Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-05

our metaliferous mining industry bears
| its rightful burden of government 10
Montana. How to adjust it, / frankly
confess is difficult problem.
The report of the Montana tax com
mission recommended the classification
of property so as to carry different per-
centages of full cash valuation" for
the purpose of trying to equalize the bur-
den
Fer License Tax.
Under the present law. based on their
carried at 100 per cent while other
| classes of property vary from 20 to 40
per cent. II IS perfectly feasible. /. be-
lieve. for this legislature TO exact IL
cense tax for the sole benefit of the
state government. as regards it's metal
ferrous mines of the equivalent value of
the present met proceeds tax and also
change the present law, so as to equal
ize the met proceeds" tax over a five
year period, and so recommend
! You will notice from the foregoing
table that the entire revenue received
by the state government from the met
proceeds tax Of all the metaliferous
mines in Silver Bow county for the past
five years totalled only $239. 15S. or an
average yearly income of only SAT ,S31.
We all realize that the industrial con-
ditions that seemingly of necessity al
ways accompany mining activities pro-
duce in themselves condition that
makes for heavy expense in government.
The heavy loss in life and limb that
follows the hazardous occupation of
mining produces each year a new crop
of widows, orphans and crippled work
ers. who are thrown on to society, en-
failing q heavy economic burden.
The report of the manager of the
Estates tuberculosis sanitarium at Galen
for the past year says: "Galen owes
its origin to the large incidence of pull
monary tuberculosis in Silver Bow
county" Further on he says, In to-
tai of 751 admissions, 425. or 56.1 per
cent were from Silver Bow county.
and again. 1.-THE lions share of the ben
efits of this institution is being secured
by the county of Silver Bow. and as the
sum of So per week represents small
portion of the per diem cost of $3.50
per day of maintaining patient, it can
readily be seen that the county Of Sill
yer Bow is obtaining considerable fl
nancial advantage from the present ar
raHgement.'
Cost State s383,952.
The expense to the state, in its three
years of existence, of the tuberculosis
sanitarium has been S3S3.952.
According to the report of the super
ntendent SCI per cent of this cost
comes from Silver Bow patients. or
S215.397, which. after the deduction of
the S. per week contribution from that
county. leaves 8 net loss to the state
of s161.54 for patients from that eoun
ty.
During this same three-year period.
the state received as its portion of the
met proceeds" tax from the mines of
Silver Bow county only S59,250.
This item is only one that goes to
make up the full cost sheet that is
properly ehargeable as the by pro-
ducts" cost to society Of the great metal
ferrous and coal mining industry of our
state.
Surely an additional license tax.
which would be equivalent of the present
met proceeds tax on metaliferous
mines, to be paid directly into the state
treasury would neither be inequitable
or a serious burden to that great indus
try, and | urge that such action be TAX
en- at this session.