The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-03-04
HlTcnc0cK.TELLs
LEGISLATIVE TALE
FOR READERS.
(By Representative R.W. Hitchcock.
LEGISLATURE ON LAST HALF
OF SESSION-ROAD MEASURE
GUMMED UP IN THE SENATE
DOWN SKATERS THINK ST.
LOUIS AND ITASCA COUNTIES
MIGHT POSSIBLY GET SOME
THING FOR THE BIG TAXES
PAID-BUSINESS GOOD.

Today the legislature completes
the first week of the second half of
the session. In no legislature that
has ever been held in Minnesota have
there been so many and such long
drawn out committee meetings as
during the past few weeks. The re-
suit of all this labor and travail is
that many big issues of the session
are beginning to take on definite form
and will be debated on the floor of the
senate or the house within the next
three weeks. There are many of these
big iSsues-license fee for automo-
biles, refunds to counties for road
work, trading in futures, cooperative
regulation, administration of the
road law, tonnage tax, revision of
state aid to schools, complete revis-
ion of workmen's compensation, and
many others, that the discussion of
these issues will occupy the greater
part of the time of the legislature
during the next month, leaving only
occasional opportunities to dispose of
the great mass of minor measures
and local bills which are now begin
ming to clog general orders in each
house. Nevertheless, the new rules
adopted at the beginning of the SEES
sion has so exploited business that
those most familiar with Legislative
procedure are beginning to predict
that for the first time in the legislat-
i've history of the state practically
all of the business offered to the leg
islature will be acted upon when the
day for final adjournment arrives.
That Puzzling Occupation Tax.
Tonnage tax advocates were cock
sure in December that tonnage tax
bill would pass the house within two
weeks of the opening of the session
but the bills were not reported until
this week from the committee to the
House and then the proponents of
the tax were defeated in their at
tempt to have the bills considered
Immediately and were compelled to
accept postponement of one week.
The matter will come up for debate
and for passage in the House Thurs
day afternoon, March 10TH
There are two bills, one statut-
DRY act for a tonnage tax and the
other a bill for constitutional am
endment for tonnage tax. In both
of these bills the tax is called an
occupation tax" This is the brand
new name suggested by Attorney
General Hilton for the tonnage tax
it is not only an Occupation tax"
but it is super-tax as well FOR it is
to be levied in addition to all other
taxes. 1t is also strictly an income
tax as it is levied only upon net prof
it's. The new name Occupation
tax" is merely convenient alias to
cover up the criminal record of the
super-tax and the income tax. Al.
An increasing number of people
patton tax really means and what it
will lead to. Even the most ardent
advocates of the tonnage tax are
afraid of this new name. A great
many people who have not been par
ticularly interested in the tonnage
tax thus far are beginning to prick
up their ears, scratch their heads and
think. If an occupation tax can be
levied upon the business of mining
iron ore why not an Occupation tax
upon the business of banking, milling
jobbing, grain storage, etc. Wher
the professional reformer has finally
hung the scalp of the steel trust at his
belt, will he be satisfied to sit quietly
at home in his wigwam and smoke
the pipe of peace, or will he agar
take the war path and hunt for othe,
scalps? Can the leopard change hi.
spots or the professional politician
his nature?
Road Program Stalled in Senate
The plan for the administration o.
the Amendment No. upon which the
House committee worked so long and
so strenuously and which was finally
adopted by the House some ten days
ago, appears to be stalled in the Sen
ate. The Senate committee on high
ways has been very inactive and some
folks are wondering what the reason
is. A subcommittee of the Senate
highway committee is looking over
the road bill as it passed the House,
but if the iesurely methods which
now obtain are allowed to continue
it may be some considerable time
before the bill comes to a vote in the
Senate. In the meantime a great
many complications may occur.
The subcommittee of House and
Senate have completed their draft of
the bill to tax automobiles in order
to raise funds for the state highway
program and the House highway COM
mittee after thorough consideration
reported the bill to the House this
week. 1t provides for tax of one
and eight enths per cent on the value
of pleasure ears fob factory and two
per cent on trucks with minimum
of $1,000 per car for cars weighing
less than 1000 pounds and $500 per
car for cars weighing more than
1000 pounds. An allowance is made