The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-12-28

" tory and to the support of such essential things as schools, roads airplane landing fields, and such desirable social and welfare agen- cies as are possible and can be wisely and beneficially adrninis- tered in a country so vast and with such a small population in proportion to its area;
 That we also recognize in the troubles, dangers and anxieties of the nation at this time, that the Federal government in it's sweep ingly comprehensive and feverishly hasty and consequently very costly preparations for national defense has invaded nearly every field of taxation and imposed burdens on the mining industry of the nation and Alaska, the magnitude of which is not yet even faintly com prehended by the general public, and that these burdens are certain to be increased within the ensuing few months to the very limit.
 Accordingly:
 We have heard with dismay that proposals will be made to the Leg islature of the Territory at it's fifteenth session to levy additional Territorial taxes for new govern mental undertakings and expansions of already existing governmental agencies entailing greatly increased costs, which even if conceded to be worthy and desirable, might well be postponed in the para mount interest of the national necessity to divert all possible con tributions from industry to the Federal Treasury possibly to 3 point where in Alaska, with many l of our new mining ventures irI which success has not yet been attained, the law of diminishing returns will undoubtedly soon take effect; ..4,e
 Therefore: r.
 We urge the Legislature and its members at this very critical time to consider most carefully all pro- posals for increased taxes in any form, and to keep constantly jn mind in the consideration of such proposals, the increases in Federal taxes already in effect and the certainty of further levies iron 2 that source
 We urge the Legislature and its members to keep Alaska solvent and in a position to operate its ] government and all it's necessary governmental agencies within it: present income, which we know car be done even if for the next two years we are obliged to curtai public expenditures and forego soms of the things which we could vel afford in former years and before the nation aWoke to the necessity of estimating it's present financia needs in billions instead of mil lions; and to represent that the Territory's solvency and it's abil- ity to pay as it goes cannot bt maintained unless its few indus tries and those dependent on then are also kept solvent;
 We urge the Legislature and it. members to resist every attemp and every argument, however plau. sible and seemingly meritorious t
 increase Territorial governmental expenses; but to resolve to reduce
 the cost of government, which il
 Alaska is already too high whei
 we consider the few producing in } dustries and the small population served, which does not exceed tha
 of one small sized city in an, ! state of the union; and we insis
 that while it is our duty to keel J the mining industry alive and ex banding, and to resist exceSSiv taxation, our representations here
 in contained are not wholly selfish
 for there is real danger not onl, to our existence but to the even
 tual welfare and solvency of tn Territory at this time from over Tapping demands of the Fedora : and Territorial governments;
 And finally while recognizing tn l fact that the present system 2 : taxation in Alaska with its licens , es, and rates of taxation baset mostly on gross production, is un scientific and to large extent in r equitable, we urge the Legislatur and it's members to pause befor, !, instituting new and untried sys } tenn in an attempt to broaden tn : tax structure base; for if that l
 attempted without thorougl , study and examination by impar t tial experts not connected with tn Federal government but who ar : familiar with the peculiar condi