The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1951-09-28

co-operatives and protect the small
community co-ops. | was opposed to
these provisions, but I was quite sur
prised when the committee revised
it's proposals and actually stiffened
them against the smaller co-opera-
tives by taking out the 95 per cent
individual membership requirement
and the 100000 assets limit and
removing the exemption for reason
able reserves from the small co-ops.
Under this latest proposal the little
co-operatives do NOT continue to
have an exemption as they did in
the first Finance Committee pro-
posal."
In criticising this latest move by
the committee, Murray called atten-
ton to the fact that the committee
6. gave two sessions to the subject
this year at time when many of
the members of the committee were
unable either to attend regularly, or
at all - In contrast, the 10th Con-
gress committee spent weeks study
ing the tax status of co-ops; the 80th
Congress committee held II days of
hearings in various parts of the ma
ton and compiled 1,300-page re-
port; and, the 81st Congress com
mittee also made a thorough study
of the question. The conclusions of
each congressional committee were
that the tax status of co-operatives
should remain unchanged. Both the
reports of the AS and AT committees
were in substantial agreement with
additional remarks by the '49 COM
mittee under Rep. Patman (Texas),
as regards the need for farm COOP
eratives. Said the 1949 committee:
81. Agricultural co-operatives
were formed as a possible means
of providing assistance to the in
dependent small farmer who was
at a marked disadvantage in his
bargaining position, being forced
to accept low prices for his prod
ucts and to pay high prices for
all of the articles which he re-
CURED for his production. The
committee is of the opinion that
the conditions which gave rise to
the cooperative movement have
not entirely disappeared, and, fur
Their, that the growing trend of
economic concentration into large
scale organizations and growing
concentration of control of indust-
ry groups is reaching into the ag-
ricultural field to a marked ex-
tent. AS the trend grows the diff
ficult position of the individual
farmer will be increased, and the
abnormal conditions that led to the
original cooperative movement
may become intensified -
ANTS SECTION 314 KILLED
Voicing his support for the out
ght elimination of Section 314 and
S proposed coop tax schedule, Muir
~ pointed out:
at would be tragic for us, at
me when agricultural prices are
eclining and costs going up, to re-
rise the long-standing agricultural
'licy which encourages the organiza-
IN of farmer purchasing and mar
ting associations. The decline
farm prices since February-and
has been going on for months now
amounts to 81 billions out of the
oss income of farmers this year.
would be glad to vote for bills
lich would speed the organization
more farmer co-operatives
lis measure which will not raise an
preciable amount of revenue but
S policy implications of far great
Importance +. would be against
is section or any other section of
Y bill which had it's conception in
2 iniquitous National Tax Equality
sociation :"
Continued on page four)