The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1925-11-06

l am greatly interested in the ten
tative political demands suggested in
the article. They are for the most
part very good. Some of them might
easily be put into effect through leg
islation.
Number 81" The land for the
working farmer is good, but l do not
think it can be brought about easily.
1t might be brought about by the
adoption of the Single Tax system
advocated by Henry George.
Number "2' could be easily enact
ed into law if the men favorable to
that idea could be put in the legisla-
ture. l think the law should be
broadened to include every home own
er by an exemption of his household
goods from taxation to the extent of
$500 or $1,000 1t might be well to
exempt the family home itself to the
extent of the value of the average
home of the farmer or the worker.
Number a. l cannot say l ap-
prove of this proposition or proposed
law. I think a thorough revision of
our State Educational System is very
necessary. l think there should be
an Efficiency Survey" by efficiency
experts of the operating force and
our methods of spending the school
money. I think there is already too
much money being provided for State
Educational Institutions. That the
money is not being wisely or econ
omically spent. For instance, l am
told that there is one professor or in
structor for every 10 students in our
State University at Missoula. l pre-
sumo the same or a greater spread
may be found in all the other State
Educational Institutions.
There is an enormous amount of
duplication" that ought in justice to
the taxpayer, to be eliminated.
think perhaps the same might be said
of practically all our State institu-
tiOns, our penal and corrective insti-
buttons as well as our Sanitariums
for the poor and unfortunate. We
have become in the administration OF
state and educational affairs a bun
die of Bureaus, many of them useless
except as to providing jobs for pO
litical lame ducks. Much might be
said right here, but time and space
and your patience will not permit.
! Number a." I think State owner
r ship of rural telephones is good, anC
would be easy of accomplishment.
: think also that there should be {;
more careful supervision of the ur
ban phone systems, especially in TIL
: matter of service charges. An offic,
5 phone in Missoula costs $500 pc
5 month for party line, and the cffic,
: that responds to 100 or 500 calls pc
= month pays as much as the Offic
2 that may have 1000 or 10000 calls
} The same with business phones il
! other lines.
!. Number "5." I would favor a BAN
2 depositor's guarantee law and 6 pc
I cent interest law. I suspect that tn
I average rate of interest now, withou
a any law, does not exceed 8 per cent.
J Number &C." is not explicit enough
r "Unfair discrimination" in what
t Railroad rates, marketing of farr
. and other produce, spread betwee
e the cost price and the selling price o
goods to the consumer, or what?
Number "7" I am not informe
as to the practice OF the State Agri
S cultural College at BOzeman. I be
e lieve this College should serve the in
! tereStS OF the producer hrSt, an
that of the Spectator in grain an
e farm products last, with due regard
to the rights of the consumer VIII
= uses the products.
: AS to the form of the organization
I whether it should be a semi-secre
organization, like the Grange, the La
5 Dor Union, and the tactics and meth
y DDS of the organization, as also tn
e incidental objects, aims and purpose!
+ there is wide latitude for sugges
: ton. The main thing to avoid is thu
s of taking in too much territory-get
e ting too many "irons in the fire,
T with the result that many or all wi
/ get burned or badly singed.
q I find I have written quite {
q length Much of what I have sal
s. may be of little or no interest t
: you in connection with the organize
+ ton you have in mind. I trust, how
n ever, that out Of and from among tn
Il rubbish" that has crept in you ma
find something of use and helpfulnes
In your work.
Sincerely and fratemally yours,
JAMES L. WALLACE
n Box SO Missoula, Mon