The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-01-22
WATCH MADISON
WARNS AFFORD
w. FL. Afford Tells Optimist
Club of Nash Motors At
titude on Taxes.
TALKS OF STOCK RISE

"The state of Wisconsin must
change its attitude toward its indus
tries or we're going to suffer for it,
declared Judge w. H. Afford, vice.
president and comptroller of the Nash
Motors company, and chairman of the
city council, in a talk before the OPP
timist club at its weekly luncheon
meeting at the Elks' club this, noone
Judge Afford devoted part of his talk
to a discussion of the taxation prob
lens of industry in the state in gem
eral and the Nash Motors company
in particular, and also discussed brief
~ the rise of the market value of
Nash stock on the New York stock ex-
change 'fabout which. everyone seems
to be excited"
"There is perfectly legitimate and
legal way that the Nash Motors COM
.pany can avoid paying one half of its
taxes that it is now paying and still
remain in the state. We are going TO
pay this month in taxes $792, 508. Of
this sum $428,58 will be paid right
here in the city of Kenosha, and the
rest will be divided between the coun-
ty and the state. This tax bill repre-
sents about 100000 more than we
would have to pay if we picked up
our plant and moved it over to Michi-
gan. But we're here and we want to
be here and we recognize our respan-
sibility to this community. We re-
alize that this money is going into
the building of schools and other
things desirable for our citizens. So
we are not taking advantage of our
right to secure reduction.
Employ Over 1000.
sour plant enrolment in Kenosha
is 4,103 workers. Figuring four per-
sons to a breadwinner-an accepted
standard-there are 16,412 persons out
of Kenosha's population directly in
terested in wages paid out by the
Nash Motors company here. That is
about one-third of the population.
The Nash Motors payroll in 1924
amounted to approximately $8,777, 900,
The profits amounted to $9,280,000.
Our figures show that ga of our total
sales were made in the state of Wis
consin. Then we can assume that "a
of our profits were earned here. This
amounts to $315,520. At this rate the
Nash Motors company pays in taxes
to the state two and half times the
total profit made on all sales in Wis
consin. We realize that there are
certain advantages in being located
in Wisconsin, but this great differ
ence does not outweigh the advan-
tages that there are in any other state
on the Great Lakes.
"We have no way of knowing what
the present legislature will do but
we do know that the Blaine forces are
in charge and if they have their way
again this year-as it appears they
wilbur taxes this year will be still
higher. We have been prosperous, it
is true, and it hasn't been through
any accident. But we hesitate to
make that the basis of any change in
the taxation attitude at Madison"
Employees Getting Wealthy.
The speaker continued to show how
the increase in market value of Nash
stock has benefited workers here in
the plant. "The employes-outside of
the executives" he declared, "won at
the present market value $4,500,000
worth of Nash stock 1t has made
many of them wealthy and it has serv-
ed to make them increasingly inter-
ested in the plant and it's product"
At the conclusion of the address the
Optimists voted unanimously to make
Judge Afford and Judge E. B. Belden,
of the circuit court, honorary mem
bers oS the Optimist club of Kenosha.
During the entertainment program
Einar Monteen and Fred Clitheroe
provided musical numbers.