The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-01


county. He said:
The county auditors return for 1896 was
$50, 409, S4l that for 1898 $50, 500, leaving
am apparent shortage for 1898 of $40933 In
the county auditors returns for 1896 over
$6OO,0OO was added assessed in certain por-
tons of the business district near the Ryan
hotel, which the courts afterward abated,
leaving the assessment for Ramsey county
$6l, SIS, 81, showing actual surplus in favor
of 1898 of $50, 66S. There is a shrnkage in
values in outlying lots, which was distribut-
ed by the assessor in the business districts"
Mr. Lawrence moved that Ramsey county
be found as returned, and the board so voted.
Renville county was. raised 10 per cent.
Rice county was raised 10 per cent.
Rock county passed.
RoSeau county was passed.
Scott county raised 12I2 per cent.
Sherburne county Mr. Haven said was
largely worthless land. The population OF
the county is decreasing and land valua-
d quantity of land there for $40 an acre.
which was much less than it loaned 1t. 1t
is impossible even to rent some Of the farms.
and one bank sold a farm to get something
Tor the timber in the buildings on 1t. Sher-
ourne county was promptly passed.
Slbley county was raised 20 per cent.
Stearns county, except St Cloud, Sank
Center and Melrose, was raised 66 2-3 per
cent. The towns were raised rs per cent
Inere was shrinkage last year Of $2,OG0,0OO
III the county assessments.
Inc following counties were passed: Steele,
Stevens, Swift and Todd.
traverse county was raised 10 per cent.
Wa6asha county was raised Is per cent.
Wauena county was passed
Waseca county was passed.
washington county raised per cent
except saltwater which was passed.
F. l. Johnson said he made a special eff
fort to ascertain the condition of affairs
IN that county. He learned that
property there had decreased one-third in
value. He would. however, favor an increase
OF per cent in the county, except the city
The following counties were passed:
Watonwan. Wiihn, Winona. Wright, Vel
low Medicine.
HENNEPIN UNDER SUSPICION.
Mr.. Cole moved that Hennepin county be
passed. Mr.. Cooley said the county had
shrunk 3d. 000 and had lost 500 acres. Mr..
Cole said the missing property had been
plated in Minneapolis. Mr.. Cooley said there
was 100000 shrinkage on Improvements
on farms and $l,5OO,0O0 shrinkage farm
lands. and 100000 increase in the value
OF town and city lots iii Minneapolis. and
shrinkage OF $S,50O,GG0 on structures in the
cities.
MI. Cole said new assessor had made
changes because property owners refused to
pay the assessed taxes.
Mr.. Cooley said most of the shrinkage
was in city structures.
Mr.. Lawrence seconded Mr.. Coles mo-
ton to pass Hennepn county, and the board
voted in the affirmative.
The amount of grain in store in Mime
TONS was l0Ii8,S72 bushels which was as
sessed to the different elevators and private
| approximate total valuation of $1.73O 400.
In Duluth elevators B, c, D and G are
assessed together at $4,000. C and G are
Elevators E. F and H are assessed at $780,
600.
The total wheat and other grain in ele-
YatOr in st. Paul, was 276 951 bushels,
sessed to the different resident owners
MIR. Haven then offered the following reso-
lG.icn:
Resolved, That the Great Northern eIe-
VdtOr IN the city of st. Paul namely r.
at Como, showing no assessment of either
buildings or grain, the company claiming
| 1t exempt, although leased time
for profit, and no gross earn ngs or
other tax is claimed to be paid by said com
Pany thereon, should be taxed as other prop
erty, including the grain in store May l.
which is shown by the report to the chamber
! Of commerce to be 276,951 bushels; also the
! Great Northern elevators in the city of Min
| neapOlis should be assessed for their build
! ings the gram already being assessed to
| the owners. The above assessment should
! be IN sucn amount as will. place them on an
| equality with the other elevators doing a
| like business in the state. and the state
! auditor IS requested to direct the county
auditors to place the same on the tax rolls.
The attention Of the state auditor is also
| again called to the fact that the assessment
! blanks should include a Est for grain, there
belng none at present. 1t is assessed under
different items, making it impossible for the
board to determine whether the assessment
IS equal or otherwise. -
The resolution adopted.
MI LdHtSilC0 Sdu ludL the TREAT Northern
elevators were on railroad lands but OPP
Grated by private parties
! Mr.. Haven said the property was placed
/ on the tax rolls and the company was fight
| ing the matter in court. The difference this
year and last on elevators in Minneapolis
was very slight. MIR. Cooley said it seemed
TO him that some of the Minneapolis elevators
were assessed twice.
Mr.. Haven said 1t was impossible to
! tell anything about grain assessments, be-
cause there was no column in the returns for
'.Is grain in private warehouses assessed"
asked Mr.. Gordon,
! 1T Is supposed to be- said Mr.. Haven
''but usually the farmers say they have no
| grain"
There are only two articles of merchandise
| that men may be excusablv crooked in valu-
ing" said Mr.. Gordon. "Those are horses
and furs."
MINE MEN FIXED LISTS.
Dwight E Woodbridge appeared and ex-
pla ned why the revised iron mine schedule
was not ready for consideration.
The mining companies" Mr.. Woodbridge
said have readjusted values somewhat on
the line of the resolution yesterday. They
have increased the Pioneer mine SIP 900, in
| stead of $116,0C0, and other mines so that the
total increase comes to within $1CO, 900 of what
| was proposed The whole thing was smCothed
over in very satisfactory manner They
| have closely followed the resolution of yes
| terday afternoon
That will make it unnecessary for any
| county or state DOard or equalization to eX-
ist." said Mr.. Hendrix. IF the farmers will
follow suit, property owners will be able to
assess their own lands
1T is a difficult thing to assess such prop
erty" said Mr.. Cooley. THE land as land
| is not worth ten cents an acre. Mr.. Wood
bridge has done a good work. Those iron
mines are assessed at high figure. They
pay more tax in proportion to their products
| than any other class Of property. The first
mine was discovered by man who examined
| the ground beneath a fallen tree. 1t contained
60 per cent iron, and he dug down a few
feet when he came to the iron and then he
| entered the land and it was learned that
| iron had been discovered. Test pits were
| sunk and the depth of the ore was ascertain
| ed and it was found that they had long
narrow strip of iron that resembled in shape
the liver in a hog.
THE Adams mine was test pitted in the
same way with apparently satisfactory re-
| suits, but when the discoverer sold a half
| neck, for the mine was found to be full OF
horses The hole in the mine is about as
| big as this capitol building. The mine is
worked out now. So it is impossible to tell
how much ore there is in a NINE
Mr.. Woodbridge next spoke of fee holders
| taxes. He said THE fee holder draws q
| royalty from the mine operators. The Chand-
Ter mine pays 100000 royalties, most Of
which goes to people in Michigan. There are
| others, and no assessment is laid upon them. -
I'VE can't assess non-residents for taxes
| said Mr.. Lawrence. tbut we can tax resi-
! dents of this state"
Then thevd move over to Superior" said
| Mr.. Woodbridge.
The members of the board last evening
| went in a special car on the Albert Lea line
| to Omaha, where they will visit the exposi-
| ton. They will return Monday morning and
| will then hold their final meeting It is ex-
regarding the valuation of the Twin City
| Rapid Transit cOmpany'S Droperty before thew