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Show V 4 kv Published by tlic Salt Lake Federation of Labor in tbe Interest of tbe Men and Women Wlio Work for Wages. iVol . 1, No. 39 Salt Lake City , U tah , April 7 1917 Price 5 Cents 1 ax Amend m Constitutio Proposed The recent Legislature voted to submit to the people an amendment to the state constitution that .will permit of equitable taxation.' Few but Will "readily agree that some relief must be afforded from the present method. True, a similar proposition was defeated at the election last November, but It was not because a change ras not desired. Rather, it was because every newspaper of the state Jjvith the exception of Utah Labor. Hews did all possible to save the big mining corporations of the state from paying their share. The daily press pointed-ou- t that taxes already were excessive and created the impiession that this was but an attempt to jher burden the small home owner, When in reality the majority of them received pay from big business to this print the matter that fear. The amendment was defeated last " year from lack of understanding on the part of the voters, and not because they did not desire a change. This paper is going to see to it that before the next general election every, voter in the state has an opportunity to familiarize himself or herself with ihe system that allows the Utah Fuel and Utah Copper corporations to sidestep their obligations to the state and saddle them onto the men and women Who are residents of this state. The constitutional convention which framed tire Utah state constitution back in 1895, made provisions which at that time seemed necessary, but which today have been, like most law designed to protect the little fellow. Interpreted in such a way as to impose a hardship on him and reward the very ones from whom the people Wore to be protected. The constitution made a provision that mini property flu uld be assessed at the price paid the United States goiernment plus 100 per cent on net proceeds, for the purpose of taxation. This was done to encourage the prospector. In other states It had been the custom to impose so large ft tax on such property as to compel the prospector to relinquish the fruits of his industry because of inability to )ay taxes before his property was pro- The Legislature of 1915 was confronted with the necessity of Jncreas-in- g the amount of revenue if the state was to keep pace with other commonwealths. Accordingly assessors were instructed to assess all property at its, full market value. But inasmuch as the state constitution ' already provided th.it mining property be assessed at the price paid the United States government plus its net proceeds, the. Legislature had no- power' to Increase these' valuations without changing the constitution. The Legislature cannot change the constitution, that right being reserved to the peo- - two-thir- - , The result of this revaluation of SO - ds THE PEOPLE MAY KNOW V It Is Wrong to Keep Open Until 12 o'Clochl 5 . No sooner was Labor News out last We believe everyone should be alweek telling how the Day & Night lowed to run his own business only store operates than an afternoon pa-- .. in so far as he does not interfere with other men doing likewise. per which claims to champion"' tbe : If merchants' believe in giving the cause of the people printed a news men who help. them conduct their article attempting to show that this business reasonable hours that will alconcern is performing a great public low them to be useful citizens, they are an influence for good Jn the comservice. munity. They are doing a public Since then the privately owned service that should be encouraged. We public press has devoted space to as citiour - . telling their readers that this place should have their support. Dr. Frederick C. Howe, in addressing the Bonneville club last week, You cannot teach a man to said: love his country when he is forced to work from ten to fourteen hours a he hasn't time to develop a day love for the country. There Is only a certain amount of money spent each day in this community and not another dime would be spent were all stores to keep open hours. the entire twenty-fou- r Appreciating that by closing, their places of business at a reasonable hour allows employees the time necessary to perfect themselves in good citizenship, most of our merchants feel that this is a duty they, owe to society. The newrpapers claim that the Day & Night Clothes store works its men but eight hours per day. However, they conceal the fact that clerks are ducing. Another provision was placing a compelled to be ready to work any limit on th number of mills per doleight hours from 8 oclock in the lar of valuation that might be levied. morning until 12 at night to get in This alsowas right, else taxes might that much time. In other words, their have been assessed, had the needs of employment is not continuous. ' I be state been great "enough, to pracThe Day & Night Store cares nothing about good citizenship, they care tically amount to confiscation. It had been the custom since state- 'not that other merchants may be hood of 1915 to value the property for compelled to make their clerks come taxation purposes at approximately 40 to work at In the morning and take per cent of its market value. This an hour or two off two or three times each day until 12 at night in order system, taken in connection with the constitutional limitation on the to meet the conditions imposed by taxation on mining property, was not this concern. The Telegram accuses these merunreasonable. However, the constitutional limit had been reached in 1915 chants of conspiring with the retail and it was necessary to increase values clerks to injure the Day & Night store. in order to increase the revenues. i-- duties zens, and Dr. Frederick Howe' has pointed out one of the essentials. The Day & Night store does not keep open as an accommodation to the public, but for the sole purpose of making money. What little business they do after regular closing hours does not accommodate forty people a day, but they would force more than two hundred retail clerks who work for reasonable competitors to do as they compel their help to do In order to perform this great public service. In addition, not one of these forty customers but would suffer little inconvenience should he put off his purchase until the next morning. 'No, we dont believe the decent merchants in Skit Lake are in a conspiracy to Injure the Day & Night store or that the retail clerks can be accused of conspiring when all they ask is that this concern do business in such a way as to allow them to feel secure in the reasonable hours of employment thev now enjoy. In conclusion, isnt it odd that the public press which is such a good friend of the people is so quick to defend a concern that is likely to be productive of a little advertising when it is a question of profit to them or a curtailment of the opportunities for enjoyment of a little leisure on the part of a great many of the men who are expected to bo good, loyal citi- hear much about zens. Until the Day & Night store observes the hours that other merchants concede as reasonable they are doing nothing for the advancement of good citizenship in Salt Lake. university and other state institutions, which had been corraled by the Utah Fuel company at approximately 81.25 per acre as grazing- lands, would also come under the constitutional provision as being lands purchased from the government, thus many millions of dollars worth of, property owned by the Utah Fuel company also had the benefits of the reduction in the mill levy for state and county purposes. These two corporations alone saved hundreds of thousands of dollars because of the Increased values placed on the holdings?, of he meh who Are helping to build up our state and made big savings to the absentee owners of our natural resources. There could have been no objection had all taxable property stood Its just proportion of raise when it became Imperative to raise more money to conduct tbe state's business, but it was most unjust to raise the little fellow 250 per cent and more while leaving the mining corporations stationary as to valuations and then reduce the mill levy more - flian 100 per cent, thus making a donation to these concerns of more than half of the taxes they had formerly paid. The necessity for protecting the prospector has been removed, the constitution was successful In keeping his find from being sold for taxes, but not from It falling into the hands that the members of the convention attempted to protect him against. Besides getting this valuable property they also got the protection that It was intended to give the prospector; so the prospector lost the fruits of his industry and the state lost the taxes that could have been imposed; thus Utah taxpayers provide the funds for the dissipations of Count Boni de Castellano and Lord Decles. Even the present system of taxation seems to be irksome to several big comp&Jiles, and in order to have no net proceeds, some of the officers and heavier stockholders form a selling agency which buys the output of the mine and leaves the' mining company on the verge of bankruptcy. This was one of the reasons why an income tax should have been put on the statute books at the recent session of the Legislature. Then the state would have been In a fair way to have the owners of her natural resources pay at least a portion of the expense incident- to conducting the business of this great commonwealth. The privately owned 'public press was a party to defeating the amendment last general election and will be on the job again next election serving the big interests that subsidize them. In the meantime Utah Labor NewS has taken upon itself the duty of giving the voters the information that will allow them to act intelligently, and if they are dissatisfied with - . - ple.' the deaf and dumb nsjlum, agricultural college," state insane asylum, the property other than mining property resulted in an increase of many millions in assessments for taxation purposes. So many millions hi fact that the Utah Copper company, which had formerly paid about 81 mills on each dollar paid the" government for its holdings afid on its net proceeds, had its mill levy reduced to about 12 mills a saving of about 19 mills, or almost of the total amount of taxes it . formerly had paid without , . protest. An opinion by the attorney general had laid down the policy that lands purchased from the state land board, being lands turned over by the government to the state for the benefit of , - pay-(Contin- on Page 11.) |