The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-12-29
Big Task
Now Faces
Legislators
Montana Lawmakers Mus,
Plan States Progress for
Next Two Years.
is OPERATING ON
BALANCED BUDGET
Legislature Meets

Janus was an ancient Roman god
protector of doorWays and gates
able to look into the past as well as
the future, and hence patron Of
beginnings and endings, whose head
had two faces ON opposite sides and
whose temple in the Roman Forum
was closed only in times of peace.
The Montana Taxpayers Associa-
ton says that like Janus of old, the
Montana Legislature must look into
the past to see what appropriations
and expenditures have been made,
what revenue has been collected
from the many taxes in force, and
what effect those taxes have had
on property ownership, the status
of business, employment and the
cost of living. 1t must be able to
look into the future and determine
whether or not property ownership
will be further jeopardized, bust
ness discouraged, employment re-
duced and the cost of living in
creased by greater taxation. 1t
must decide how much money is
actually needed to efficiently per-
form the necessary functions of state
government.
Either by direct appropriation
from the state general fund or by the
ALLEGATION of state revenue that
should have gone into that fund, the
1887 Legislature appropriated S.
TIL ,681, for elective offices. for
boards, bureaus, departments, COM
missions and appointive officials. for
public welfare, for custodia1 insti-
tutions, for public schools; and for
all state purposes except the Greater
University. For 1878 the state
revenue, excluding institutional
earnings and revolving fees. after
necessary debt payments had been
made, amounted to $6,151, 1903, or APP
proximately 100000 in excess of
appropriations. This was used to
wipe out the overdraft in the state
general fund and on June 80, 1893,
the state operating funds were out
Of the red for the first time in 20
years, and Montana was able to
function we'll with balanced bud
get. University expenditures ex-
ceeded tax collections, but not APP
preparations, because of tax delin-
quency.
Budget requests for legislative ap-
preparations now total S8,954, 082, |
which are being considered by the
state board of examiners, who are
charged with the duty of preparing
a budget bill for the Legislature.
Many other requests for state funds /
will be made directly from the floor
of the House or the Senate. Only (
few offices and state agencies are
conservative in their demands and /
are based on actual needs. All 9TH
ers boost their requests for APP
preparations with the full expecta-
ton of receiving cut. Total state
income will no doubt be lower next L
year because Clark estate cannot
be taxed every year, yet requests
exceed last years appropriations
by S2,372,027 and the estimated in +
come by S2,57l,922.
The governor state board of ex-
and the Legislature face
difficult situation, in which there
are a hundred office holders, state
and representatives of
organized minority groups and
classes clamoring for more public
money, to one unprecedented, un-
selfish, sincere private citizen pro-
testing against program of ex-
penditure that will make tax relief
impossible. There are two ways to
balance the budget-cut expendi- I
lures or increase taxes. The latter
course will bankrupt Montana, for
state or any other taxing unit is
only as solvent as the individual
taxpayers within the taxing unit.
The. Montana Legislature will
meet IN session on January q