The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-01-25

The burning questin before the Montana Legislature
Isl Who will bear the burden Of increased taxation 70
meet the needs of the state government! Inc ana
conda Copper Mining company's administration OF the
during the last four years finds the
state in pressing need of estimated et
from s1,OOOOOO to s1,5oO.O00 During the four years
of Erckson's administration, in which he had the aid
and comfort of Governor" Murphy-few states have
the benefit of two governors at timethe state re-
ceved more than $3OO0000 in excess of the revenue
received by it when Dixon governor. 1t spent that
money and up to the present legislature about
So 900 900 in debt and million and half behind its
needs in revenue.
What is to be DONE? Apparently the people must
be prepared to be heavily taxed The record made
by Erickson is conclusive proof that economies of ma
terial character be expected from copper ad
mnistratn of the state but that all new taxes will be
eaten up and demands for more be made The gov
in his message told the legislature that it must
further tax the people This part of the has
been sinking into the Legislators minds and into the
legislators minds and into those of I'll Of the people
in the days which have passed STAGE the was
read.
The great question, Who is going 30 pay the taxes
The governor did not say in the message who is to
pay He suggested, however that everybody else pay
except the copper corporation He pointed out that the
classification law could be repealed that all kinds
of real and personal property might be taxed at 100
per cent their value instead of in the percentages
named by the classification law. If that done, it
would not add anything material to the taxes of the
copper corporation since that pays its chief
net proceeds, and sometimes it doesn't return
any to the assessor. Last year it didn't and compi
ments were paid to its bookkeepers.
Governor Erickson might have devoted one of his
solemn paragraphs to the PRONUNCIATION of the equt
-L1..1I H.
creased burden of taxation proposed by him. But he
did not do that There was nothing whatever like it in
his message. If his copper patron in his mind he
did not let it be known.
AS asked before, Who is to pay? Are the stockmen
of the state bear the burden? Are the farmers of
Montana to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for
levy to the constitutional levy of two mills and tax
the merchants to pay greater share of taxes from
their incomes? Are the home to squeeze a
little closer in their living and pay taxes? And
is the great copper corporation to escape?
These interesting questions and they deeply
concerning the members of this legislature Little
fort is be obtained from Governor Erckson's views
the subject In his message he blandly offered the
people the aternative case they desired to retain
the classification awof further taxing themselves by
increasing the state tax levy limit. The legislature
he said could submit this proposition to the people fol
vote In case the people decided to add a special
levy ii the constitutional levy of two mills, and ta1
themselves that way, the Anaconda company would
have no objection
That would not touch the company's net proceeds
and with copper at II cents a pound, there probably
will be net proceeds to report to the assessor
1929 with all due respect to the ceveness of the book
keepers. The governor sure then nice, business
like administration could be had in the classifi
cation law was knocked out without levying the who'll
two mills for state purposes Of course, they coul
levy the two mills if they wanted to do So but the
wouldn't it. not you could notice it, in the govern
ors opinion.
These two methods exhausted the imagination o
Governor Erickson and his advisers in composing tn
message But cannot be said that they also limit tn
tax visions OF the legislators The stocmen of easter
Montana and other parts of the state and the farfun
farmers Of the state represented by members in hous
and senate are not quite that there are n
other means of raising taxes.
Without going into that matter, it should also b
stated that good many legislators are deeply impress
ed by the principle that if the state government mus
have revenue, every kind of property shout
equally share in providing it. That the additional take
that have to be levied be imposed upon all property
just and equitable basis, and that the Anaconda Cor
per Mining company be required to pay its full pan
of the same, no more no less
There IS no reason why the company should not d
this and that, with copper at II cents pound an
production being speeded up it is fully able to do SO
evident In 1924 we recolect about the time tn
Chile mines were purchased, statement was issue
by the company showing that its net earnings for tie
years prior to that time aggregated to the best Of GU
recollection, $l6f0oOOOO. 1t has been and still is
very prosperous industry.