The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-07-11

1
We reserve the right to positively refuse
any notice Of whatever nature after 2 O. clock
p. m. on Thursday. -
ANOTHER TALUATION THREAT.
The st. Louis county board of
equalization will meet at the court
house July 81, week from next
Monday, and there will be some
thing doing on the assessment of
the iron mines. -. it,.
The vast iron ore possessions of
this county, whose value is incalcu-
liable, and which are producing 49,
100000 tons and upward of iron ore
each year to be manufactured into
pig iron and steel billets elsewhere,
are now assessed tor purposes of
taxation at less than $14,OO0OOO, in
Guiding both real and personal
property.
In view of the late acquisitions of
information on the real value of
these gigantic riches, it is now be-
lleved that an assessment of $780,.
100000 will be none too high.
1t is said that the great Mahonine
mine, with it's seemingly inexhaust-
ible deposits of soft ore so easily
obtainable that the mine is practi-
cally an immense stockpi1e,is alone
worth that amount, 80 that the a.
sessment of $1oom000o will not be
too high, though the sudden jump
to that st1m FROM &t46W60o would
seem excessive to those that are not
familiar with the situation,
As a pointer to the iron interests,
in order that they may be good" in
the matter, county officers are call
ing attention to the fact that there
are provisions on the statute books
for placing property that has been
grossly undervalued during term
of years on the tax rolls at it's prop-
er value and collecting back tax =.
There is disposition on the 49,
of the iron interests to me 4 tho
county board of equaliza" -. ,,.,t
way, and to submit to a .,......,. 49,,
increase: 1t is not lii .ely, however,
.1;,, s,,h.,,;+ ~ 10: chat the mines
.a wa. .ro.,, =. Ill be a proper one,
even et though it will be a large one.
- - 0u va 1.-THE mines will consent
g 49, ass" ,esment of $30,O00,O00, the
chat State Auditor Dunn
49,. 4 about last winter as the one
" ! state board of equalization
would be likely to consider as the
proper one.
State Auditor Dunn will be a bit
too lenient if he sticks to that figure
however. Mining men say that half
, is not known regarding the wealth
of the Mesaba and Vermilion
ranges. New properties alone
ought to bring the assessment up
to $30O0OO0O, for developments have
been prodigious during the two
years that have elapsed since the
last assessment.
The board of equalization is com
posed of the board of county com
missioners, with the addition OF
County Auditor Halden. The mem
bers have not been canvassed on
the subject, nor have they given il
much public discussion. It is
= known that several of them, howev
er, are in favor of such a substan-
tial increase as the one suggested
here, and none of them have dis
cussed an assessment less thar
3OO0OO0O.
"The board will not be doing it,
duty" said member of the board
yesterday" if the mines are not in
creased to $1O0,O0O,OO0. There ar
two or three mines that could b.
assessed alone for that sum withou
any great injury being done. Thu
county and state have got along
all these years with rid1culousl,
low assessments because nobod!
but the iron men themselves knew
the real value of the properties, an<
they would not tell. Now we al
know something about it, and tn
members of the board know at leas
as much aboutit as the public does
Something will drop when tn
board meets."-Duluth Herald.
A SHORT sign outside does no
prohibit a long game inside.
MARK HANNA's presidential as
pirations again become the favorit'
theme of the string fends. @
DULUTH will soon have a perma
nent immigration bureau, will
. headquarters in the federal build