Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-02-20

tricts of this county is seeking in the
courts to secure what he claims a
fairer adjustment of the fund derived
from the gross production tax.
The county of Lincoln paid into the
gross production tax fund for the six
months of 1915 a total of s4.35, the
amount earned by the gasoline
well'. The county has, however. a
scholastic population of 11,94S, while
Creek county, which paid $3b3,OOO
into the gross production fund, has
1868 school children. Yet Lincoln
county is credited with getting S35,-
S44 from the gross production fund
for her schools, whereas Creek Is to
get $32,07S In this connection Sena-
tor Davis estimates that 5000 of the
1858 school children in this county
are the children of families depen-
dent entirely upon the oil industry,
or that number are to be found in the
oil fields of this county Senator
Davis also shows that Creek county
has q bonded Indebtedness of Ss62.-
900. the greatest Indebtedness OF any
county in the state.
New BIZ Is Remedy.
The gross production tax under the
old law is per cent of the oil pro-
duction. and this same per cent con-
stitutes the tax provided in the new
gross production bill which has been
pending in the legislature FOR several
weeks The new bill however, rem
edies the proposition which Senator
Davis now has in the supreme court
of the state.
The new measure provides that
a half of the gross production tax
money shall be turned back to the
tn1N a mi, a n
half of the money turned back shall
go into the school fund of the county
and the other half into the good
roads fund. Under these provisions,
II the measure becomes a law Creek
county would get back half Of tho
money paid from this county in gross
production tax, while Lincoln county
would get a half of the tax paid In
Lincoln.
Estimating the 1916 gross produc-
ton tax on the same basis as for
the last six months of 1915, then
Creek county will pay for this year
into that tax fund the total sum OF
s726,000 and Lincoln county will
pay $50. Under the provisions of
the new law this county tCreek) will
get back for her road and school
fund n half of that total, or s363,000,
and Lincoln will get back s4.35.
Lincdn Should Buy Well.
It is argued by Senator Davis In
his brief. recently filed with the su-
preme court, that If the 1915 gross
production tax law should remain In
force "it would be wise for Lincoln
county to buy this small oil produce
ton (the gasoline well) and operate
1t in a small way for all the years
possible" since the county would
thereby receive such substantial
amount annually for it's school fund.
What is applied to Creek and Lin
coin counties in this article will ap-
ply also TO all the other oil-produc-
Ing counties In the state and In pro-
portion as to whether they have q
few wells or many. The list of oil
producing counties of Oklahoma In
cludes Creek, Tulsa, Washington.
Usage, Pawnee: Kay, Payne. Lin
coin, Nowata, Craig, Rogers, Musko-
gee, Wagner Okfuskee, Okmulgee,
Mcintosh, Pittsburg, Hughes. Push
mataha, Leflore, Pontotoc, Marshall,
Carter, Stephens. jefferson, Seminole,
Comanche and Kiowa. Those counties
having the greatest production are
Creek, Carter. Okmulgee, Tulsa, Mus
kogee, Usage, Washington. Nowata
and Kay. In the class with Lincoln,
as small producers, are Comanche,
Hughes. Seminole, Kiowa and several
others, although Lincoln, with her
gasoline WE'LL" no doubt has the
smallest production Of any county In
the state ct the present TINA