Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1922-11-03

PN"Si VI Ihe ktHeTdl PUBIC all through
the oil country-again hitting the manufac-
turer, merchant and farmer. Though Okla
noma is great oil state, it has hardly been
,ouched; Land owners who expect to benefit
Dy development within their lifetime must de-
pend on the keen competition among hundreds
OF independent operators. These men are now
paying SO per cent Of the state taxes--this bill
VIII INCREASE their taxes 80 1-3 per cent.
How the Tax win Affect the Ref;nars
1t is proposed to tax refiners Of Oklabomo
U) per cent on their gross business w;tbomt
any deductions for labor cost oil honobt otc
There are 11O independent refineries in 0tle.
homa, which supplv a living for IN 0oo noonIo
directly, and many more indirectly. These
refineries must sell 80 per cent of their pro-
ducts outside the state in competition with
Standard Oil and other refiners who do not
have any.plants in this state and who won't
have to pay this great tax. independent re-
finers Of the United States have averaged only
2h per cent profit on their investments (not
their gross turnover) in the past three years
The tax proposed would more than wipe out
this average profit, some refiners say. Then
again there some refiners, like the Sin
clair company, the Texas company and Others
who have plants in Oklahoma and other plants
IN IN other states, with pipe lines connecting.
Sucn sI concerns can escape this tax by closing
tneir OkIahoma plants, an obvious procedure
we DeheVe' ms tax Will put Oklahoma refin-
ers aI INC mercy OF thelr out-of-state competi-
'ois'
How the Tax Will Affect Coal.
AhCIS utS IWo HtdNy lJeInS IN Lne pTOuuCtl0n
OF coal-one is labor and the other is freight
AT present most coal produced in Oklahoma
IS sold IN western Oklahoma. This will bur
den the coal business with double taxation
1t will levy ! per cent on the gross output of
the NINE, but 1t Will also levy ! per cent on
tne gross cost OF freight. Kansas mines will
eeseaPe TINS Ia%' p0th at the mine and in
aren,gnt COST. mus hansas miners can either
Si, SCI GoaI 10 Uklahoma consumers cheaper than
Ohhjianoha mines can, or they can JON with
OhidHOHd HlHeS III raising Lnc COST TO the
boma mines % nm ,hiS I snaoai .a pa,u ~ Uka
nrnf;,s WI '''' ope'"A Va" !" ""ui''oha'
-
Lead ana Zinc
mn ieoa and ~ f;oid opa ;,t 'ne on.anD
Th.,, no ~ ln. - .os:.: -: J''s SuN"ms JAVA
minss met acrosa tha beraau il MIL M;an .ne I;he @
coal . large mott 30 tba;r onst ;a III LiNs
fra;.ht 20 ,b;ah v. r,a. LEI eos. Is "'ooi aiu
royalty cost. Oklahoma zinc mines cannot
raise the national market price on zinc. If
this great tax should make II ;mnossihJe for
Oklahoma mines to comnete. and miners ssv
that many mines cannot. then thev mnst do
one of two things: either reduce labor costs
or shut down,
II is obv;pns wa Iei;av. tb.t .,,, ~ -.
o,noor,. ,hn1 , nI, sn"' H"y .T " 'ne
tnns -; .t"' San po'slpy 40 40 VIII LAKE lake
n"ss;h;I;,v ia r,at,ou of aor;omn ,e nt ms US
ali propertv owners. for in Section "a 81 the
bill, ALL property and business in Oklahoma
full faith, credit and resources Of the State OF
Oklahoma are hereby and herein irrevOcably
pledged to the punctual payment of the prin-
cipaI at maturity, and the interests Of the
bonds"
Attornevs advise that near 10 nor cant of N.
oil produced in Oklahoma and a 0reat amount
of the lead and zinc and coal prOduce6 in the
state will escape this tax for the reason that
they are located on departmental and restric-
ted Indian lands.
Railroads, express companies, telephone
companies, etc, will under decisions Of the
federal courts, also escape such tax so far
as their interstate commerce business il CON
cened.
Eora;op cornorat,ons can ..cana hy oroan;z-
;nu q demest;c cornorat;on or NV ,u;fhSreu,;no q
fror, tba stats and comnai,;no xLjohnma h,,v
ers to on nmts;de this state 70 ,naLs tha;r puy
chsses
Nat;onal bsnLs NJ. are al.o adv;sod sr.
nrotaotod trora sn.h a TOW hy ,,;r,,o os tha
ppat;onsI barI;no isu, ~ vi '"~
IN ,,;an, ~ ~ Tot ,b.t Mi. Inv coll. for
an annval oxnanaa ~ aronrd "a 5nn 0an nius
cost OF administration, the posslbihty that