The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-24

appear tomorrow
The constitution provides legislative assembly
o M y a 'e nnS axe sa s
Of burden The difficulty consists in framing laws which would
The rule proportion ~hc has been more and more
in recent years is that taxes should be cd according to the
wealth welfare should contribute of ability
Th rule however gives rise to more difficult q'"ton0w shall
Most of constitutions question
why the general property chief
of our public During the decided
effort has been made ability the of income Several
states have introduced state income taxes and have modified their
3 he of a the f" de % has % %sn Nne' o eon %or
and itself but the earning capacity of property
recognized clearly property the
Capitalization the actual potential income fixed of interest
clear that measured by this proportion
claims according to the constitution to be taxed at te price
dollars per quartz placer claims respectively. price
is purely nominal It bears relation the value Of the
property Even when the OF all improvements and
chiney used in mining added obtained sduousl
out Of proportion to the actual value of the and what
can earn.
In matters taxation the constitution thus excmps from
operation of those which all other forms of
subject When homeeaer takes land and its value
advances merely price which he paid
United States lie taxed the increased value of the land into
the growing earning capacity property of
the mine ne stays Us at tho the same same price forever
proceeds 1t Incorrect to say that the mines
addition the value of the property
trary they proceeds property
other industries bear This where the privileged condition the
They than what all other
crty owners have to property.
It claimed justified by the
high risk Of mining and by the fact that the exhausted
the process of production. But what high rk' in mining
either the result speculative schemes the condition Of kinds
only Most of the important producing copper mines of today
risk the than other business enterprises
1t matter of widespread knowledge that rapid progress
of engineering and the large scale methods have placed
mining safe scientific On the other hand the
failures other reported by Duns
and Bradsreet shows that there pretty high risk kind
of business.
But this is for putting the mines
than upon other property The exhaustion of the
of the wealth Of the After the
heen emped OF their the mine will still their capital
which of large sinking funds But
will have been left with empty cavity hill to remind the people
wealth Of days Of the loss of which might
have been used for the improvement of the community
led Michigan Wisconsin, Minnesota and
change their methods CT taxation In Michigan the
at their full value the basis Of physical valuation
mining engineers Arizona the valuation of the mines OBJ
by adding the output and four times the net
the leading state
In 1915 it's produced 81 of the total output OF
the United States against cent produced by Montana and II
cent by Michigan Michigan has the industry
suffered result of increased taxation.
However, the Michigan are by no
method applied just workable could
days Either the proceeds should be multiplied
for if the earnings Of the mines last
million dollars then that multiplied
mines for this Or the mines should be taxed at percentage
of their earnings, in the manner Of income taxes
Either change will be great Improvement
anil will bring both sides the solution of their difficulties
will get of the it entitled to- The mining
panies will have the desired opportunity contribute proporonae
share Of the state taxes. a..