Bisbee daily review., 1905-08-25
DoNAu STATES HIS POSITION.

8OENAQ . Al ES
 HIS POSITION.
 Hon. Alfred Donau, who was fired from the Territorial board because he, with three other members refused to become a party to the outrageous tax raid on the mining industry of Arizona, vas in Tucson Monday, and the follow ing from the Citizen is given as a statement by NIT. Donau of his posi- eion on the board of equalization:
 'The increased assessment on all patented mines in the Territory will work great hardship on the mining industry and is an injustice. Coy ernor Kibbey's idea was to get at the big mining corporations, and in orier to do this there was a general increase in the assessments on all patented mines, ranging from 100 to 15O0 per cent in the various properties.
 There are in the Territory 2S00 patented mines. Of this number five big corporations own perhaps $50. Of the remaining 2450 only about 10 per cent are being worked Ninety per cent of the patented mines in the Territory have no immediate value. 1t is not equitable and it is not giving the owners of the mines a square deal to raise their assessments in this fash ion Many of the mines are mere holes n the ground, which have no positive value until they bs0one producers. The taxes may amount to more than she mines are worth. Later they may develop into paying properties or they may not They are very much of a speculative proposition. And the Ter ritorial Board of Equalization has in creased the assessment on these prop critics 500 per cent in Pima and 150C per cent in Cochise county and vary ing amounts in other counties.
 It is well known that mine has nc positive value until it is a producer and it is not right to subject to injus tioe the hundreds of small mine own CTS in order to reach few of the biz corporations. It is simply case o squeezing the many to reach the few
 T was speaking to a gentleman iron sEaricopa county last week in Phoenix explained the situation to him in thi manner: Suppose Mir. Smith has farm of 1000 acres in your county. s 3 fine farm. It yields large crop and the land is very valuable It so be believed that MT. Smiths acre are not assessed high enough. Is right, in order to bring his taxes u so the right figure. to raise the asses: ments on ali the farming lands in Maj scops county I500 per rent2 The Maj zcopa county man stated that it wa not Yet this is just what Governo KfbBey is doing to the mining men C khe Territory.
 'The raise by the board will have tendency to keep capital out of th Territory and will greatly retard tn development of our mines. I believ Ehat the boards action will be hel Illegal by the courts. but nevertheless great injury will have been done.
 T favored and still maintain tha all the mines should be assessed at lair valuation, but I am for justic and square deal for all, big or little The big corporations which Goyerno Kfbbey sought to reach are the Coppe Queen, the Arizona Copper Company zhe Detroit Copper Company, Senate CIark's mines in Yavapai county. an all the Phelps Dodge properties.
 How the percentage raises were al lived at I do not know. The program 1 adopted by the board was handel eo us when we met last Monday.
 refuscd to stand for 1t. I did not pro pose to be dictated to nor to be mer ngurehead nor a tool 0i the Governor When my position was known my res zgnafion was asked for and it wa promptly given. That is the who'll situation and the whole story