Bisbee daily review., 1917-02-04
MONTANA MINES ARE FIGHTING DRASTIC
 TAXES IN BIG STATE
Companies and All Interested in the Business Unite to Prevent Big Industry From Being Over Taxed.

BUTTE, Mont, Feb. 3.-The mining industry of Montana is once more threatened through hostile, short sight ed, and malicious legislation proposed in the state legislature. One bill pro poses Q levy a tax of 6 per cent on the value of all metals taken out Of the ground in Montana. This and other measures almost as drastic, have aroused every mining company and miner as well as thousands con nected with the industry in the state. 1t has led to the organization of the mining companies and mining men Of the entire state, and vigorous steps are now being taken to prevent the success of those who plan to burden the mining companies of Montana with additional taxation.
 meeting was held Jan. 15 in Butte which was attended by repre- sentatives of 2S mining companies Nof the Butte district and as many more individual mining operators. The ob- ject of the meeting was set forth by Hon. Cornelius F. Kelly, vice-presi- dent and managing director of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co.
 The time has come" said he, when every company and every man en- gagged in mining in the state of Mont ana must put aside any business riv- airy that may have existed in the past and work together harmoniously to save the industry from the most un- just Legislation that has ever been pro- posed against it.
 Many people in Montana living in the farming communities and far re- moved from the mines and mining ac- tivities, do not realize what great bur dens of taxation the mining industry is already bearing. They are not con versant with the facts. They do not know that in addition to the regular state. school, county and city taxes, the mining companies pay large net proceeds tax and pay a federal tax on the output of the mines. In addi- ton to these there is the new corpora tion stock tax levied by the federal government.
 Tn Silver Bow county alone the mining companies and individual mine owners last year were assessed on S51,105.227, and paid in state, county and school taxes in this one county alone S9yz.0y3. This did not include the taxes paid the city of Butte nor lhe federal tax. 1t did not include the larger amounts in taxes paid by the mining companies in dozen other counties in Montana.
 Tt is a fact that under the present system of taxation, metal is the only class of property that is taxed at its full casn value.
 When it is considered that one lit tie hill here in Silver Bow county iast year paid in taxes nearly a million dollars, one connOt escape the convic- ton that the mines III this state ar contributing libcrally to the revenues
 The attack on the mining interest $ originated among the representatives from the eastern farming counties oi Montana. They have been impregnat cd with the idea that through the great advance in the price of such metals as copper, zine, lead and silver, the mining companies of western Montana have amassed enormous pro its from which they hold the state should derive a much greater beneht than the present taxation laws pro vide. They do not take in1 account the fact that the wages oi the miners and laborcrs have advanced from g JN per day to $i75 per day and tha- when conditions become normal again these mining companies will ind Vt difficult m many instances tu make probts enough to maintain the regular dividend rate.
 An additional fact brought ont in thc committee meeting was that only i've ol the 2S operating companies in Butte arc paying dividends at all