The Alaska daily empire., 1921-04-09
REVENUE BILL TO. RAISE ADDITIONAL. s2OO,o0o PROPOSED. $500 Yearly on Each Fish Trap Among Important
 Items Included. PUBLIC HEARING LIKELY Industries Affected Probably Will Be Given Chance to
 Make Objections.
PUBLIC HEARING LIKELY

A complete tentative tax list for Territorial revenues for the pres ent biennium, from which it is be- lieved at least $200,000 income addi :ional to the returns of previous years will be received, was arrived at yesterday afternoon before the Territorial House Ways and Means Committee concluded it's daily after noon session, according to a state ment made last night by Chairman Elsner.
 The most important item on the proposed revenue bill is the rate of taxation on all kinds of fish traps which has been placed at $500 per trap.
 The list also includes a gross ton mage tax on ore mined calculated on graduated scale according to the value of the ore. the rate running from one-tenthf of a mill to fifteen cents per ton. Gravel handled by dredgers and hydraulicking plants are covered by a cubic yard of gravel being considered equal to a ton of ore for purposes of computa tion and collection.
 The rate existing on herring oil and meal, which has been declared by some of the companies engaged in the industry in the Territory to be confiscatory, is reduced on the tentative schedules from $200 per barrel for oil and the same amount per ton for meal to 40 cents per barrel and the same amount per ton for each respective product.
 Some Question on Traps
 There was some question in the Committee as the rate of taxes to be imposed on fish traps. It was almost unanimously agreed that the present rate is too low" said Mr Elsner, but there was considerable diversity of opinion as to the proper rate. Five hundred dollars was ten tatively agreed upon but there seems to be some sentiment for making the rate even higher, possibly up to s75O."
 MT. Elsner also stated there were
 
 and some individual members stated it as their belief that a rate of $250 would be more equitable.
 The Committee in it's considera- tion of the measures. said the chair man. had been guided solely by a desire to see that the burden of taxation is divided equtably among all industries without injuring any by imposition of unnecessarily heavy taxes. Dwindling taxes, he said, from the sources heretofore supply ing revenue, had made it imperative for the Territory to untilize fresh sources and the Committee, in de- termining these. had fully realized that unduly heavy taxes might re suit in the death of the industry upon which it was levied.
 May Hold Hearings
 It is generally believed among the members that the House in the Committee of the Whole will hold public hearings for the consideration of the measure and give the indus tries affected an opportunity to present their case if they have ob- jections to offer. It was emphasized that the schedule fixed was tenn porary and would be used as a basis for arriving at the final figures.
 The final draft of the tentative measure was not completed at yes terday's session of the Committee and it will heardly be presented be- fore some time next week. It is not believed that there will be any changes made in Committee before 1t is presented to the House