Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-08-18

OF Governor Plngree the state mas
steadily and consistently put forth
every endeavor to place all classes of
property upon uniform basis for
purposes of taxation and thus insure a
fair distribution of the expenses of the
state government.
Within the last few years the rail
roads, the telegraph, telephone and
express companies have been APP
praised by the state and now pay in
taxes largely in excess of what this
class of property contributed in
former years. There still remains one
class of property to which the state
should next direct its attention with
a view to determining its value for
purposes of taxation, namely, the iron
and copper mines of the Upper Pen
insua.
In the early history of our state
both Ohio and Michigan claimed the
land where Toledo is now situated.
After some controversy we sur
rendered our claim, and in exchange,
the federal government gave us the
Upper Peninsula. At that time the
people Of our state little dreamed of
the hidden wealth in that region.
Since then, however, valuable iron and
copper mines have been discovered
and developed and the Upper Pen
insula has become one OF the import
ant sections OF our state There are
fifteen counties in the Upper PENN
- Il =
the chief industry. Eighty per cent
of the tax paid by the Upper Peninsula
is paid by the seven mining counties
and eighty per cent OF the inhabitants
of that region live in the seven mining
counties.
The counties OF Marquette, Iron,
Dickinson and Gogebic are rich in
iron ore. Since the discovery of iron
in Marquette county in 1874 the Upper
Peninsula has produced more than
225,000,000 tons OF iron ore valued at
more than half million dollars.
The output of the Upper Peninsula
for the year of 1909 was 13,2l9,632
tons and is valued at $3l $4,000.
The mines OF the Upper Peninsula
employ in the neighborhood of forty
thousand men. One company alone
in Houghton county employs about
twelve thousand men. You can get
something of an idea OF the wealth and
power of a great corporation like this,
when you stop TO consider that it sus-
tains a population of about sixty thou
sand people. This company started
with a capitalization of S2,5OOOOO. Out
OF the profits of this investment it has
developed its original property, abb
sorbed number of smaller companies
purchased other valuable copper
mines, built expensive mills, and has
made other permanent improvements
OF great value. In addition to the
profits which have been used to de-
velop the property and extend the
business. this company has paid II
dividends to its stockholders during
the past twenty years, $107, 100000 OF
upwards of S5,000,000 a year on the
original investment of S2,500,00O
This gives you something OF al
/ idea as to the richness of this section
! of the state.
If one OF you gentlemen owned H.;
farm upon which you could make
enough each year to keep up your
place improve your buildings, anC
occasionally step out and buy one Of
your neighbours farms and, over anc
above all this, lay aside each yeai
in profits, an amount equal TO twice
your original investment, l am in
clined TO think that you would be
fairly well satisfied with your farm
/ ing operations.
There is feeling throughout
Michigan. that the iron and copper
mines are not bearing their full share
of the expenses of our state govern
ment. ! am inclined to think that
this feeling has been strengthened IL
no small degree by the fact that many
of the supervisors and assessing
officers throughout the entire mining
region of the Upper Peninsula are
either officers or employees of the min
ing company, SO that in a sense, a
least, the companies i'll such case:
assess their own property and / sus
pect that human nature runs pretty
much the same everywhere. If mar
assesses his own property and knows
that he can continue to do SO yeai
after year, the chances are he viii
not give himself the worst end of th'
bargain.
The important question, in my judg
ment, which the next state admins
tration i'll Michigan will have to face
will be fair and equitable taxation
of our mines. The mining companie
themselves realize that this is true anC
are sending out to the voters of thu
state sixty page pamphlet presenting
their side of the case.
The time has come when, in m,
Judgment, the state should find out 70
itself what our mining counties arr
worth in a scientific way, through tn
medium of an expert appraisal to b.
conducted by the state tax commits
sion and when this has been done, TIL
mines should be placed upon the ta'
roll for both local and state purposes
just like all other classes OF propert.
in the state.