation that it do pass. I'm
der the provisions of the bill not be-
fore the Senate it is estimated that
the mines of Arizona for the year
1915 would pay on a total assess
ment of $14O, O,240, ,445. as against ap-
proximately 100000 last year.
The first test of the strength of the
proposed state mine tax bill came in
the senate shortly after noon on
Tuesday of this week when a motion
to recommit the bill to the Finance
committee with instructions to pre-
pare a general and broad bill going
to all classes of property and a mode
of arriving at particular classification
was lost by vote of IL to q, Clar-
idge, Golfer, Karns, Munds, Stapley,
Gcldwater and Webb voted to recon-
NIT.
On the final passage it is expected
that Goldwater and Golfer will vote IN
favor of the final passage of the bill
in the senate. The bill is now on
the calendar in the senate for final
passage. When the, bill reaches the
House it will be- in charge of Chair
man Graham of the Ways and Means
Committee. Here the real contest
is expected and the ultimate fate Of
the mine tax bill is problematical.
The Greenlee county delegation is
supporting the measure.
With the opposition to the bill
dwindled to Karns, Webb and Clar-
idge, the senate in the committee of
the whole, on Thursday approved the
mine tax bill after an amendment
submitted by Munds had been adept
ed providing for the assessment of
mines idle over three months Of the
year at the valuation at which they
were carried on the previous years
assessment rolls
There was strong fight waged by
the opposing senators, who offered
numerous amendments which had
been prepared by the tax commission,
but each in turn failed, and after
Claridge had proposed the seventh
amendment, Chase took him to task
charging dilatory tactics and point
ed out that the Graham county SEN
ator could not be expected to know
much concerning mines.
IF it was hay we were talking
about said Chase, 81 would leave
the question entirely to my friend
Claridge But its mines we are fix
ing the tax on and those of us from
mining counties can best realize the
tremendous damage which would be
done the state if the mining industry
was not fairly treated in the matter
of taxation
Chase was applauded and Claridgs
subsidized 1t is expected the senate
will finally pass the bill Friday
and send it tor the house.
County Seat Removal.
The new law effecting removal of
county seats has passed the House
without dissenting vote. This bill
only effects Graham and Cochise