The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1963-03-15
38fh Legislative Assembly Maintained the--

from page
ing distance of rentals paid on fed
eral and private leases.
Although the $4,000 increase
is only slightly over half of what
such rentals should go up to meet
the recommendation of the 1852
so Montana Legislative Council
following exhaustive investigation,
in view of the stubborn opposition
of the stockgrowers 'lobby" both
within and without the House, this
revenue gain is significant.
In addition, under Rieder's guild
ance the former complicated formula
for figuring rentals has been simpli-
fled, and this revision can reduce the
possibilities of evasion. Money from
State lands goes: 95 per cent to the
School Income & Interest Fund for
distribution ON a school census basis
to the various districts; the other
five per cent goes into the School
Permanent Fund.
TAX RELIEF v. AGED
The Republican philosophy of ia
voring the special interests of prop
erty and caring little for people was
at no time more evident than when
the Haughey measures were under
consideration proposing tax relief for
oil companies, railroads, utilities, etc.,
as compared with the Senate-ap-
proved McKeon measure to provide
tax relief for retired Montanans on
limited incomes.
House Republicans, in overwhelm-
ing majority, favored reducing the
net proceeds taxes paid oil-producing
counties by an estimated $2.7 mil
lion. They took a similar view of
legislation to revamp assessment per-
centages which would have cut rail
road and utility property taxes by |
approximately one-third. Fortunate
ly, these bills met hasty death in the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Senate.
Tax relief for the retired, as pro-
posed under SB 2S, would have re-
duced the tax classification on
homes of widows and the retired
from 80 to seven per cent, and
would have done much to ease the
property tax burden of these linn
tied income Montanans.
The Senate gave the bill bi-parti-
san support and it passed 1917. The
story was different in the House,
md Republicans with the exception
If Casey of Roosevelt) voted solidly
against the bill. They were aided in
,illing it by four Democrats who
arlier had voted for cutting net
taxes on oil by so per cent.
'he four were Bashor, Regain, Rear ,
EN- and Spahr. (For roll calls on t
'B %, see PV, March 81 t
". "BAND-AID" G
House Republicans, following the
cad of Gov. Babcock, came up with
much-ballyhooed medical care plan
or the needy and limited income n
ged as a substitute for enabling a
,gislation to permit the State to re- l
Give federal matching funds under n
lie Kerr-Mills program. Variously n
allied the "Bandaid" plan, 'Mont- n
are", and ''Dontcare", the Babcock- t.
ucas proposal had the form, but Il
ollc VI LIl6 SuOSIduCG VI d HGdllu Z"
rogram, other than a continuation d
the present Public Welfare method 81
taking care of the hospital-medical d
eeds of INDECENT aged Montanans. ;
did propose one added feature to ;
e present PW programme needy
red would have had to put up the m
rst $75 of such costs. Unexplained Ell
? this fraudulent proposal was where to
e one in need would get the $75. lii
Kerr-Mills enabling legislation by OF
cKeon and Durkee, which would
we made it possible for the State &c
avail itself of federal matching tn
nds to meet the health needs of tn
ore limited income elderly Mon su
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