Show vote no U on un A amendment m e int AA affecting sa mining i industry w y both of the newspapers of ot nephi seem to be greatly worried over the proposed amendments to to the consal ution which are to be voted tor for at the he coming election and particular j ly with reference to the amendment regarding the taxation of mines the amendment which pertains to the taxation of mines and mining pro party erty it if it should be adopted would be a vicious blow to utah s greatest I 1 industry but the reporter Ke porter is con fluent that there is enough fair minded and thinking people in the state to defeat this measure at the coming election jbf of course people in agricultural sections 0 the state who are not familiar with mining conditions can be excused for their lack of know ledge but it would appear that the editors of the two papers at the tile county seat would have a better un ferstanding der standing of the mining industry which plays such an important part in the affairs of their own county the constitution of this state places a mantle of protection over the great mining industry and it would certainly be disastrous it if by some freak action of legislation this protection is removed all mining property is without value until it is developed and then it Is only valuable to the extent of the ore discovered and extracted the present of placing a small valuation on the claims in their undeveloped state of assessing improvements at their value and of assessing the mines on their net pro beeda is certainly a just one there is absolutely no way of placing a valuation on a mining property at an stage of its development and realizing this the framers of our constitution determined on the wise plan of oNer overcoming coming this difficulty by making a mine pay taxes in proper tion to the profits that it makes it is impossible to tell what a min ing property is worth before it Is developed and even its owners can not give you any accurate informs tion as to the value of the ground after it has reacted read ed the producing stage because they cannot see any further into tl e ground than anyone ese else and they have no way of know ing what the undeveloped eloped part of tl air property contains aa As far as the assessor or any one el e tor for that matter can determine undeveloped mineral ground Is worthless and its value depends en upon future development hundreds of thousands of dollars may be expended in prospecting without opening a pound of ore it if the ore is opened and the ground changes from a piece of property of little or r no value to a bonanza then the toine in e pays a tax on tt tl e net pro c beeda and a tax on oil all improvements one p nephi paper compares mines nitle a ath farms and says when the farmer goes out on the desert and takes up sage batush land and commences to cultivate it and just as soon as it starts to bring in revenue and becomes valuable he is taxed on the land and also on the ma i chinery he has employed in tri t ringing nging the land into value then why should a mining man be exempt under practically the saie saire conditions 9 when a prospector takes up land v aih fo e ey other purpose under tl e sun is worth worthless leas there is no ab solute assur as anLe that he will ever get p a dollar from it it he does not his claims he pays hia his tax to gioino ta atel e tate in the way of work v ork on the ground it if he gets a patent be he pays a tax ax of so much per acre and it if we understand the situation clearly it is about as much as any dry farmer would care to pay on the same char acter of land then like the farmer he starts out to make the proper property ty more valuable and to add to the tax abl able wealth of the state he erects a shaft house and puts in machinery all of which are subject to taxation A i under our present laws then if he doest does t succeed in making his claim pablp he Is taxed on the net proceeds I 1 Is a he treated dany any better tha nIthe farmer isi is treated it if be he Is we certainly cannot figure it out NN e all know even those thop who are living far removed from the mines know it that it is the ore which makes a mine valuable that being the case the ore is the natural thing to talland ta and along with it the machin ery cry arii which it Is produced when U that ole ore ol e Is removed the ground re verts back to its natural state it Is worthless unlike the farm it can abt be and made to yield again f I 1 ere is but one crop of ore but when properly handled and taken care of the tarm farm keeps on producing keeps on bringing new riches to the fortunate owner and keeps on be coming more valuable A piece of mining property on the other band hand becomes less valuable with the re moval boval of every carload of ore when a friend of the mining in austry goes to the polls next month and is handed a ballot the first thing that should receive his attention Is the amendment to the constitution pertaining to the mining industry see that you vote no on the amendment and then it Is time enough to pick the men whom you want elected to office if there is a single man or woman living in the tintic gintic district who votes any other way it will be because he or she is not loyal to the industry which has added most to utah s greatness |