Willmar tribune., 1909-01-13

ward the iron ore. lumber. wheat, flour
and building stone produced by Mime
sofa labor and capital. So heavy is the
eastbound traffic that large percentage
Westbound trip without cargo. The ef-
feet Of this condition is to reduce the
water rate on coal from Lake Erie to
Duluth to about one-third the eastbound
Erie. Thus it has become cheaper to
bring coal to Minnesota coke ovens and
furnaces for conversion of our iron ore
into Minnesota pig iron and steel, than to
ship the ore to the furnaces and rolling
mills Of the lower lakes. This means an
ultimate revolution in the commercial
geography of the iron ore and steel in
over SCOO.O00,0O0 worth OF iron ore TO
eastern ports and furnaces for the profit
Of eastern labor and capital. But now
Of ore worth many times that which in
the past twenty-five years we have
shipped away: Minnesota conversion of
tainties of the near future, therefore,
means the most important revolution Of
the century in the westward progress Of
industrial empire.
When + speak of Northern Minnesota
as undeyeloped, employ only relative
terms: The greatest iron ore industry,
and the greatest white pine lumber in
duStrX aus ;o and ;,i the greatest wheat,growins
tell their own stories of development Like
wise, such cities as Duluth, Two Harbors,
Hibbing' virginia. Cloquet. Grand Rapids,
Fergus Falls. Moorhead, Crookston and
International Falls speak for themselves.
furthermore. already 100000 Industrious
and ,! energetic people. already have made
this northern domain their permanent
abode. among whom are 10000 farmers
and 100000 workingmen:
The subject Of PfritainSs: drainsse is more than
ever q proper one for cOnSi6ara fion
The last two years have been marked
oy the greatest progress In this direction
ever made in a similar period of the his.
tory of the state. In fact because of the
generous and wise policy of the last two
legislatures more miles of state bitches
have been constructed, more water has
| more acres of land reclaimed than in all
! the previous years of our state history.
| Inc experience of the past convinces me
| that wise business policy would demand
! future.
| The total number of acres Of state
land benefited by the construction Of state
as two y fns Is
! in the several bitches, which report also
| shows that 163 1000 acres Of private lands
were were BENEFITED zen The total benefit to the
! No one question for legislative consider
! alton is of wider or more continuous in
terest tfae q,tf to the people than that of taxa
tAOA. "HClC government CXlStS, revenue
| must be raised for the expense Of govern
| ment. The schools must be maintained.
! highways must be improved, the police
| power must be sustained and the various
be met: AS civilization progresses greater
| demands appear to follow and no method
will be devised to entirely relieve the
As set fourth by the 01i Tax commis-
| sion. the taxation Of corporations is not
satisfactorily accomplished under the
| present law. largely because the lists
not harmonize with legal conditions The
enactment of a law providing for a more
mtia5 extended iist lis & of queries is important and
| enforcement of the law
! Railway Taxes.
| If possible a change should be made
IN IN the the present, present lazy SO far as it relates
! laws of the state now provide for the
payment; of aid to the graded schools,
nigh schools, semi-graded schools and
rural schools. to the extent of upwards
of 100000 annually and further provide
! for these payments in October Of each
year. The payments are in advance Of
the appropriatlon on it's way to the state
! treasury. and In consequence necesstate
temporary loans and overdrafts thus
creating. deficiency in the treasury. TO
bridge the period from October. when the
following March, when taxes are avail
able: the treasurer under legislative au-
thority, has been obliged to borrow funds
to meet this emergency. and has been
compelled to pay interest averaging over
, five 90 per cent annually for the past
six years. During the year 1866, the
amount borrowed was $1.715 $50. .OS upon
which the state paid in interest s24,315s15
The next year the loan was $3.50 929. 40
and the interest at 51& per cent was s9.-
729?7: Last year the treasurer borrowed
s916, 1922, the rate being seven CO per
cent, the interest amunt paid bv tha
state being $7,074.27. This condition
could be avoided altogether by amending
the law and requiring corporation gross
earning taxes to be paid semi-annually
| on or before September 1, and March i.
respectively. -
Taxation of Telephone Companies.
Sections 1035-6-7, R. L. 1905 provide
for three per cent gross earnings tax
on all telephone companies doing bust.
ness in the state. The public examiner
reports that with few exceptions the
various telephone companies have been
reporting for taxation purposes the earn
ings originating and terminating within
the state, and have not reported earn
ings on interstate business. Action has
been instituted against one of the COM
panies neglecting to report Interstate
business, and the matter is now pend :
ing In the courts. The decision in the
lower. court was in favor Of the state.
and the company appealed the case to the