The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-02-22

OF the hlgn EcnOOi olStrlctS. we CcuC9AAa
territory OF 279 square miles. nam
tanning two brick and six frame SCHOOLS
with Al instructors and enrolling TINS
year 1850 pupils. The school building
erected during the past ten years COST
$4,000 and Of this s65,OOO are still due
to tho State Of Minnesota on building
'"rht children in the schools represent
over twenty nations, are in great ma ma
jority of foreign birth and the enroll.
ment has been growing a. the t rae 5; Oh
trict practically all of the assessable
village of Hibbing where there is some
and personal property. The town has no
other industry than mining; the timber
has all been removed from the adJacent
Of, the taxes are paid on the mines; II
all of the mining property should De
exempt from the school taxes, as unaer
the proposed law, the schools Of the HID HID.
bling district will have to be closed next
year. Under the conditions that Will rol-
low the proposed law the district will be
meet %heh will w renuae ali the
school revenue. If the board levies the
maximum rate Of school tax we VIII re-
ceive too little to pay the state claims aims
cipal of the debt due the state funds,
ut is the educational and not the
political question that Is alarming rh tre eats
of these mining towns the children OF
nearly 100000 people, mostly foreigners.
who have more than the average eager.
that is fraught with future disgrace and
peril for the entire State Of Minnesota:
At the first OF a series of meetings TO
eens of hf the p ee Sye and such s
as may be necessary to preserve the
schools. 200 people were present and
committees to meet the 5unket1ing. S Sumv
resolutions, to solicit funds for CARRYING
on the work to go to st. Paul were ap-
pointed. The delegation that will 20 70
clude five prominent citizens of Hibbing:
At the meeting 1858 were collected IN
small sums and this has been increased
to nearly $500.
Chisholm Is Wrought UP.
Chisholm. Mimi, Feb.---A defense fund
penses of a committee to go to St Paul
and protest to the legislature against
the passage of the proposed tonnage "a, TAX
which would destroy the schools OF ems,
holm. The excitement that was caused
by the discussion at the mass meeting
on the tax question is somewhat apateu
not exercise it's power to, confiscate the
revenues of this school district by I'M,
posing tonnage tax when II is lnI Sai
Of what the local conditions are. Scnooi
Superintendent Minch is preparing a
statement of the conditions when VIII
show how utterly this district is ue
pendent on the mines Tor the lIialhte .ii
ance of the schools. w. u. Shahe' VII
lage recorder says:
1--WE have nothing to tax but the mines.
The population is almost wholly Ioreisn.
If we lose the revenues from the mines
bankruptcy is sure and anarchy VIII Ioi,
low the closing of the schools. Lfe
would be impossible here without the
schools. We will send a strong delega-
ton to st. Paul and will make such a
showing to the legislature as must avert
this impending evil
The assessed valuation of Chisholm, in
Guiding the mines in the +t village storI u
be valuation of about per cent OF TINS
sum.
Msans Death to Ely.
Ely. MINI, Feb. Following the ap-
pointment of a committee to go to 81.
Paul to protest against return to the
tonnage tax system of securing revenue
for the state from the mines; Scn oot
Superintendent G. l.. Newberry has sent
out an appeal to the state. Mr. NewperrS
says:
ANY attempt to withdraw iron proper
ties from taxation by ordinary methods;
or any attempt to divert monies raised
by taxation on iron prope 1 er rOr me
cannot be regarded as other than SOUND
ing the death-knell of our PUBLIC SCHOOLS
and public Improvements N the great
'In withdrawing the iron mines from
local taxation, or the taxes on iron prop
critics from local use, eight-ninths Of Elys
s sesssd vgpSpoS is is he ety IS S.
252, 129. The assessed value outside OF
the iron properties is $421 al. On this
last named sum would fall the purden OF
AS the amount needed to run the ELY
schools last year was $4,000. a school
tax of IL per cent would be imposed
AS the property could not possibly stand
this tax the schools must close If ton,
mage tax is imposed, and we are deprived
of the revenue from the mines under tne
method of direct taxation. 1t would be
necessary to impose tax of over 2OC
mills for all purposes If the mines were
taken out of the assessment roll, and
such a tax would be cOnfiscatory. Never
before in the history of Minnesota has
a more alarming question arisen. Tie
proposed law will devastate our mining
towns. The measure VIII st Garioa an e
will necessitate the immediate closing OF
the schools in all the range towns"
EveIeth Joins the Protest.
Eveleth, Mimi, Feb. The alarm
expressed by the leading men of Eveleth
at the mass meeting held to take steps
to prevent the enactment of tonnage
tax law is subsiding in the knowledge
that effective action is being taken to
before the people of Minnesota. The
various committees appointed by the
meeting have organized and practically
every. business man is a committee of
one to send out letters to friends through
out the state asking that information as
to effect of tonnage tax be spread. The
Eveleth Business Mems association is
sending out literature showing the local
conditions and the certain and pernicious
effect of such change in the method
of collecting taxes as is proposed.
.'It would be just as fair says Mayor
Jessmore, ito pass a law imposing tax
upon the production of the fields of South
ern Minnesota and take the revenue
for state purpose as to impose this ton
mage tax and take from the communities
here in which the wealth is in the mines,
the sources of their revenue. 1t is a
matter of life. or death with these mining
communities"
The school board is getting actively
into the work of spreading information
as to the actual conditions here, inspired
by the knowledge that its present revenue
of $4,000 for school purposes would be
reduced under tonnage law to about
$40. Mayor Jessmore will head the
delegation to st. Paul.
Itasoa County Would Be Hard Hit
Grand Rapids, Mimi, Feb. Follow
ing the expression of feeling INDUCED in
at the mass meeting held here Monday
night to protest against the passage of
the tonnage tax law Hattie F.. Booth,
county superintendent of schools, has sent
lows wyl.Ia