The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1944-05-18
A Reply To
Senator Murray
Continued from Page u


unemployment benefits and the load
became SO heavy that King George
v appointed royal commission to
investigate the administration and
weaknesses to the National, Insur-
ance Act. The royal commission
after an investigation lasting over
two years made majority and mi
nority report. The majority report,
which was approved by parliament,
provided for cuts and restrictions on
unemployment benefits.
In April 1881, while the report of
the royal commission was being de-
bated in parliament, Philip Snow
den, Chancellor of the Exchequer,
member Of the Labor Party, stat
ed that he opposed the tax on the
payroll in the Commons in 1911
when the national insurance was
being considered. Winston Church
i'll, one of the authors Of Unem-
ployment Compensation, replied to
SnoWden and is quoted as saying,
After 20 years experience with
unemployment compensation / am
of the opinion that the payroll tax
is not the best way to finance the
same A few months later in an
attempt to balance the budget the
old age pensions were cut as were
teachers, policemen's, fire fighters
and all civil service employees, re-
tirement benefits and salaris. The
wages of the armed forces were cut
in October, 1881, the sailors of the
home fleet anchored off Invergor
don, Scotland, staged sit down
strike and refused to man the ships
until the government gave assur-
ance that the sailors pay would not
be cut. Thus ended a chapter on the
shortcomings Of the British Social
Security, patterned after the Bis
mark plan.
The authorsl of the Wagner Muir
ray-Dingell Bill are wen aware
that the IL percent tax, six per cent
on the employers payroll and six
per cent on employees pay check,
will not be enough to pay the bene-
fits allowed in the bill.
1t is known in Washington and
on Capitol Hill, that IL per cent tax
proposed in the Wagner-Murray-
Dingell Bill must be raised to Is
per cent, a nine per cent tax on
the employers payroll and a nine
per cent tax on the workers pay
check, just as soon as the people
will stand the increase. Further
more, the full benefits allowed in
the bill will not be able to be paid
for As to SO years in the future.
When Unemployment Compensa-
ton was first proposed, nothing was
said about taxing the workers pay
check in order to take care of I'M
employment This is something that
the politicians have sugar-coated
and are now trying to put over.
In the Montana legislature of
1887, when the Unemployment Com
pensation Bill was under considera-
ton, the Senate amended the bill to
place tax of a. per cent on the
workers wages. The House refused
to accept the amendment. Labor
representative at the Capitol OPP
posed the amendment SO strongly
that the Senate receded from its
amendment.
In the legislature of 1941, an at
tempt was made in the Senate to
amend the Unemployment Com
pensation Act to tax workers pay
a. per cent. Labor opposed this
amendment and the attempt was
killed in the committee.
A tax on the workers pay check
is equivalent to a cut in wages; it
is an attempt to lower the stand
ard of living of the workers.
Wagner Murray-Dingell never re-
ceived mandate from their constit-
uents to place tax on payrolls or
pay checks.
In the summer of 1912, the dem
ocratic party of Montana held a
state convention at Billings. Sena-
tor Murray was at that convention
and helped to draft the platform
which was adopted by the delegates
Ito the convention. The state plat