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Show HERE'S BOTH SIDES OF STORY ON "NUMBER TWO" Developing- into probably the most hotly contested issue ever to face Utah voters, is the current campaign being waged by Independent' and Chain store forces for and against the proposed chain store licensing tax I more commonly dubbed 'No. 2". Outspoken opposition to the pro-j posed "Death Tax" has been voic-; ed throughout the state by major ; farm and labor groups, among i other representative organizations and their leaders are backing up i this action with an appeal to ! members of the various groups to I protect their interests by voting ! against No. 2, on election day. "We realize that our organization's organiza-tion's official condemnation of this vicious proposal may be nullified unless the rank-and-file of our members translate our action into votes on November 3," said a spokesman for one representative group. "There is grave danger that public apathy toward the election this year may enable sponsors of No. 2 to put over their scheme, despite public sentiment against it," he continued. "The only way to make sure that this unprecedented scheme to raise prices by driving chain stores out of the state is to register and then vote against No. 2 on election day." Similar activity is being spearheaded spear-headed by state farm leaders, who are warning their groups that the destruction of chain stores by No. 2 would not only disrupt an an-nual an-nual $16,000,000 chain store market for Utah products, but might also subject Utah farm co-operatives themselves to prohibitive taxation because of the chain store character charac-ter of their operations. Latest to join in the campaign against the tax is the Utah Council Coun-cil of Parmer Cooperatives, according ac-cording to officials of the Citizen's . State committee Against No, 2. j Organizations now holding mem- bership in the council jiclude the Utah State Farm Bureau Federation, Federa-tion, Wool Marketing Association, Northwestern Turkey Growers, Farmers' Grain cooperative; Utah Poultry Producers Association; Hi-land Hi-land Dairy Association; Utah Fur Breeders Association and the Utah Canning Crop Growers Association and Producers livestock Marketing Association. Under the direction of Vote For Independence Inc., the organization organiza-tion urging voters to vote for the chain store tax, a publication is being distributed throughout the state citing the other side of the fight. "With sensational boldness the Wall street chain stores," the booklet points out, "have, despite the exactions of war, set out to exploit Utah. "They have circulated petitions and paid money to over-rule the democratic action of the state lawmaking body, the Utah legislature legisla-ture and the Governor whose intention in-tention it was to place a control over chain store expansion in the state. "They are now waging a prodigal prodi-gal campaign of half truths, insults and misrepresentations to nullify the action of the Utah legislature and the Governor," the statement continues. It was pointed out that the Wall street concerns conducted a similar sim-ilar campaign In California in 1936. In that campaign they reported re-ported an expenditure of $1,052,000. "That's the kind of money that's being spent now to buy Utah." Citing that the chain stores claim that "No. 2 is a tax on You." the booklet says, "No. 2 will not raise your cost of living. No. 2 is a tax only on wall street and will be taken out of the funds which today represent extra net profit. This law will protect free competition and it is free competition com-petition which has always kept and always will keep consumers' prices down." Reputing the argument that the . "Chains say this is a Death Tax-it Tax-it will close the chain stores," the argument continues with the following fol-lowing statement: "The answer is NO. Figure it out for yourself. The most that the stores of these thriving chains will pay is only. $1.37 per day. Obviously Obvious-ly a maximum of $1.37 per day for the largest Utah chains will not close any of their outlets. It will keep about $50,000 per year in Utah that otherwise would go to Eastern corporations as extra profits." |