The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-03-11

st. Paul uninhabitable or that the
sewage will seriously pollute the wa
tiers of the Mississippi.
The tax commission in it's report
predicts an early exhaustion of the de-
posits of iron in Northern Minnesota,
and it is generally assumed that in
forty or fifty years they will all have
disappeared. This is not Mr.. Cong
don's view, and there are few men
who have greater opportunities for
knowing what the facts really are, in
addressing the tax committee on the
subject of the tonnage tax he said:
81 believe that the visible disap-
pearance of the last ton of ore will be
long deferred, and that known depos-
it's will continue to increase for many
years to come. West of st. Louis and
Itasca counties, where the bulk OF the
mining is now done, there are untold
millions of tons of iron ore that will
presently come into the market, and
from the Mesaba range west to Otter
Tail there will be iron mining in Min
nesota hundred years from now"
Speaking of the tonnage tax, the re-
port of the committee on 1t will be
further delayed until subcommittee
appointed at recent meeting makes
it's report. The purpose of this sub
committee is to investigate the status
of the steel plant the United States
Steel corporation promised to build at
Duluth, to inquire whether if the ad-
valorem system remains in force there
should he a further increase in the.as-
sessed valuation of iron mines, and to
learn whether the iron interests are
making an equitable contribution to
the public revenues. The following
members compose the subcommittee
as appointed by the chairman, Mr..
Dalzell, whose attitude may be assum-
ed from the fact that of its seven
members only one is known to favor a
tonnage tax: L. II. johnson of Min
neapolis, II. o. Bjorge of Lake Park,
Chester A. Congdon of Duluth, d. A.
Stuart of Window, Geo. A. Mackenzie
of GAYLORD, John f. Selb OF St. Paul,
and Henry Rines of Mora.
Mr.. Bjorge declined to serve on the
subcommittee, and Mr.. Bendixen of
Redwood county was selected in his
stead.
The tax committee is. quite evenly
divided between those who favor and
those who oppose the tonnage tax, Mr..
Johnson holding the key to the situ-
alton. He has SO far not committed
himself either way. 1t Is Believed
that if an arrangement can be made
whereby there will be material in
crease in the valuation Of mining
property Mr.. johnson would prefer to
settle the question that way for this
session at least.
A strong lobby has besieged the sem
ate for some weeks past in opposition
to the so-called "full crew" bill which
was in charge of Senator Clague. A
full crew for a railroad train, as pro-
posed III the bill consists of the engi-
neer, fireman, conductor and two
brakemen, except in cases where the
train is made up of more than 60 cars,
when third brakeman must be en-
ployed. According to the terms OF
the bill all trains must be equipped
with full crew. In addition to the
work of the lobby great deal OF pres
sure has been brought to bear on the
senate from outside to defeat the bill,
and in this connection Mr.. Clague
charged the other day that some OF
the names on a telegram sent to Sem
ator Stephens, by trainmen opposing
the bill had been signed to it without
their knowing what the telegram con-
tanned, and that it's contents were
misrepresented to them. In his adj
dress in the house Thursday Mr.. Hill
took the matter up, basing his opposi-
tion to the bill on the requirement
that third brakeman should be EN-
ployed, who, he said, as the braking is
all done from the engine, would be un-
necessary.
While Mr.. Hill in his argument as
sumed that all short trains now carry
a full crew of five men, am assured
that this is not the case, and that
even on some fast Chicago trains run
ming out of the twin cities there is but
single brakeman. However, not
withstanding the opposition, the bill
passed the senate and will probably be
recommended for passage by the rail-
road committee of the house.
Another bill they are having trouble
with in the house railroad committee
is ono rpnuirinu railroads to nav DAM