The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-03-19
I'd XAIION OF MINES

U.s.
job in placing upon the tax rolls the
unused railroad lands; but second
cause, scarcely second in Importance,
is the proper taxation of mines. The
mines OF Minnesota are practically ex-
empt from taxation. They pay a nom
inal tax, a bauble and pittance scarcely
worth mention, of one cent a ton in
lieu of all other taxation.
The Rockefeller and Minnesota Iron
syndicates pay no taxes on their tens
Of thousands of acres Of realty. worth
scores of millions Of dollars. They
pay no taxes on their buildings, their
machinery, their developed and 'unde-
veloped mines, their capital stock, or
any other property of any kind what
ever. The Rockefeller syndicate owns
nearly all the important mines on the
Mesaba range, the greatest mine
range in the world. Itwas capitalized
at $30,o00,O00 two years ago, and has
added to it's capital and mining prop
critics considerably since. The Min
nesota Iron company owns about TO-.
900 acres of iron property, almost the
entire available mining property on
the Vermilion range, including six or
eight great and valuable mines. Tt
has the best equipped iron mining
plant in this country or the world It's
net earnings are about $4,000, 900 per
annum. These two syndicates last
year turned out 100000 tons of ore.
This was about one-third of theiiron
ore product of the United States. And
yet these two gigantic corporations,
two of the greatest and richest on the
face of the globe, paid only the paltry
sum of SAC, 900 to the State treasury on
their output, in lieu of all other taxa
| ton. 49,. ~ :.a
To say that this is an outrage on
that clause of the State constitution
guaranteeing equal taxation, is saying
little. The dog tax of this State
amounts to about as much as the taxes
on all the vast properties of the two
great iron ranges. Rockefeller's com
pany alone, if it paid the customary
tax on it's S3O,00O,000 valuation, would
contribute to the State treasury over
$3.50, 1000 per annum instead of less than
one-tenth of that. The mining COM
panies of this State are practically tax
exempt. They might just as we'll pay
nothing, as the trihing sum of one cent
ton which they now pay. It is
farce. 1t makes the State laughing
stock: 1t is gross injustice to- the
farmers and town and city taxpayers
which pay their 2 per cent or more on
every dollar of property they own.
The total valuation of real and per-
sonal property in Mile Laos county is
only about S1,250,O00, as compared
with the $30,000,000 of the Rockefeller
syndicate. And yet the farms and vii
lagos of our little sparsely settled
county pay practically as much taxes
as Rockefeller's entire Mesaba range.
A single property, undeveloped at
that, was placed at 81, 100000 in the
option taken by Rockefeller only the
other day: and if one undeveloped
property is worth 81, 25O,O the total
assessed valuation of Mile Laos
county, what are the dozen or fifteen
thoroughly developed and record
breaking mines worth, and the scores
OF other extensive undeveloped prop
critics of the syndicate, with all their
machinery and buildings and varied
improvements?
| It should be enough for the State to
allow the two big syndicates on the
ranges to acquire the iron ore re-
sources of the State and control our
vast resources at their will-much of
this property being acquired for song
through homestead and presumption
claims, much of it absorbed through
colonization of employees, or by cheap
scrip, and the various methods SO we'll
known by land-grabbers- without Civ
ing these syndicates also the boon of
tax exemption. But thatis practically
what they get. Having acquired
pretty nearly all of the iron ore re-
sources Of this rich mineral State, they
now are enjoying their colossal gains
without paying the State 1.-THE of it's
rightful dues in taxes. It is subject
which should absorb the earnest at
tention of the coming legislature.
RoYALToN Banner: The Banner.
would like to see the present governor
nominated and elected because he is