Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-06-08

! ommendation of the state board OF
eductaion, had made an effort to cur
tail the expense of the university,
and thus cut down taxes. Mr.. Mitch
ell himself visited the chancellor to
through the curtailment of the ex-
tension service of the agricultural
college. The chancellor showed him
letters protesting against the curtail-
ment of every department where he
had proposed to effect saving. Mr..
Mitchell stated that this was one of
the grave causes for high taxes-the
people must learn to give up such gov
ernment service, or else pay for it.
He stated that in his opinion re-
distribution of the tax burden,
which would take some of it from the
agricultural industry was necessary.
Roads and schools he said, were the
greatest burden, and his remedy for
the former was that every car owner
pay for the former. Minnesota, he
quoted, raised between seven and
eight millions annually for roads
through the taxing of automobiles,
the tax on cars running from SIT on
Fords to $3.50 on the large expensive
cars, according to the price and
weight.
The proposed tax measures were
touched upon, Mr.. Mitchell believing
that the income tax measure would
relieve the rural districts of the tax
burden and partially place it on sal
aried people. He also spoke of the
proposed constitutional amendment
measure providing for joint city and
county government. He pointed out
that in many counties, Cascade includ-
ed, many of the offices were duplicat-
ed; that county government really had
no head, and explained how western
Canada had low taxes because there
was no county government to support.
He mentioned another proposed con-
stitutional amendment, providing for
a new board Of equalization, which
would be a real one and would have
real pawers. He stated that the small
owner today was paying the
large part of the taxes because of the |
tax exempt securities, etc. He sug-
gested that when the county fixes its
budget for the coming year, the asso-
citation and its various branches go
over it and suggest where economies
can be brought about.
Supt. j. r. Culver followed, speak
ing on the proposed tax measure
sponsored by the State Teachers as
5ociation, the income and Inheritance
measures. These, he said, were de-
signed to more evenly distribute the
AK burden, and to relieve farmers of
he present tax burden. He showed
low many salaried persons now were
paying no taxes whatever, while many
,thers were paying but upon little
property.
Alderman Bosley, a Great Falls
abor agitator, though not called upon,
ook the floor and voluteered talk
IN bond issues, and was followed by
Mr.. Lord, a Richland county dry
ander who could talk f1uently and
lad alleged facts and figures at his
ongue's end. The association had
ried to head him off we were told, by
lot placing him on the program, it
being a desire to eliminate
of q radical nature. But
dr. Lord was not to be denied, and in
is talk drew a comparison of the
axes paid by the various classes of
Industry, declaring that the farming
Industry now paid between so and 10
er cent Of them.
All of the speakers had touched
pom the disirability of large MEM
crship for the association and invit-
1g new memberships, and at the close
T the meeting a number of names
'ere added to the list Mr.. Culver
lso had the petitions for the initia-
ion of the tax measures and these, i.
DO, were quite literally signed. ,,