The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-06-15

Take the month of May, for instance,
the last month for which final official
figures have been compiled, the mis-
eellaneous internal revenue amounted
to 500, 50l 600, whereas in May. 1882,
this item was only slightly more than
SS6,OUo,uOO.
Undoubtedly. the legalization of
beer has made 4 vast difference in
the total miscellaneous tax receipts,
although it has not accounted for all
of the total by any means. Treasury
officials say that the beer tax is larger
than they had anticipated and that 1t
may possibly average Sa0,0oooo a
month for Il year as whole. 1t has
not been a tax that could be applied
everywhere however.
And another source of revenue
should be examined to prove that
there is an improved condition in
business. That source is receipts
from tariff duties laid on imports
from foreign lands. 1t was only last
summer that monthly totals OF tarlff
duties were little more than half of
the amounts paid In comparable
months of the preceding years for the
privilege of bringing merchandise into
the United States for sale. That
condition has now been changed. In
April and May OF this year, customs
receipts were larger In each period
than in the same month of 1882. Last
month, the tariff duties yielded S20,-
$4,000, while in May, 1882, they yield
ed only s1s.o0300o
A complete analysis Of this Item OF
government revenue also would call I
attention to the
Affected by fact that the prices
Price Drop , o. mefe nan ~ a'e
substantial percentage than In April I
and May of last year. That fact Is
important because more than 10 per /
cent of the tariff duties are assessed T
on what is called the ad valorem
basis That Is, the amount OF duty |
paid Is percentage OF the value OF I
the article imported. It becomes read. +
lily apparent. therefore, that a redue= |
ton In prices has the effect Of re |
#dHeing the amount Of tariff duty and I
this may 20 SO far as to offset even
an increase In The amount OF tile I'M
portations. The experts tell me that |
the Nfay imports, measured in units
as distinguished from dollar value,
must have shown sharp growth. The
character of these imports, however,
| will not be capable of segregation for
some weeks because the bureau OF
customs has to have the statistics
from all ports together with details
OF the merchandise brought in before
1t can tell what the totals have been.
From these brief sketches OF how
the government has been getting its
funds and the prospects pointed out
by the trends, 1T seems to me there
Is no better reason needed for OPP !
timistlc feeling.
Aside from the link between gov
eminent and business, | want to re-
peat an observation which Secretary
Woodin made to me at the treasury
the other day respecting the signs of
the times. lie called attention to the
fact that. without exception, announce
ments have been coming day after
day In the newspapers that this plant
or factory or that industry or trade
| had expanded operations. had taken
on more workers or restored to their
| Jobs many who had been laid off.
Some OF them even have increased
wages.
That sort OF thing tells story
| the secretary said. Factories do not
| put people to work unless they are
| selling the articles they make; they
| could not do 1t, for their money
would soon run out, but they are
/ doing 1t, and 1t Is absolute proof to
me that most Of the supplies are
exhausted and people are buying
| things again. And the most pleasant
| thought of all Is that every time a
man or woman Is put back to work,
they are able to buy things they
have not had while they were unem-
ployed."
And while we are on the subject
of government expenses President
Roosevelt called at
President tention the other
day to g wi Id O
spread misconcep-
ton Of how economies are 10 be ac-
complished. He said there had been
many words written about the delay
In effecting reorganization of govern
ment agencies md that In most in
stances. the newspaper account Of the
situation had left the impression that
this would cause the program for
economy to fall short of complete ac-
complIshment. The President explained
with some care how savings Of only
small amounts are obtained through
reorganization while real economies
must come through elimination OF
functions such as duplicated work.
1t is still an open question whether
Mr.. Roosevelt Will be able to save 25
per cent In the next year from the