The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-01-03
Wealth of Minnesota.

census bureau explains some of the re-
cent prosperity phenomena in Mime
sofa.
In value of real estate and improve
ments, for example, Minnesota is worth
81. 024.99 per capita as against the
average of $767.22 for the country al
large. That is to say, the average
man, woman and child in Minnesota
is worth more than the average for the
United States by $257.77 each, or IS
per cent.
Realty values in Minnesota. whether
in farm land or city lots, are low in
comparison with realty. values else
where: and yet the total true value of
real property in Minnesota in 1904
reached 1882, 552, $3.50, as compared
with 81, 457, 295, TIP in 1899, a fve-year
gain of over $500, 100000, or rs per
cent. That is to say, the, gain in real
estate wealth averaged $l0O, 1000, 900 a
year, or $50 year for each of the two
million people of the commonwealth.
The total estimate wealth of Mime
sofa, as arrived at by the. census ex-
perts, was So, 343, 1922, 900, as against
SIS, 5l3, $4,000 in the 1900 census. The
five-year growth in total wealth
reaches $3.50, 00O,0 or $166, 900, 900 a
year. This is getting rich at pretty
rapid gait. It amounts to a 80 per
cent gain in five years, which is two
or three times the average ratio of
population growth in this country.
Certainly: these figures prove that
the Malthusian theory falls down when
applied to Minnesota.
The growth in personal property
wealth is described as follows: Live
stock, 1926, 1853, 900 in 1904, against
S95, 876, 900 five years before, a gain of
about 80 per cent; farm machinery and
implements, S35, 1878, 900 against $780,
100000 manufacturing machinery and
tools, S45, 121, 900 against S37, 953, 900;
gold and silver, S35, 947, 500 against
S333, l65, 900; railroads and equipment,
1856, 1874, 900 against S347, $50, 900; street
railways, shipping, waterworks, and
kindred plants, sl26, 10000 against
$8l, 100000; other personal property
1921, 100000 against S430, 100000.
In connection with the present rail-
way traffic congestion, it is interesting
to note that railway construction and
equipment during the fve-year period
increased Sl19, 1000, 900, or nearly IS per
cent. During the same period the
combined farm and factory equipment
of machinery increased only about
Sl2, 900, or less than 20 per cent.
The marked construction and equip
ment growth indicates plainly that
Minnesota railroads have been fully
abreast of the progress of the state at
large in the expansion of their i'm
provements and facilities for handling
traffic.
1t appears that Minnesota tax Off
rcials, are not altogether successful in
getting property on the, tax-rolls. AS
against the government estimate of
So, 343, 722, 900, as the true value of
Minnesota property, the assessed VAL
uation is only s7,86, 869, 900, or % per
cent. Acre property stands at S1O.O8
per acre as assessed, against $38.2l
per acre as the government estimate of
true value: Still, allowance must be
made for assessed valuation by reason
of the fact that railroad, telephone,
telegraph and express companies in
Minnesota pay taxes on gross earnings
and are not assessed by the direct
method for taxation; and again, be-
cause many kinds of personal prop
erty like gold and legal tenders, stocks
and bonds, notes and mortgages are
not discovered by the assessor.
Great as are the figures of real
wealth reported by the government
bureau, there are two vast resources
which the census enumerators have
missed: One is the immense iron ore
reserve in the Minnesota iron ranges,
which on the basis of actual explora-
tion exceeds 1900, 900, 900 tons, worth
in the ground 81 per ton, and tho Sec
ond is the timber stumpage which has
a definite and known value Of large
proportions. The value of the IRON
ore, timberand water-powers of north
ern Minnesota would swell the gov
eminent wealth estimate of the state
by probably sixty per cent.-Com-
mercial West.
The doctors wanted to perform an
operation for appendicitis on N. P.
Seedler of Wahpeton, N. D. After
taking one bottle of DR.. Adler's
Treatment he says: 81 am able TO
work again and now have no trouble
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