St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-26

I rash statement which has been hazard
| ed, that there is more wealth in the rich
! iron ore deposits of Northern MinneSO-
| ia, and especially in those of St. Louis
county, than in all other resources of
| the state put together. 1t is safe to
predict that this territory will be
| acknowledged in the near future of the
| richest iron producing country in the
| world.
| A most important change in the ad-
| miniStratiOn OF the land department Of
! Minnesota is the leasing of iron and
| other mineral lands OH royalty, instead
| of selling them at fixed price per acre.
/ Realizing the Immense value which
| would soon attach to lands in st. Louis,
| Lake and Cook counties. after it had
been well established that heavy de-
| posts of iron ore existed in that region.
| the state auditor wisely refused to sell
state lands situated in the iron
producing district. He knew that these
| lands. if sold, would pass into the pos
| session of private parties for mere
tritie, while the deposits upon them
| might be of great value. The position thus
| taken was confirmed by law i'll 1889, when
| the legislature provided that tract not
greater than 1850 acres might be leased
one year on payment of S25. during which
| time developments were going forward.
At the termination of the first year, ac-
cording to this law, a contract may be
entered into for fifty years, by which
the lessee agrees to mine and ship at
least 5000 tons per year within five
years from the time railroad is built
within one mile OF the property. paying
royalty of p cents per tou: which
must, after time, be paid. even though
no ore be mined. During the period
hot i,ri,f IL, q
the first yearly lease and the period when
5000 tons must be mined. payment of
500 must be made annually to the state
treasury. If there is default in any of
the conditions of the lease, it is for
feited. Up to the date of the last audit
Or'S report. 225 of these one-year leases
were made and six tifty-year contracts
had been completed. The total receipts
OF the state treasury from this source
were st.
But in addition to the development of
the mineral industry in Northern Min
nesota, there are other and quite as I'M
portant matters which will tend to have
material bearing upon st. Paul as q
, fuel center There is a great project
of cutting a canal between Lake SUI
perior and st. Paul. The project IS a
| feasible one, and, with capital, could be
accomplished in a few years. And
there is absolutely no reason why this
should not be done. What great
thing it would be for st. Paul-Minne-
ap0lis and st. Paul, the Twin Cities
to be the head Of inland navigation.
Chicago would not then be in
the race for the supremacy of
the West. The people of Manchester,
Eng, are just on the eve OF completing
| like undertaking-th building of a
ship canal, whereby steamers of any
tonnage can get an entrance TO the
great mercantile inland metropolis of
North England. BY the cutting of this
! canal Manchester will wreSt the ship
ping supremacy so long enjoyed OH the
west coast of England by Liverpool.
And much i'll the same way the suprem-
acy may be wrested from the Zenith
city. st. Paul would at once increase
its business i'll all directions. in all lines,
a hundred. ayI thousand fold. St.
Paul would become the only center in
| the Northwest for the distribution of
fuel. and, III other ways. could not be
touched by any other city i'll the rising
| Northwest.