davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29

the assessment of real estate and
also feels that insufficient work has
been done on the assessment of either
real property or personal property to
warrant a reduction of utility assess
ment.
BASIS FOR UTILITY CUT
DRAWS FIRE
s'The figure of 35 to 37@o for the
average level of assessment of all
property throughout the state upon
which the Board has based its re-
duction of utilities very largely rests
upon real estate sales ratio studies
conducted by the utilities themselves.
If such studies are to produce reliable
results they must be based upon
clearly defined procedures. The gath
ering. handling and interpreting of
data appears to have been haphazard.
Moreover, this is a task which the
Board itself should undertake rather
than delegate to other bodies, least
of all the utilities themselves who
have a financial interest in the OUT
come. The subcommittee believes
that the gathering of assessed-fulI
value assessment data is an insepa-
rable part of the Boards constitu-
tional and statutory duty as an equal
ization body.
Gwen If the results of the sales
ratio studies accurately reflect the
level of assessment of real property,
the level of assessment on. all per-
sonal property must be determined.
Members of the Board have made
divergent statements about the level
of assessments ON personal property.
1t is apparent that for some kinds
of personal property the Board lacks
data for making authoritative state
ments on personal property assess
ment levels"
The subcommittee concluded, eff
the ratios themselves cannot be de-
Tended, neither can utility valuation
reductions based on the ratios.
"The subcommittee final report
will concern itself primarily with
methods of assessing utilities, and
methods of determining ratios of
assessed value to true value of all
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29
STOCK AND BOND VALUE
METHOD QUESTIONED

"The use of the stock and bond
value as an evidence of a utility IS
value is justified upon the basis that
it most accurately reflects the value
of the utility in terms of what pur-
chasers of the company's securities
are willing to pay for them. The sub
committee has found that for some
utilities there is no established mar
ket because their securities are not
freely traded. In these instances the
practice of the Board has been to
use the book value of the securities
furnished by the utilities, which in
the opinion of the subcommittee does
not establish true market value
for the company's securities and,
consequently, lessons the reliability
of this evidence in indicating market
value of the utility.
"The subcommittee also questions
the Boards use of a 5-year average
of securities values. Even if the
price of securities actually consti-
tuted a reliable indication of the
value of the utility, it reflects the
VALUE VI IdlC uIulCy VI 4 VI years
ago and not the value on assessment
day. which the Board seeks to estab-
lish. Perhaps, therefore, a period of
less than 5 years would be sufficient
for flattening market fluctuations.
"The subcommittee believes the
Boards reduction of utility assess
ments to have been based upon in
adequate information and has dis
covered some apparent weaknesses
in the present method of utility as
sessment and in the assessed-full
value ratios upon which the Board
based its recent reduction of utility
"The subcommittee is unconvinced
of the adequacy of these studies on
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29

'"The Taxation Subcommittee hav,
| ing. spent four months on the assess
ment of utilities will submit re-
its May meeting. The preparation OF
the report was possible only because
of the continued cooperation of the
Board of Equalization. The subcom-
mittee wishes to express it's appreci-
alton for that cooperation.
"The subcommittee has not at
tempted to determine whether or
not specific utilities are paying their
fair share of taxes. In order to do
so the subcommittee would have to
reassess the utilities, which it is not
equipped to do.
''The subcommittee has found that
the unit appraisal method the Board
uses to assess utilities in it's broad
features is widely used in other
states. A unit appraisal is the deter
mination of the value of a utility as
whole without regard to the value
of it's constituent parts. Unit ap-
praisal is widely used and is based
on the fact that much of the prop
erty which makes up a utility has
value only because it is part of an
operating unit. However, the ade-
quacy of the Boards method rests
upon the details of its application.
In this respect the subcommittee has
found the Boards method not COM
pletely satisfactory. The method,
which employs three evidences of
value-namely, capitalized net earn
ings, stock and bond value, and
plant cost figures too rigidly, adj
hered to. There are some instances
where all three evidences of value
are not equally valid indications of
a utility's value and yet the Board
attributes an equal value to each
in its assessments.
'sThe Boards method of capitaliz-
ing a five-year average of net earn
ings is not necessarily valid for all
For railroads, whose incomes
fluctuate greatly, the use of a period
average may be defensible; it does
not appear to be so for rapidly ex-
banding utilities. The Board also
.apitalizes at a constant rate of $50 |
Tor all utilities. The subcommittee
'eels that the use of go for all |
Utilities has no justification other
han historic precedent. What rate
# capitalization ought to be en-
,loyed should depend in each case
IN the operation of the individual
Utility.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29
Job Insurance.
Frowned On AT
MIC Meeting

The 'save your job contributions
being solicited by Montana State
College Prexy R. r. Renne in Boze-
man came under criticism at the
Montana Legislative Council meet
ing Monday and Tuesday as mot
proper public policy.
The request for one per cent of
the net salaries of the land grant
colleges faculty and other employees
can not be justified especially in the
face of requests for salary increases.
Renne himself was increased to
$4,000 a year at the last Board of
Regents meeting. Salary appropria-
lions are not to be used for build
ings no matter how voluntary the
contribution or thigh minded" the
soliciting by Endowment and Re-
by pressure begging.
The raising of salaries to attract
better qualified teaching is defeated
by pressure begging.
The report of the Regency legis-
lation is ready to be submitted to
the May 1917 meeting in Missoula
along with the bills themselves. This
work will be transmitted to the Re-
gents and the university unit presi-
dents.
It is hoped by the council that
when the university system people
see what has been done they will get
behind the constitutional amendment |
ON the ballot this fall. So far no or
ganization has been formed to sup
port drive for it's passage.-FS
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29
Legislative Group Critical Of
Utility Assessment Reductions

Another chapter the yearong controversy the State Board
utilities public this week the form
Legislative Council taxation sub
committee
The its entirety released to the by subcommittee
chairman Sen. Paul Ringing, follows:
PROGRESS REPORT OF THE TAXATION SUBCOMMITTEE
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29

states, was of little concern to Mon
tana because of thin population. This
same thinness of people made the
comments of Dexter d. MacBride
Sacramento, seem little out OF
place. MacBride was demonstrating
how the new superhighways actually
increased the value of adjoining
properties. New highways are good
for new businesses located along
them and even the residential areas
located near the super-roads are up
in value. Population pressures are
not very dominant factor in land
values in Montana however.
PAST USED TO FORECAST
FUTURE NEEDS
Roy E. Jorgenson, National High
way Users Engineer from Washing
ton, D. c., explained method of
forecasting future needs by deter
mining what had been needed in the
past. This would determine ''suffici-
ency ratings or give priorities to the
more deficient roads to be rebuilt
first. High traffic count areas would
get the most work done. This is all
very good but extremely difficult
for Montana's highway department
because of the changed standards
and initiation. Present need is deter
mined by the individual case with
out "sufficiency rating.
A panel on tourist surveys, fac
tor not considered by the Bureau of
Public Roads-federal money is not
laid out to help the tourist-was
composed of Edward w. Equals,
Idaho; Orvis E. Reil, Nevada; Dale
Birmingham, Utah, and Paul Devine,
Montana. Nevada has $500, 100000
tourist business compared to Mon
tana's $90,00O,OOO. Utah's Burning
ham was a little discouraged with
Nevada. People coming from the
coast were Cleaned" in Nevada and
when they came from the east they
hurried on to Nevada to be Cleaned"
Montana spends $4,000 year to at
,ract tourists. The other states spend
| comparable amount. Nevada's sue
less is largely attributable to the
learness of Los Angeles and San
francisco.
Robert Anderson, New Mexico
3PR, John Mladinov, Washington,
md J.-W. Dewey, Arizona, explained
he research projects carried on in
heir states in cooperation with the
Bureau of Public Roads. They in
lude everything from gravel to traf-
lie count methods.
S. T. Hitchcock, chief of BPR's
highway planning. discussed the new
needs estimate which must
70 submitted to Congress next jan
larry. The estimate is for the next
i've years and was prescribed to be
ue for this next Congress when the
3-year program began in 1856.
Hitchcock reviewed the Manual of
standards for this estimate and went
yer some of the problems of fore
asting including traffic count. The
General Accounting Bureau, watch
og for Congress, found bookkeep-
lg discrepancies and estimates with
o foundations in many states. These
nfounded estimates and anti-mathe-
latical bookkeeping procedures must
ease and the states must get on a ,
lore uniform basis.-FS s
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29
New Peak On Smoking

Despite all the warnings about
smoking and lung cancer, U. S. cigar
cite output rose per cent in 1859
to new high of 400 billion, the gov
eminent reported recently.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29
Governor
Democratic Ticket

. Clean up the Highway mess.
. Stop deficit spending-bal-
ance the budget.
. Improve standards of educa-
ton for both teachers and
students.
. AS Governor, Cannon will
actively support Congress
sional delegation in secur-
ing enactment of better
farm program.
. Multiple-purpose develop
ment of Montana's water
resources.
. Immediate construction of
Yellowtail Dam.
Paid for and Giro. by Cannon for Gov
ernor Club, Louise Merrifield, Secretary,
Butte.
The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-04-29

Impulse manages everything badly.
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Mr.. Boruch at 90

1t is hard to believe that Bernard
NJ Baruch is 80 today. AS memory
serves, it seems he was here only short
time ago offering his counsel to PreSi-
dent Eisenhower, just as he has offered
it to every Chief Executive since the
administration of Woodrow Wilson. The
advice, of course, was not always asked
for nor always needed. Generally speak
ing, however, it has been we'll received,
and the Nation as a whole has profted
from it. AS financier, philanthropiSt
and elder statesman Ito mention but
few of his roles), he has been truly
remarkable American. But this is not
the moment for definitive evaluation
of the man or his works. This is just
an occasion to wish him happy BIRTH
day and many returns of the same.
Evening star., 1960-08-19

that good progress at last is being made.
All the redevelopment agencies appear
to be working together as team, relo-
cation problems largely have been
solved, financing difficulties have been
Strengthened out, most of the legal COM
plications have been settled and other
problems seem to be diSsolving.
All of these things the committee
undoubtedly will find out in it's forth
coming investigation, which reveal other
causes of unnecessary delay and other
defects in urban renewal procedures
In the meantime, the bill approved by
the Senate committee-which we hope
the House will agree to-should hasten
the Tenth street mall and plaza project
The Senate committees decision not to
act on the Rabaut bill at this session
was a wise one. The investigation of
urban renewal ordered by the commit
tee is a necessary prelude to considera-
ton of the Rabaut bill.
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Congo Outrage

The attack on a Canadian U. N.
detachment at the Leopoldville airport
by some 800 Congolese soldiers" is the
latest in series of provocations en-
couraged If not inStigated by Premier
Patrice Lumumba. 1t seems to us that
the time has come for the u N. either
to pull its troops out of the Congo or
use all the force necessary to put a
stop to these outrages.
The Canadians were preparing to
leave Leopoldville when the Congolese
swooped down, beating and robbing the
dozen or so members of the U. N. unit.
1t is suggested that the Congolese
thought the Canadians were Belgians
We doubt that this is true, but even If
the contrary is the case, does this mean
that the U. N. force, sent into the Congo
to maintain order, will Shrug off such
outrages if the victims happen to be
BelgianS?
To us, the pattern which is emerg-
ing in the Congo suggests studied
effort to discredit, humiliate and even
tually drive out the U. N. troops. Mr.
Lumumba's refusal to receive. U. N.
Undersecretary Ralph Bunche after the
incident certainly tends to confirm this
view, even though the U. N. force was
sent there initially in response to an
appeal from Lumumba for help. But
however one may interpret this savage
business, it is unconscionable to subject
the soldiers of any nation to such abuse.
The U. N. troops should be ordered, not
authorized, to open fire if anything of
this sort happens again, and Mr.. Lu-
mumba should be notified accordingly.
If the Security Council is not willing to
support such an order, it should put an
end to the pretense that the United
Nations force has been sent to the
Congo to maintain order.
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Antarctic Treaty

Your editorial on the Ant
arctic Treaty makes a good
case for the treaty if we
assume that the Antarctic
never existed until the Inter-
national Geophysical Year.
But Antarctica existed prior
to that. Congress sent an
expedition to skirt it in the
middle of the last century.
Congress and taxpayers have
supported expeditions in the
past three decades. Seven
teen American lives have
been lost there. There are no
parallel facts relative to space
exploration and territorial
matters on the moon, Mars.
etc. Moreover, the treaty is
exactly the opposite of several
of the strong positions Of the
President.
You assume that inspection
planned for Antarctica is in
line with the Presidents ideal
for the open skies" proposal.
1t is just the opposite. The
President has stood firm at
Geneva for inspection of both
the Iron Curtain countries
and the free world and in the
Antarctic Treaty there is no
provision whatever for in
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Dixie Meets Nixon

The Vice President has laid it on
the civil rights line in his talk and press
conference at Greensboro, North Caro-
lima. In this first venture into the
South, Mr.. Nixon said he refuses to
blow hot and blow cold, depending on
what section of the country he is in,
on this issue. He believes progress must
be made in civil rights, he said, and his
position on that subject will be the same
in the South as it is in the North, East
and West.
This fortnight comment, received
coolly by an otherwise enthusiastic
audience, certainly will cost the Vice
President some Southern votes, and it
may cost him some Southern States
which otherwise could have been carried.
1t seems to us, however, that is it a good
thing to have the position of each candi-
date on this matter put squarely on the
record. And, despite the differences in
the party platforms, we do not imagine
that the attitudes of Mr.. Nixon and
Senator Kennedy will diverge in any
important respect.
1t may be argued, of course, that
Mr. Nixon didn't have much choice in
the matter. He cannot hope to sideStep
the civil rights question in the South
and still expect to carry key States out
side the South which he must have in
his column to win the election. The
same thing applies to Senator Kennedy,
and we hope that he, too, will talk the
same civil rights language in all sections
of the country. This would tend to
downgrade the civil rights question as
a mere vote-getting issue, and that, in
turn, would help to clear the political
atmosphere.
Evening star., 1960-08-19

l commend you on pub
fishing the pictures of the
Russian army officers in
Specting the various displays
of our armed forces exhibit
in Washington on August IL.
I sincerely hope this pub
licity will create enough in
terest in the proper quarters
to put a stop to making
much of our defense infor-
nation open to inspection by
anybody-especially to Of
ficers of a country that is
constantly accusing us Of
spying. Your article was cor
rect-they don't need to spy
we freely and gladly give all
our secrets out.
l hope you will keep pub
fishing the activities of these
diplomats"
Elizabeth r. DonohOe.
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Hard Look at Russio's S Harsh Methods

tions of which Prof. Nikiforov
speaks so highly. There are
a couple of shoWplaces, to be
sure, such as visited a couple
of years ago near Moscow by
former United States Am
bassador in Moscow Harri-
man and Judge Leibowitz of
New York. That is designed
to deceive foreigners.
In recent times we have
often heard from Soviet Wis
itors here that there are no
more political" prisoners in
the Soviet Union. This too is
pure fiction. The term "polit-
ical' offender is no longer
applied to those who dis
agree with the party line.
They are sentenced as Grim
inals. Whereas under the
Tsar the most dangerous
enemies. such as Lenin and
Stain, could live as free as
birds in the areas to which
they had been banished for
a brief term, and were not
required to do any work
whatsoever but lived COM
fortably on a monthly gov
ernment allowance. There
Lenin wrote a book and nu-
merous articles for which he
was handsomely paid, and
Stain had his vodka orgies
with the police in the viii
lage. The political" prison.
erS are forced to work IA to
Is hours a day under the
most inhuman conditions.
And far from returning to
useful life, they return, if
they survive, broken in body
and soul. Under penalty Of
death they must not tell of
their experiences even to
their nearest relatives. That
is why we must wait for one
Evening star., 1960-08-19

spection of any Iron Curtain
area. The State Department
verifies that there is no Iron
Curtain territory there. The
Soviets first landed in Ant
arctica in 1856 as visitors
for the ICY. They have no
territorial rights there what
soever.
Measures in Congress have
urged United States sover-
eighty over the territory
Americans explored. A Fed
eral map of 1856 shows 3:6
million square miles that
Americans have seen from
planes or lafoot. President
Eisenhower could claim most
Of this for us today with the
stroke of a pen. After the
proclamation he could nego-
tiate boundaries with the
seven Western nations which
have done a little exploring
there and have put formal
paper claims through their
parliaments. Under such an
arrangement of combining
the criterion Of exploration
and paper claims in a har-
monious settlement, the eight
proper Western countries that
have earned the right to be
there would be in charge and
they could develop the conti-
nent peacefully with complete
freedom of movement for Sci
entiflc studies. Other nation
ais could be visitors. But
free world ideals would gov
ern. This would be a mag
nificent achievement for the
Eisenhower Administration
and a fitting final act.
2 Eo-LoII
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Subsidizinq Conqo

Will some bright person
kindly explain why Uncle
Sap should Subsidize the
rioting, raping Congolese to
the tune of millions of dol
lars as, apparently. he is ex-
pected to do?
They demand independ-
ence. That they are not ready
for it is all the fault of the
Belgians, we are told, for not
having made college gradu-
ates out of them. :.
Backward peoples of the
world want liberty and a
luxurious way of life, but
they cannot or will not quail
fly for them. When they win
independence of one form of
dictatorship they promptly
gravitate to another. The
United states, Where money
grows on bushes, is expected
to provide most of the f.
nancial aid, especially as it
lent moral support to the
freedom aspirations.
We have paid out billions
in the equivalent of black
mail to keep such peoples
from going Communist. They
do not like us but they love
our money. and eventually
they go Communist anyway.
Wouldn't it be more prac-
tical to use those billions to
construct a Big Stick" for
defense of the Western
misphere. meanwhile
speaking softly?
Dumb Damyankee.
Evening star., 1960-08-19
Doq Control

The campaign-"Pity the
Dogs No Longer"-is over
in certain areas Of Prince
Georges County. Now the
canine owner must keep his
pet under immediate control
by obedience, leash or con-
fined to his property.
There's been a pronounced
difference in the Chillum
neighborhood. Only several
weeks ago, among other
things. dogs barked and
barked while chasing up or
down hill with almost fanat-
ical glee every truck or
strange moving vehicle. At
times it was almost uncanny
how they'd distinguish friend
from foe so to say. Was it
sound, color, or what?
All that good "dog fun" is
behind - the no-free-roam
law is welcomed by those
that suffered needlessly for
years because of inconsider-
ate neighbors as Princ C e
Georges County population
has increased along with its
dogs since 1945.
The law marks progress in
the right direction.
r T. Murray
Evening star., 1960-08-19
= Learning by Experience

The Senate District Committees
concern over the slow progress of urban
renewal in Washington is understand
able. There have been long and exas-
perating delays since the Southwest re-
development program was launched in
1854 However, as redevelopment officials
have pointed out to the committee, this
was a pioneering experiment, for which
there were no guidelines, no precedents
to follow 1t has been trial-and-error
process for all the agencies involved.
Valuable lessons have been learned
through experience-lessons which other
cities already have begun to use to their
profit.
The Senate committees inveStiga-
tion of the many delays should be help
full in putting the spotlight on mistakes
that can and should be avoided in future
projectS-here or elsewhere. Some of
these mistakes were avoidable and re-
suited from (D inadequate co-ordina-
ton of the several agencies charged
Jointly with responsibility for the two
fold task of clearing away slums and
building new community; (2) belated
discovery of legal complications requir-
ing legislative action, and (3) the delay
resulting from determination of the
Smithsonian Institution to build its Air
Museum on ground earmarked for the
Southwest Plaza. Unavoidable delays
included those due to reluctance of pri-
vate companies to finance the enter
prise, unexpected complications in ac-
quiring land and difficulties encountered
by displaced business firms in finding
other locations.
In short, as Commissioner David NJ
Walker of the Urban Renewal Admins
tration explained in letter to the COM
mittee, the Nations Capital "as an early
participant in the urban renewal pro-
gram had to face the complexities and
uncertainties of any pioneering VEN
ture" That we have profited by the
lessons learned is evidenced by the fact