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vmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammm WESTERN ELECTRIC TRIES TO ESCAPE ILLINOIS TAX LAWS Why did the Western Electric Co. reduce its capitalization from $25, 000,000 to $10,000 last week and re incorporate in New York? In the Tribune Former Judge Chas. Cutting of the electric company's counsel is quoted as saying that the change took place because the Illi nois tax laws were to severe, that they starved the big corporations out A Day Book reporter asked Judge Cutting if the Illinois anti-trust laws had anything to do with the change. The judge said "No." Each year Illinois compels the cor porations to make affidavit that they are not connected with any trust Ninety-five per cent of the stock of the Western Electric is being held by the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. It makes everything the A. T. & T. needs, and the A. T. & T. has often been called the telephone trust. But this law also included foreign corporations doing business in the state, so the Western Electric still has to file affidavit. Certain corpora tions hesitate to do this and this year State's Att'y Hoyne prosecuted a large number for violating the law and compelled them to pay the fine of $50 a day, which the law says shall be imposed if any corporations try to evade it Hoyne is the first state's attorney to institute proceedings of this kind. Before he got the office the corporations forgot this bother some law. Ass't State's Att'y Henry A. Berger does not agree with Judge Cutting. He says that up to a short time ago corporations were getting off easy in the payment of their taxes. "It isn't because of the irrational tax laws, for the trouble has not been with the laws so much as it has been "getting the taxing officials to enforce the laws," he said. "Another reason might be the fact 'that the company might be tired of being obliged to tell each year just what that $25,000,000 stood for to the taxing bodies in getting reductions," said Ass't State's Att'y Bell "They might have found this a hard thing to do." Possibily the big corporations are afraid of the vote of the people when they decide by referendum next fall whether or not the revenue amend ment, which they lobbied for in Springfield, will be made a law. "This law was passed in the face .$ of the opposition of this office, the Chicago Teachers' Federation and. other citizen's bodies," said Berger. "It is just what the millionaires and the corporations want It means that personal property can be classified " for taxing purposes. It means that the legislature can raise or lower the tax on the species of property which, is owned chiefly by the wealthy. It is an amendment backed by taxdodg ing corporations and individuals as a means of balking State's Att'y Hoyne in his efforts to get them to pay their taxes. It was backed by a powerful lobby." o o PEACE TRIP COSTS A MILLION Stockholm, Dec. 30. Henry Ford's peace expedition may cost him more than $1,000,000 if conference at The Hague is long drawn out. Business Manager Gaston Plantiff made this estimate before the delegates left for Copenhagen. About $35,000 of Ford's money was spent here. It was reported before sailing that the Ford managers were considering giving $10,000 to the poor of Stockholm. Pilgrimage will be continued re gardless of developments in Austro American controversy. o o TALK SCHOOL ARMY TRAINING The school management commit tee of the board of education will discuss a resolution brought before the board yesterday calling for a re port on a form of military training of boys in high and manual training schools. It was introduced by Ed, Pigzott 4 Jl