The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-12-18
TAX BURDENS
DISCUSSED BY
MINI. FARMERS
HARJU POINTS OUT DANGER
IN CUTTING LOCAL TAXES
AND NOT TAKING RICH.

! CAe LAX cOnOlClon and to protest
against the reckless spending of
county money.
We had a good meeting today
at the Finnish Hall just outside
the village at which Comrade Har-
Ju of the U. F. L. was the speak
er. There were about 100 farm
ers in attendance who listened
closely to Comrade Harju's mess
age.
Arrangements were made to
have another meeting on January
End, at which we hope to perfect
a township unit of the U. F. L. at
the close of the meeting. A group
OF farmers signed applications for
membership, Coffee was served
by the ladies for which small
charge was made to partially de-
fray the expense of Comrade Har-
JUS trip.
Expenses of County Engineer
The meeting was called to order
about two o'clock and Carl E. Tay
Tor was made chairman and Bruce
N. Taylor, secretary. The chair
man explained the purpose of the
meeting and read the report of
the expense account of the coun-
ty engineer for the past two years.
For 1929 it was $5,664.79 and in
1880 it stood at $9,222.1S. The
records showed that the county
engineer had been paid for 1906
miles in 1880.
In 1929 the overdraft in the
Road and Bridge fund were &c.
232.62, which had increased to
$1O1, 155.45 at the end of 1880 and
the overdraft in the General Reve-
nue. for 1880 was $64, 78O.38, MAX
ing total overdraft of $165, 1885,
83. Attention was called that the
laws make a county officer per-
sonally liable for overdrafts, but
it was also shown how useless it
would be to try to recover by leg
al action.
The meeting was then thrown
open to discussion and all phases
of the tax situation discussed. The
decrease of expenditures in town
ship and schools, and the necessi-
ty of curtailed expenditures by the
county board of commissioners as
the only possible way to reduce
the local tax. The income tax as
recommended by Gov. Floyd Oh
son was discussed but the farmers
are wary of any new methods of
raising taxes.
Hariu Explains u. F. L.
At this time Comrade Harju ar
rived and was introduced By the
chairman and Immediately began
his address. He explained the
purpose of the U. F. L. and the
seriousness of the present finan.
! cial condition of the farmers anC
: laborerh. After explaining that
the condition was national and not
local he showed that the dollar
, had shrunk in purchasing power
. from 100 cents in 1913 to 81 cents
now, and in the meantime farm
mortgages had increased to the
: stupendous sum of over 81 billion
dollars. He told how the different
organizations had been organized
to relieve the distress of the far
mers and then humorously re-
marked that the farmer had beer
, relieved of everything which hi
owned. He told how the Fedora
Land Bank had been organized tt
supply cheap credit for the farm
ers and how that organization wa!
! taking advantage of the financia
distress of the farmers to carry
{ on an orgy of foreclosures. Tht
U. F. L. has organized to resis
: such sales and for the protection
! of the farmers from eviction anC
| the tax situation is so serious tina
: the U. F. L. demands that small
| farms and laborer's homes be ex
empted from taxation altogether
, A demonstration was held in Dull
r nth in September attended b!
i. thousands to protest against tn,
e eviction of farmers and laborers
: The purpose of the U. F. L. is tn
a protection of the farmers an,
workers in their rights and it i
necessary to organize for mutua
protection. Taxes are constant,
rising while the purchasing powe
9 OF the dollar decreasing and thu
the farmers and workers bear tn
? brunt of the tax burden which tn
+ rich shift to the shoulders of tn
poor. The solution was not tn
curtailment of taxes for roads an
schools but in the curtaiIment o
i the billions spent on wars and tn
preparation Tor wars.
Must Organize MiIitantly.
: The workers in the cities and tn
: farmers must organize to proteC
. their mutual interests. Where sue
o organizations are complete ther
= are no evictions of farmers O
o workers from their homes but tn
! capitalist papers keep quiet abor
: the true conditions.
v He explained the purpose an
n necessity of demonstrations in tn
= fight for better conditions. Fl
. dwelt upon the hopelessness {
! the financial situation and pr;
: dicted it would rapidly worsen an
that the evictions by foreclosu1