The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1939-01-26
WE. HAVE OFTEN SCoFFED AT THE

e. REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA;
WEHAVE OFTEN SCOFFED AT THE
absurdities in Abe Harris weekly letters to
state editors during Farmer-Labor's inning
and missed this source of subject matter
when Abe's letters disappeared with the fall
shellacking handed the administration for
which he told stories. However new sources,
the senate and house organization commit
tees already are doing their bits with re-
leases on committee appointments, bills in
PRODUCED and similar matters concerning or
ganization committee followers.
Sometimes loyalty to committee follow
ers makes the releases absurd. For instance
a story this week tells of bill introduced in
the senate by Senator Seifert, who organic
ed with the committee, but fails to say that
Representative Zwach introduced the same
bill in the house. Zwach remained with the
middle-of- the-roaders when organization
took place. Last week the situation was
even more strange when a committee re-
lease said that Representative SWennes in
troduced certain bill with no mention of
Zwach, who in reality was a co-author of the
bill in question.
We definitely are not of the opinion that
Mr.. Seifert or Mr.. Swennes were unwilling
to share credit with their fellow legislator
or knew anything of the releases, but since
Harris sins of omission we feel bound to
mention that the publicity men of the new
legislative regime knowingly slip bit also.
THE SEIFERT-ZWACH BILL MEN
toned above is a measure to license rural
electric co-operativeS on an annual fee basis
in lieu of all income, excise and property
taxes. The fee provided is $40 per 100 men,
bers or 10 cents per meter
In view of this bill we requested figures
from the Redwood Falls Light and Power
company on what it's taxes on lines outside
the city amount to on per meter basis. The
local firm serves 60 customers each at Delhi
and North Redwood and 60 rural customers.
Taxes on the North Redwood lines are
$56.62, on the Delhi lines $128.4O and on
rural lines, $13704. Taxes on these lines
total $322.06, or $1.79 per meter. In addition
they pay three per cent gross tax on all
electricity sold, which for these 100 GUS
toners amounts to about; $27O per year.
Adding this amount, the per meter rate of
the local firm jumps to 1928. These figures
apply only to outside lines and the current
sold on them. They do not take into account
taxes on city lines, central equipment or
current sold in the city.
The rural eectrification program has
been and will continue to be great thing
for the farmer, bringing him conveniences
private utilities were generally slow to fur
nish and for which their rates were often
exorbitant. 1t has contributed to recovery
by opening a great market for electrical
equipment.
However the principal of practically ex-
empting co-operatives from taxation is new
in this state, to our knowledge, and we be-
lieVe ill-advised from the farmers as well
as every other angle. In this city, for ex-
ample, the cooperative oil company pays the
highest personal property tax of any oil
company represented here. If the rural
power cooperative is to have tax conces-
sions, then certainly the principle must be
extended to all. Any action toward this end
places an unfair disadvantage on private in
dustry, the backbone of our economic sys-
tenn.
In passing up it's right to tax co-opera-
tive lines as this bill provides, the township
would lose logical tax source and would
levy proportionately higher taxes on men,
bers as well as non-members. The state would
receive the sole tax revenue from such lines
The farmer might fool himself that he is
buying cheap electricity when in reality he
is paying in higher taxes an amount which
should rightly be included in his electric bill.
There are no doubt many angles to the
question not set forth in these few brief
paragraphs, angles which we invite Mr.
Zwach and Mr.. Seifert to give our subscrib-
ers through our columns. We would also like
to hear from readers on the subject.
-
LOOKING OVER THE FRONT PAGE
of The Gazette last week, reader remark
ed; We'll bet no city in the state has bet
ter looking bunch of Civic and Commerce
association officers
= =
WE OVERHEARD A DEMOCRAT
and Farmer-Laborite complaining the
other day because the Republicans are put
ting back COP. office holder who was
good enough for the Els until few months