Montana labor news., 1939-02-02
Letters From A Labor
Representative
Continued from Page y

committees report had been read
and concurred in, l had the bill re-
referred to the committee on Reve-
nue. and Taxation. That gave me
time to check up on it. My sus-
picions were verified on visiting the
office of the state accountant, where
the amounts which this tax had col
lected in the past were shown.
The history of the enactment of
the metals mines tax is a story. It
was the issue upon which Gov.
Dixon made his campaign in 1924
and, l believe, that in the previous
campaign between Dixon and
Wheeler this measure had also been
injected and had led to the defeat
of Wheeler. The cry of the company
was that the passage of such an act
would close the mines. But although
the measure which Dixon had
espoused had carried by a vote of
the people, Dixon was defeated by
Erickson. The mines closed any
way and were closed for ten months.
But to get back to the bill and the
amounts which it brought in to the
general fund and indirectly to the
school and county funds.
In the biennium of 1925-27
it brought in-.~...$830 ,883. 20
In the biennium Of 1929
it brought in.... 748,319.24
In the biennium of 1929-31
it brought n..-.. 922, 356.28
In the biennium of 1878
it brought in..-. 857,O52.24
In the biennium Of 1933-35
it brought in..-. 90,274.29
In the biennium of 1857
it brought n.... 98,216.8O
In the year 1898
it brought n.....-.. $780, 1885. "a
Please note the difference which
is shown in the year 1881. That
year the company went into the
Supreme Court and obtained an
opinion by which they were able to
make certain deductions, and al
though the tax was originally a gross
tax, after the opinion by the re-
dictionary Supreme Court 6 to p
the tax was paid on the net.
You remember last year when the
A. c. NJ. Company requested the
board of railroad commissioners for
an increase of freight rates over the
B. A. & P. R. R. Well, if this in
crease had been granted, it would
have wiped the metals mines tax off
the books as the increase could have
been deducted from the gross and
would have evened the books.
That piece Of skullduggery was
discovered by some of the mill and
smelter workers of Anaconda and
they enlisted the support of Mayor
Hauswirth and stopped the steal by
exposing it to the public.
Now that they have apparently
lulled both the public and the legis-
lature to sleep, they are trying to
get these sections off the books.
These sections are the heart of the
measure. Maybe you want to know
why, as the amounts involved are
so small. But let me remind you
that they will not always be so small
if the mines operate at increased
capacity, and IF SOME SMART
COUNTY ASSESSOR TAKES THE
MATTER UP WITH A LIBERAL
COURT SUCH AS THE ONE WE
NOW HAVE, THE COURT MAY
DECIDE THAT THE TAX SHOULD
BE BASED UPON THE GROSS
AND NOT THE NET.
In that case the amounts could
again well reach the 100000 mark.
This is too great an amount to cast
aside especially when we are look
ing for revenue. Also bear in mind
the fight that was put up to get this
measure on the books. It would be
harder to get it on again. Statistics
show that the corporation during the
last ten years have shifted over so
per cent of the tax load from their
shoulders to that of the wage Garner
and those least able to bear the
burden. This latest maneuver on
the part of the corporations shows
to what lengths they will go.
1t bears out the ancient quotation
or adage, External vigilance is the
price of liberty"
Had it not been for the ~alertness
of a few liberals, this steal would
have been perpetrated, for it was
intended to steal something from the
people without their knowing it. I
am satisfied that we will be able
to stop it and kill the bill when it
comes up again.