The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1910-08-26
MIR. KELLEY's SPEECH.

MIX. NELLIE SPEECH.
During the past four years much
progress has been made by our state
along the line of taxation and regula-
ton of public service corporations.
Beginning with the administration of
Governor Pingree, the state has
steadily and consistently put forth
every endeavor TO place all classes of
property upon a uniform basis for pur-
poses 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 eX-
press companies have been appraised
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 prop
erty TO which the state should next
direct its attention with a view TO
determining its value for the purpose
of taxation, namely, the iron and cop
per mines of the Upper Peninsula.
Our Northern Wealth.
In the early history of our state
both Ohio and Michigan claimed the
land where Toledo is now situated.
After some controversy we surren-
dered our claim and in exchange the
federal government gave us the Up
per Peninsula At that time the people
of our state little dreamed of the
hidden wealth in that region. Since
then, however valuable iron and cop
per mines have been discovered and
developed and the Upper Peninsula
has become one of the important Sec
tionS of our state There are fifteen
counties in the upper peninsula, and
in seven of them mining is the chief
industry. Eighty per cent of the tax
paid by the Upper Peninsula is paid
by the seven mining counties and so
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 1914 the Upper
Peninsula has produced more than
225,000,000 tons of iron ore, valued at
more than one-half million dollars.
The output of the Upper Peninsula for
the year 1909 was 1929 $50 tons and
is valued at $31350,OO0.
.. The mines of the Upper Peninsula
Employ in the neighborhood of 10000,
men. One company alone in HoughtOn
county employs about $4,000 men. You
can get something Of an idea OF the
wealth and power of great corpora
ton like this when you stop to con
slider that il sustains population of
about 10000 people. This company
started with a capitalization of 81, 500,-
600. Out of the profits of this invest
ment it has developed its original prop
erty, absorbed a number of smaller
companies, purchased other valuable
copper mines. built expensive mills
and has. made other permanent inn
provements of great value. In addi-
ton TO profits which have been used
10 develop the property and extend
the business, this company has paid in
dividends TO its stockholders during
the past 20 years $107,000,0 600, or up
ward of S5.000000 a year on the orig
inal investment of $1,000, 600.
This gives you something of an idea
as to the richness of this section of
the state.
If one of your gentlemen owned a
farm upon which you could make
enough each year to keep up your
place, improve your buildings and
occasionally step ont and buy one of
your neighbors' farms. and over and
above all this, lay aside each year in
profits an amount equal TO twice your
original investment, | am inclined to
think that you would be fairly we'll
satisfied with your farming operations.
Reviewing the Mines.
There is a feeling throughout Michi-
gan, that the iron and copper mines
are not bearing their full share of the
g toN0
am inclined to think that this feeling
has been strengthened in no small de-
gree by the fact that any Of the super
visors and assessing officers through
out the entire mining region of the
Upper Peninsula are either officers or
employees of the mining company, so
that, in a sense at least, the companies
in such a case assess their own prop
erty, and I suspect that human nature
runs pretty much the same every
where If a man assesses his own
property and knows that he can con
tinue to do so year after year, the
chances are he will not give himself
the worst end of the bargain.
The important question, in my iudg.
ment, which the next state administra-
ton of Michigan will have to face, will
be a fair and equitable taxation OF
our mines. The mining companies
tthemselves realize that this is true and
are sending out TO the voters of the
state a sixty-page pamphlet presenting
their side of the case.
The time has come when. in my
Judgment, the state should find out for
itself what our mining counties are
worth In a scientific way, through the
medium of an expert appraisal 10 be
conducted by the state tax commission
and when this has been done the
mines should be placed upon the tax
roll for both local and state purposes
Just like all other classes OF property
in the state.
Minnesota's Example.
We have splendid example tC
guide us in this great work i'm the
state of Minnesota. Northern Mime
sofa is rich In iron; northern Michigan
is rich in iron and copper. The same
questions arose in Minnesota as ar,
now being considered in Michigan
The state of Minnesota authorized thu
State Tax commission of that state t
make an expert appraisal of the mines
of northern Minnesota. The minini
companies were required to show hoy