Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon state employee. (Salem, Oregon.) 1944-195? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1947)
20 | OREGON’S FUTURE UNLIMITED 9 '(Continued from page 9) in tax effort. Oregon is shown to have ia high fiscal capacity (per capita in come payments') and certainly an effi cient functional level of government is desired. It 4$, -however, .the tax' struc ture which reveals I the actual tax re sources of a state. The Oregon Legisla ture has frequently passed tax measures similar to those i n California and Washington whichghave been rejected by the voters, to whom all tax measures in this state must be submitted for ap proval. "Legal impediment'such, as the examples cited above, however, are not insurmountable,” B a r f i c k declares^ "since .they may be changed, iFneces- sary, by vote of the people although traditions of long standing are difficult to change regardless of the need.” "If the people of a state .wish to have, a superior educational system or recruit and retain well trained and able state officials by meeting competitive salary rates, the type of function per formed will be at a high level which may also increase the expenditure' level and thus require an increase jn ^taif effort,” Mr. Barrick emphasizes. I It is likewise necessary to increase tax ef fort in order to provide higher old age pensions and increase the functional level of any other activity performed by state and local government. Some times, ofcourse, increased expenditures are only the result of tappinga lucra tive source of tax revenue.” H Unemployment Compensation I Com mission officials estimate that 1946 wages paid by Oregon firms covered by that commission nearly double peak pre-war payments: Figures for 1946 show that payments were only 15 per cent under record wartime wages, were only 5 per cent less than* .in 194 | and are nearly double any previous peace time record. There were in September 1946 about 295,000 persons subject; to the unemployment law, not many be low the wartime peak of 339,000 in. June of 1943. These 1946 payroll fig ures giygl timely support to Mr. Bar- rick’s.. picture of Oregon’s developing economy and reveal the amazing growth of Oregon industries. Lumber- and logging payrolls broke all previoùs records with a $145,000,- 000 payroll, exceeding the 1944 w a r time high of $133,00*0,OOOr Food pro cessing exc'eeded', its $37,500,000 for 1945; with H $45,000,00 payroll. Con struction payrolls reached $45,000,000, which EH - $T3$hÔO,000 above 1945. These "figures were exceeded o n ly b y the 1942-43 wartime constructionibf army 1 çamps I and shipyards. "Other* manufacturing” grouped together lev eled off about the same „as during the wiartime' peak. There was still a $25,- 4)0*0,0.00. shipyard payroll during 1946. Wholesale and retail trade shot far beyond any previous records. With $170j000,0.00, trade payrolls; were twice their 1941 figure and excéeded 1945 by $34,00.^000. Finance, realty and insurancegajso doubled the prewar high and were $5,000,000 above 1945. Serv ice establishments (laundries, hotels, re sorts, repair, services, etc.) showed a 25 per cent gain over„ 1945 and tripled their 1941 figure. Transportation and utilities exceeded 1945 payroll payments by $13,000,000. Oregon is not only holding her own economically;-she is growing in stature among the states. Oregon Can continue to develop in harmony with die scenic beauty and the high social standards of which she is proud, jf Oregonians have the wisdom to plan for, rather than to resist, the inevitable; -
