Montana labor news., 1938-01-20
Permanent Committee
Named by Unions
Continued from Page y

uelllildtlOl Wdo pldSGQ uPoh ti1
automobile dealers for shifting the
burden of taxation from their W
shoulders onto those of the working
people by placing the time for
making property assessments on
automobiles from March l as it was
originally to January l as it is now.
This law was passed at the last
session of the legislature and appar-
emily escaped the attention of the
otherwise vigilant representatives
of labor in that session. The whole
thing amounts to this-that on jan
uary l of each year the auto dealers
have very few new cars and in so
far as old secondhand cars are con-
cerned this is the period of the year
when they have the lowest stock of
them on hand. But on March l, the
former time of placing assessments,
the auto dealers are heavily stocked
with new and old cars. Now since
the dealers were able to put over
this vicious law the working people
are obliged to pay all of these taxes
which were formerly paid by the
auto dealers. 1t was a great scheme.
This was described as involving the
cost of living in Butte. Other meas
ures involving the auto dealers vas
the terrific and merciless manner in
which the acceptance corporations
or finance companies extort money
from people when cars are pur-
chased on longtime payments.
The banks were generally con-
demned for their failure to loan
money to the working people in
times of distress, forcing them to re-
sort to the finance companies which
extort a prohibitive rate of interest
for small loans. The question of
chain stores arose also in the dis
cussion and the taxes placed upon
them. 1t was generally conceded
that Notwithstanding the piteous cry
of the independent merchants that
if the working people were left to
the mercy of this group, they would
not be better off than they are now
and probably not as well off with
the combined independent and chain
stores operating in the same field.
Numerous assertions were made
that it is and has been the practice
Of the Silver Bow County merchants
to deliberately, wilfully and mali
ciously raise the prices of commodi-
ties, rents and clothing every time
the miners get a raise and that these
prices are not decreased when the
wage scales are reduced due to a
drop in the price of copper.
Municipal control of utilities such
as light and water was mentioned
and it was shown that the high cost
of electricity and gas is a factor
entering into living costs in Butte
and the need Of municipal owner
ship to overcome it. The doctors
of Silver Bow County were bitterly
assailed for their excessive and IN
reasonable charges, and their cal
loused and cold-blooded attitude to-
ward the common people. This
group was characterized as one of
the most parasitical in the commu-
nifty.
The names of delegates and unions
represented last Wednesday are as
follows: Clifford Crowley, Black
smiths; Ben Fisher, B~lacksmiths;
Jim Kane of the B~lacksmiths;
Clarence Blewett, Street Car
Men; Lois McGovern, Ladies Auxil-
larry of Miners Union; Mrs. Robin
son, Ladies Auxiliary of Miners
Union; John Walsh, Machinists; Jack
Walsh, Pipe Filters; Harry Kennedy,
Engineers; Fred Langdon, Miners;
James Comba, Engineers; Herbert
Wurst, Workers Alliance; Del Hale,
Electricians No. IS; Richard Han
cock, Boilermakers; William Hill,
Boilermakers; Allan Thomas, Teach
ers; Fred Allen, Blacksmiths; Chas.
Davis, Teachers; Walter Japp,
Clerks; Dennis Mccarthy, Miners;
Sylvester Graham, Miners; Angelina
Golubin, Teachers; and Mary M.
Sullivan, Teachers.
The meeting was one of the most
important held in Butte in years and
it is confidently expected that the
report of the committee will contain
outstanding revelations.
DATpnNJUzE OrrD nxYCnrrcr q