The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-25
Attorney General Points Out
Ways of Meeting Food
Emergency.
STATE TAX SYSTEM
ASSAILED BY MANY
New Laws Needed, Speakers
Declare at General
Convention.

Every county in the state should
call n special election AT once to
| authorize bond ISSUES for the purchase
| of seed grain said S. G. Ford, state
attorney general. to the county officials
| of Montana at their general session
yesterday afternoon.
The seed grain situation is serious"
he said. and immediate action IL
| NJ cessary,"
In his address, which was the out :
standing feature of the afternoon scs-
sion of the convention. the attorney
general called attention to three ways
in which the grain emergency can be
| met.
Three Ways to Meet Problem.
I. Authorization by counties of
special bond issues to finance seed
ing.
.. Recourse by farmers to state
loans.
3. Passage by congress of legs-
lation granting patents TO home
steaders after brief residence.
This third means is criticized by
| many said the speaker, but it is the
gan ever borrow the money they need.
Personally. ! would rather see land
| grabbers get some of our Montana land
| than have the kaiser get it ALL"
FuI-Time Commissioners.
Tho attorney general advocated leg
| islation to put county commissioners
\ ION the job all the time, so they can
give proper attention to detaiis''
Il don't believe that any board Of
commissioners can give Il good admin
| istration under the present system"
| he said.
| Ford also discussed briefly the tax
system Of the state. which had been
| under fire all day.
| No state has poorer system of
taxation than Montana's," he said.
Railroads Escape Taxes.
| In response TO questions from the
floor. the attorney general said that
the railroads of Montana are not as-
like 1t. Certainly they are not bearing
the burden which has been put on
| real estate. for example,
He said that he believed the state
board of equalization had not lived up
to the promise il gave the assessors a
year ago to tax the railroads at cash
valuation
| AS member OF the board | voted
against reducing the valuation. How
ever, ] do not question the motives OF
the other members, and they ma,
have been right In doing as they did
lie said the railroads. worth prob
ably s55.O00 10 $4,000 a mile on the
main lines" had been assessed al
$4,000 n mile.
Invalid Warrant Bonds.
| The attorney general advised coun-
ties which hav. issued bonds TO re-
tire outstanding warrants not to call
special elections TO authorize the is-
sues. now that they have been de-
Iciared invalid.
"The elections might be lost" he
said. "Then the bonds would have te
be repudiated and the credit or this
state would Toe hurt. Wait for the leg
isiaturc TO pass laws validating the
bonds"
Tax Commission Urged.
| Attorney General Ford argued alst
for permanent tax commission. Ir
this he agreed with other convention
speakers. Charles Leonard OF Butte
a member of the state tax commits.
sion; c. II. Martien. Lewis and Clarl
county assessor. and II. l.. Hart, stat,
treasurer, in addresses before the off
Gals attacked the present system and
advocated a permanent tax commission
as one means of remedying the sitn
atfon.
shows Present Failure.
Martens was one Of the most bril-
j liant speeches Of the convention. II
presented careful statistics and Of
fered repeated evidences TO show tn
failure OF the present tax system. II
E attacked the state board OF eaualiza
I tion for not living up to its agreemen
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