The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-23
Answers Charges Made
by County Auditor
SHOWS WHERE INCREASE is
Taxes Paid to State Are Less
Than Usual
RAISE Is PURELY LOCAL
Gives Figures TO Show Effort to
Blind the Tax
RAISE is PURELY LOCAL

=. q. IVerSOn, state auditor, mas
thrown down the gauntlet to c. ].
Minor, assessor, of Minneapolis. When
Minors charges that the state board of
equalization had Disseminated against
Hennepin county in equaliZing the as
sessment brought groans for the state
board from the members of the Min
neapolis Retailers association at a
banquet, the state auditor yesterday
broke the silence. He quoted figures
to prove that the assessor has gold
bricked Hennepin county taxpayers
into the belief that their large assess
ments are due to the state board. The
auditor contends that the state board
did not add dollar to the county, city
or local taxes of Minneapolis people.
The state boards increases, he says,
affect only the amount which must be
paid to the state.
AS to the Hennepin county increase
of so per cent on household goods the
state auditor shows that this item was
increased in seventy-eight counties of
the state, running from 10 to 200 per
cent. He declares that Hennepin
county was treated as fairly as any
county in the state on this class of
property.
Assessment Lowered
Replying to the criticism of an in
crease of per cent in real property in
Minneapolis, the auditor shows that
the 1904 assessment of real property
in Hennepin county, outside of Min
neapolis, was increased in 1904 $780,
while inside property was decreased
$2,157,631. This was done in spite of
building improvements for the two
years 10000 of $12,39S965. With the
per cent increase, the Minneapolis
real estate valuation of 1904 was $101,-
100000. The decrease, the state official
says, is found in down town business
property and not in outlying property,
and Mr.. Iverson says: "It Is a very
strange proceeding and one hard to
account for by one not familiar with
the inside manipulations."
L Iarge increases are shown in the
assessments of the Minneapolis public
service corporations in an effort to
prove that the little fellow has not
been boosted by the state board in ar
irving at the approximate value of the
taxable property of Hennenin county,
as suggested by Mr.. Minor. Since 1898
Light company has been increased
from 100000 to over $1,00O,00O in 1904
The Minneapolis Street Railway COM
pany was advanced from $9S6,000 in
1898 to over $4,750,0O0 last year.
The state auditor deals a body blow
to Mr.. Minor and his complaint of dis
elimination against his county when
he quotes from the tax records to show
that Hennepin has not kept pace with
the rest of the state in paying the bur-
dens of state government. In 1894, with
a valuation of STAT 1865, 900, the records
show, Mr.. 1verson says that Hennepin
county provided % per cent of the en-
tire taxable value of the state. In 1904
ten years later, with $147979,941 valu-
alton, it produced but IL per cent.
Hennepin county had remained un-
changed, while the rest of the state had
increased $210,O0O,OOO. Applying the
state tax rate, Hennepin paid $780, 900
less taxes last year than it did ten
years ago for state purposes.
Local Taxes Increase
The total taxes of the county have
Increased from $3.S42.514 to s4,62S,954,
a showing that taxpayers of Hennepin
port of local institutions than ten years
ago. Mr.. Iverson grows caustic in his
treatment of the critics of the state
board when he gives Minor the fol-
lowing shot:
''If certain Of the jealous officials of
Minneapolis, and some Of its enter
prising citizens, would turn the lights
inwardly. within their own corporate
limits, they might find the reasons for
the increase of taxes. To blind their
own people by throwing the blame
upon the state board of equalization,
is 10 say the least, unfair and will de-
ceive nobody who takes the trouble to
look into it. The state board of equal
ization believes it has the right under
the law to equalize and adjust the as
sessments of the several classes of
property within city or assessment
district This right is stoutly denied
by those who wish the state board to
keep its hands off local affairs, thus
leaving the. majority of the people at
the mercy of the local assessor"