The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-02-09
THE REDWOOD GAZETTE DOES NOT

sentative from that county which proposes
to fix the tax for cooperative rural lines
at Zoe per customer. This would give the
rural Lines much lower tax than private
ly owned electric lines pay in personal
property tax Ito say nothing of gross
earnings tax) and much lower tax than
other co-operatives pay in personal pro-
perry tax on their plants
Secretary Cliff Howe of the Douglas
County Coop Light & Power company has
the same idea about it. He told the Park
Region Echo editor several weeks ago
about this bill and expressed the opinion
that it gave rural lines too big a break, as
compared to other co-operatives. At a
meeting of rural line managers in ST. Paul
this week, Secretary Hove expressed Wig
orous opposition to asking for such low
tax, arguing that the legislature should
make such rural lines tax free Gas muni-
cipal plants are) or tax them the same as
any other cooperative.
There is another bad feature of this bill .
If it passes, the nighttime companies will
demand the same kind Of cut in taxes
and make it stand up in court-jtlst as the
banks insist that. they cannot be taxed at
higher rate than other money and credits
is taxed. <sE
Legislators really friendly to farmers
had better kill this BILL
The above editorial from the Park Re-
gion Echo, Alexandria, gives support from
a quarter where it was not expected The
Echo is one of the states few staunch
Farmer-Labor papers, and therefore close to
the cooperative movement.
We go so far as to say that municipal
power plants ought to be taxed-and we
own no private utility stock either. Any
city tax on a city-owned utility would be a
matter of bookkeeping, but county and state
taxes are justified.
THE PRESS or AMERICA WILL RE-
main as free as the people will permit
Forty years of newspapering experience
convinces that no one wants free press
when their interests concerned, and
sooner or later the interests of all are con- .
cerned in conflict with news reporting or e
editorial opinion.-Fairmont Sentinel 81
How often one hears the remark, ssthe
newspapers shouldn't be allowed to print
such stuff as that" made by someone who
should realize how closely freedom of the
press is tied up with their own personal lib
erty.
MEMBERS OFi The LEGISLATURE
are wise to refuse, always, to vote for laws
which exempt anyone or any property from
taxation. Look at the trouble we're having
getting government employees and tax
exempt bonds out from under tax-free shelf
ters.
A LETTER FROM A CLEMENTS
who wants to know why the
courthouse is closed Saturday afternoons is
not printed because he didn't sign his name.
Letters 'to the editor" are waste-paper-
basketed if not signed.
THE FELLOW WHO WANTS TO IL
cense slot machines to raise funds for high
er old age pensions may have something
there. Certainly the fellow who plays slot
will be living on pension event
ually.
1T STRIKES US THAT THE PRIN-
cipal lobbyists for the huge rearmament pro-
gram before congress are Hitler and Musso-
lini
SOME STATISTICIAN REPORTS that
there are now more than 1000 profit-shar-
ing plans in operation in this country. We
didn't think there were so many profits to
share-Minneota Mascot.
APPOINTMENT OF A PATRONAGE
committee" for the seventh district is sur
prising news. This was to be the admins
tysofs xlo% IL L..