The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1921-01-29
The Legislature should Be Careful

The Legislature Should Be Careful
The emergency confronting the
livestock industry is serious and
should have careful and sympathet-
ic consideration at the hands of the
legislature.
80 is the situation of our agricul-
turiStS serious. If there is any thing
which can be done to aid them it
should be done.
just now our merchants are sell
ing many classes of goods below
their cost because of Il declining
market. If the state can assist them
IN any way il should be done.
Considerable numbers of laborers
IN New Mexico are just naw out of
employment This idleness reduces
some below the actual brcad-and-
butter line. If we can aid them we
should do it,
But when a government makes a
start toward being paternalis;:c it
should be sure that in aiding one of
its children, it is not doing an inius-
tice to the rest Uf them.
The general revenue of the state
have depended in quiet large de-
gree upon the assessment of live
stock. These assessments have al
ready been cut about twenty five
per cent. owing to the recession in
their values. We assume that this
was quite the proper thing for the
State Tax Commission to do.
We should remember however.
that in doing it, the commission
threw back upon all the other lax
payers in the state, who are also
struggling with their peculiar bur-
dens, the payment of this twenty
five per cent of taxes. Perhaps that
is where it'bclongs. We are not at
tempting to settle that question.
The livestock interests are organs
lied and any organized interest in
the stale always has chance to
give the unorgani2ed majority The
worst of it, 1t therefore behooves
those in office, who are presumed
to represent This unorganizcd ma
jorlty' to see to it that it is protect
ed against inequality.
Now comes the proposal lhal The
payment Of rentals upon land and
the collection interest due on de- |
ferred payments from sales, be post |
pOncd. The Journal agrees that. |
where absolutely necessary, this |
should be done. No bank, however, |
would declare a moratorium for all |
customers because they were all |
hard up, 1t would. on the contrary. !
decide in each case, whether any |
extension of time and if so how
much, should be granted the debtor.
The state institutions need This /
money in order to operate and will
be compelled to provide in some
other way for the deficit which will
result from pOstponements. II is
therefore imperative that no whole
sale deferring Of payments shall be
permitted. The necessities of each
'ase should determine the lenicncy
shown
With the suggestion of cutting
Town the forty per cent assessment
'laIsc in contracts for the purchase
'i state land so that the buyt" vii |,
laY only upon his equity, ". are in
IT, sct of agreement. The paynent
IF this tax was "A part of tha agreed
purchase price, 50 to. speak. The
.dXel understood he was t3 pay this
Allr" he bought the land. Tho fdatI
hat he is distressed tempOInr.!v is
=, re-, son for relieving him of his
Unlract agreement for thirty yrars. I,
{ i is necessary to defer payment
n individual cases, we'll and goo }
{ Il can be done legally. rna pro-
'osti however, contemplates in ef-
rci f. rebate of part of Lll pu-
hasr price
A majority of purchasers nave
IN equity of only five pc. ceEt.tv
his IS one-eigth Of forty pee cent Ia
carried into law every present \
% 'laf of sl'rh assessment would be- S
dme twelve and One-half c. lts. Tho s
rmalnder Of our tax payers wolld a
g compelled to assume tha balance v
MI make W the deficit. q
The legislature should move with Eo
lUtion. We fear that Governor Me i G.
hem, in writing his message. was d
lis.ec by people in whom he trust /,
l- Albuquerque Morning journal d