The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-06-03
THE GAZETTES EDITORIAL AND FEATURE PAGE
FOR A STATE WHICH SPENDS MIL

FOR A STATE WHICH SPENDS MIL
lions to promote it's tourist trade, Minnesota
has some extremely peculiar laws on licenses
for visitors who wish to hunt or fish. A new
proposal which has received at least some
attention would increase the nonresident
fishing license fee to Sc, of which 81 would
be refunded if the visitor remained in the
state two weeks or longer.
Since it is reasonable to suppose that
the fellow who breaks away from his job
long enough to run up for weekend fishing
trip is not so 'well fixed as the man who
has two weeks of leisure, the idea seems
grossly out of step with the prevalent ''soak
the rich" policy. From the practical stand
point, it is generally true that the fellow who
stays longest gets the most fish, Why then
favor him with license rebate?
We are more out of line on the matter
of pheasant hunting. Last fall friend IN
Illinois planned to bring party of four here
for weekend of hunting. When advised
that the fee was $25 per person, total OF
500 for the party, he remarked that they
hadn't planned to buy the county" and that
the license fee made the trips cost prohlbl-
tive.
If Mnnesotans feel the states game
belongs to residents and should not be shar-
ed, the policy of "socking" the out of state
visitor may we'll be maintained but in that
case why spend millions to tell the world of
our Fairgrounds without adding, at least as
far as hunting is concerned, "only million
aires need apply
THE RIGHT OF CITIES TO LICENSE
and regulate door to door peddlers has been
challenged at Waseca where the city is pre-
pared to fight an attempt by peddler to
secure federal court injunction against the
city ordinance dealing with the matter.
The case will be watched with interest
not only by merchants and city officiols but
by prospective customers Of peddlers, part
icularly those who are taxpayers.
Merchants support city institutions
through taxes and donations and are entitled
to such protection as peddler ordinances at
ford. Fees paid by peddlers are not unfair
since they only place him on fair COMPETE
tive basis with the local stores. Moreover
the ordinances provide some small measure
of protection for the buyer who too often
has received inferior merchandise and even
stolen goods from the itinerant salesman
who is not available when the goods prove
inferior or the authorities come to claim
the contraband bargain"
Should such ordinances fail in the leg
atty test, communities like this may expect
the descent upon them of a hungry crowd
of fast takers whose story will no doubt be
eve don't have to pay taxes, that's why we
sell so cheap" To the taxpayer, and every
resident pays some taxes, that should be an
extremely poor sales argument. Household
ers could boost their city's revenues, to their
own benefit, by demanding to see the license
of every peddler who calls, whether they are
mildly interested in his wares or not.
MEETING HERE LAST WEEK, RE-
representatives. of a dozen or more Building
and Loan associations in southwestern Min
nesota expressed little concern with the fu-
ture accept as some tax scheme sired in the
special session of the legislature may affect
their business, which fundamentally is
cooperative enterprise for borrowers and in
veStOrs.
Any drastic change in their taxes would
affect interest and dividend rates which
would tend both to make it more difficult to
get money to loan and to discourage borrow
ing. The result would inevitably affect the
number of new homes constructed, reac-
tion already having resulted from advanced
costs of materials and labor. Cutting the
number of new homes would curtail employ
ment, slow up business in all lines, directly
and indirectly, and tend to increase rents as
the towns affected grow in population.
1t is striking example of the difficult
ties OF raising more tax funds. What is true
of these associations is generally true of
private businesses. The tax problem is a
serious one and will become more so until
governmental units adopt an economy creed.
THE CIVIC AND COMMERCE ASSO-
citation resolved Wednesday morning to take
an active interest in the American Highway
association whose main purpose is to bring
about the improvement of the route which
includes highway II, and to increase it's
volume of traffic The decision was alto
gether wise. Every town on the highway is
fortunate in it's location whether it belongs
to the association or not but it is shortsight-
ed to ''ride free" on efforts to publicise the
road. Every city can well afford to do it's
part.
Surviving a holiday weekend is some
thing of an accomplishment.