The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-09-21
Il Western
States Want
Federal Aid
Will Ask Money for Counties
to Offset Loss of
Taxes.
WOULD BRING LARGE
SUM TO THIS COUNTY

A movment is under way in IL
western states to obtain an ap-
preparation by the federal govern
ment, said appropriation to be dis
tributed among counties IN which
there are large tracts of federally
owned land The justification for
such an appropriation is that with
drawal of the federally owned land
from private ownership keeps the
land off the taxrolls and thereby
imposes a heavy burden on those
who do pay taxes.
A convention is to be held III
San Francisco on September % to
organize an association to work for
this appropriation. 1t is desired that
Lincoln county should have one or
more representatives present and
funds are being solicited to provide
expense money. Circulars have
been issued to taxpayers explaining
the plan and the benefits to be de-
rived and asking a small contribu-
ton from each.
Would Save Large Sum.
A circular mailed this week to
Lincoln county people states that
there are approximately two mil
lion acres of government owned
land in the county One bill now
before congress would provide an
annual payment of 10 cents per acre
for all such land That would mean
an annual income for Lincoln coun-
ty from that source of approximate-s
ly 100000 In 1888 total tax col
lections in the county were, III
round numbers $4,000; this year
total collections will be S341 1862. If
this plan goes into effect, it can
thus be seen that Lincoln county
taxes could be reduced by more
than half Last year there was col
lccted-for county purposes only
the sum of S141 1898 In other
words, the total county tax would
be eliminated as the federal appro-
priation would more than cover
what is needed for county pur-
poses.
In answer to the objection that
the federal government cannot pay
money in lieu of taxes, reference IS
made to a case that was tried in
Oregon 1t is said that Oregon has
.
effort over S20,000,000
A temporary Western Taxpayers
Association has named as special
representative to carry on the
work in this district Chef O. Hoi-
Sington. county commissioner of
Lincoln county, A, " Riley. chair
man county commissioners, Sanders
county. and Wayne Shanahan, dep
uty clerk, Lincoln county.
More Necessary Than Ever
A development that makes some
thing of this nature highly import
ant to Lincoln county is the fact
that the taxable valuation of prop
erty in the county has been de-
creasing steadily since 1921 when
it reached its peak at ST., 130,636. The
1899 valuation is S4,554 994 and the
1910 tax roll will show valuation
Of about $4,388,602 During this
ferred to government ownership
more and more land within the
county. Now there is a movement
under way to put into operation
the sustained yield management of
the forests, which is greatly to be
desired as it will insure permanency
of the lumber industry. But sus-
tanned yield means that still more
privately owned land will be trans
ferred to government ownership,
with a relative decrease in the tax
able property of the county. Thus
it can be seen that it is more neces-
sary than ever that some plan be
put into operation similar to the one
now proposed