Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-10-23 | Page 6 | Would be Simple

WOULD BE SIMPLE. If we assume that mining company treasuries are inexhaustible, it is readily understandable why officials would like the privilege of drawing on such funds whenever it were desired to obtain unlimited un-limited revenue without trouble. The thing would be delightfully Bim-ple. Bim-ple. First, ascertain carefully what elasses of property owners could and would agree to deliver the requisite number of votes for yourself and your party. Next, ascertain how much taxes they desire to pay, if any. Then, decide de-cide how much you would like to spend during the biennium. By a simple mat ter of subtraction, the amount to he taken from the mines is arrived at and the appropriate ''multiple of net proceeds' pro-ceeds' is applied. The 1 ( submultiple " would not participate. The computation might be complicated compli-cated slightly by political or personal exigencies requiring some industries besides be-sides mines to be r soaked" for punitive puni-tive or predatory purposes occasionally. But it would be much easier than to levy equitable taxes on all property and much more efficacious in keeping a bunch of good fellows in office. The weakness of the plan lies in the instability of the mines. Established properties have a disconcerting way of exhausting their ore bodies and of shutting shut-ting down when operations become unprofitable, un-profitable, and investors inconsiderately inconsiderate-ly refuse to develop new properties where success means a penalty. The scheme would work splendidly as long as there were wnet proceeds' in abundance, but when they shrink to little or nothing there is no possible "multiple" that would save it.