The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-03-22
COPPER VICTIMS

It is plain from the eleventh hour legislation at Hell
that there will only be two victims of the Erickson
administration of the state, under the tuteage and
guidance Of the Sixth floor of the Anaconda Copper
Mining company. Those two victims the people of
the state of Montana and the state institutions The
appropriation bills warrantng the expenditure of more
money than the state will take in during the next two
years, will plunge the people further into debt to the
tune of million The reduction of the budget
figures of the state institutions will leave the university
and other crippled for lack of operating fl
With the Anaconda Copper company governing Mon
tana and Gov Erickson acting the official figure
head the ship of state during the past four years
more and more waterlogged and incapable of keeping
afloat The state structure grew and of course it was
evident to Erickson should have been evident to
him, that more revenue imperative With three or
four millions Of revenues secured to him bv the
tax measures that Gov Dixon had passed against the
copper companys desperate opposition he couldn't even
reduce the state debt
The least that might have been done by the Anaconda
Copper company to have its nine daily newspapers
tell the people of Montana the situation. The welfare
OF the state fair play ordinary decency demanded that
much The nine newspapers were mum, Erickson was
dumb, nobody whispered about the matter What good
are the copper newspapers to the people of the state
When they suppress such vital news? The Anaconda
standard, Butte Post Helena Independent and Record
Herald, Billings Gazette, Missoula Sentinel and Mis-
soulan and Livingston Enterprise and not one of them
warned It's readers that the state was sunk in debt and
that revenues were dropping 81 100000 year below
needs
lhey kept the good news for the legislature Eric,
son sprung it on the lawmakers as pleasant SUNRISE
IN MS message What happened then? Why. the Ana
conda companys lobbyists and its men in both houses
dld their best to pile up new taxes on everybody but
tne Anaconda company and the Montana Power com
pany They did not altogether succeed in that but +b
uo prevent any taxes being put on their two cornor
tIon masters They had more power in the honso thor
IN the senate. They greatly aided bv Snaalar
DrlcKer who packed the committees for +bo oor
power in the house.
Inc senate and house during the past wee1x bovo
Iought bitterly over appropriations The majority IN +b
mouse sought to appropriate about 1000 900 more +b
Une ESTIMATED revenues, which would have added +b+
ilucn TO the debt of 100000 two years hence bn@
ing the state debt to S5OOOOOO On this debt t oor
"ouiu pay interest. No complete figures are ava;ob1
Ou apparently the senate has, by determined ba++li
p' ene over appropriations to some hundreds nf +bo
ands of dollars - 'NouS
Inc senate also killed the millage hill +bo+ ,uo,,,
nave raised the state levy one-half of mill Tbo ~
&C poncy was to cut the state institutions 40 AZ
Done Onat OF the house to pile up more warrant db+
sa'e Inc one rational solution of the situa+or 80
taxpayers But the Anaconda Conner Nr;; NeS On al
and the Montana Power comnanv rvor,a LIS eOihpany
anu since they and their nine nevvsnanors -, S','
ana other agents and agencies govern Mor.oy
s"e people OF Montana will pay more warrot
a. s'e peDts and the state university and 49, :.
cient funds S 0iey can on insuff-