Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-12-14

sAso St1tS cSnpoi AAnus anu tue Ium03
arising from the sale Of the same. III
people who complain of high taxes
would use some of their energy In
aiding the fight that is now going o.
in this matter they could help theu-
selves and their schools more than BY
any other means. 1t is only fair to
say that under the present adminis-
tration, Governor Dixon, the matter
has been much better handled and
there is little or no diversion or wAste.
In fact the governor has gone on rec
ord as favoring cleaning up of the
lamentable condition.
The association went on record to
make clear to the people why taxes
for schools had increased. First the
coset Of everything had gone up and
along with increased cost of coal
textbooks, building, supplies, wages,
food, etc, has gone the cost Of run
ming school. Second, the number Of
children in school has increased ma-
terially and the number Of graduatss
from Montana High schools has rnors
than doubled in the past four ysazL
The high school graduate 10 the In
ished product Of the school An inst3-
tuition that doubles it's number a
finished products whether 1t be
factory or a school and does it in .
time of rising prices cannot be 90
cused of extravaganza. However, tn
association went on record a. oppoesA
to all unnecessary expenditure -
pecially at this time when condk-
tions in the state called for the strict
est economy.
Some investigation by the teachers
of the state TO discover the chisk
sources of waste in our schools has
decided that much of it can be traced
to poor management on the part o1
administrators and boards Of educa-
tion but that large part Of II w.
due TO the people themselves. The
attitude Of most taxpayers seems t..
be to spend money freely and soms-
times unnecesssrily II they fssl that
they are to receive = direct bsnGkik
and then complain when the tax blm
arrives. Waste amounting to frOa
twenty to thirty per cent ia found -
he purchasing Of school supplisn
coal. Most Of this waste =
.rAceable to the fact that We hav0
N most counties q very large nnm-
Der Of school boards and the purchass
. done In very small quantities. Al
IN instance Of this kind Of waste -
reeds only to cite the purchasing u
.oal for the schools Of Cascade cou1-
". A year ago an effort was made -
purchase all Of the coal for all Of ths
schools through one agency and save
,etween five and six thousand dollars
,ut several of the local boards blocked
he measure, another instance Of not
airing what II costs until the tax bin
omes in Some people are beginning
o doubt the wisdom Of conducting .
'usiness involving over ten million
|ollars through the agency Of Soma
ixteen hundred local boards. II thu
United States Steel Corporation or
standard Oil conducted it's business
n this basis 1t would soon go broke.
The effort to obtain for Montana .
cal inheritance tax will be continued
ccording to the report Of the hgis-
ative committee. Because certain
ewspapers throughout the state have
insisted that all taxes are ultimately
sid by the common people and also
ecause some people feel that nSw
axes mean more taxes and that IL
re impose new tax old taxes will
OF be reduced, this measure, an in
eritance tax has not been as popular
5 it should be. A moment Of re-
ection will show to anyone that N
heritance tax cannot be passed on
any consumer of goods. As for
We objection that new taxes do not
'duce old taxes that matter rests en-
rely with those who spend the
oney, and since in America those
no spend the money are elected
: the people, il there is more spent
ID taxes are not reduced the people
emselves are to blame. The gross
come Of the people Of Montans 10
rye enough to support q splendid
hool system by simply taking .
nny out Of every dollar of income.
le problem is to get the money from
ose who are not contributing their
are and relieving TO some extent
,se upon whom the burden is fall
: too heavily. This is the problem
America today that calls for our
IT effert. VIII we attempt to solve
pr win we say it is hopeless and -
way Of all experimentors in pops-