The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-04-14
|NQU|S|T|vE TAXPAYER
Still Wants to Know Some Things..Appears
A Little Bit Sore
Ely, Mimi, April 8, 1911.

! Dear Sir:-Several weeks ago
there appeared in the MINER a
rather lengthy communication sign
ed by One of the Payers" in an
swer to the anti-county division
stuff produced by w. J. Olcott,
president of the Oliver Iron Min
ing company, wherein a direct
challenge was issued to discuss the
merits of the trxation argument
put forth, openly, and for the bene-
fit of our populace who are not
familiar with the intricate subject
of taxation as it applies to the COW
or cook stove of the common tax
payer; the automobile of those bet
ter situated or the several million
dollar iron properties of the Steel
people.
Not a yap'' has been heard re-
gard1ng the subject since from
headquarters and in consequence
even the smaller guns of the. cor
poratioa have discussed the affair
in half-hearted manner that led
one: to believe they had been re-
qnested to discreetly eschew dis
et1sSlon at the present time, or
until after the assessor had again
made his rounds in May. While
it must be admitted that the move
to keep quiet is a wise one, it never
the less; remains fact that the sub
iect il, not dead by any means and
far more alive in Ely than the
officials seem to imagine. Every
man who has been compelled to
dig" at the rate of 57.4 is nurs-
ing a desire to find Out where the
fault lies, and why thirty million
dollar proposition appears on the
tax rolls at paltry million and
little over.
In no other town in the county
does the injustice of the local tax
rate stand forth so glaringly as
right here in Ely. 1t is no wonder
people don't invest their money in
homes and buildings to build up
the town. No sooner does anyone
build residence than he at once
becomes the payer of taxes for the
steel corporation by reason of their
being under taxed. Thirty-rnillion
of nice shining U. S. dollars
would not buy the Piorleer and
Zenith mining interests owned by
the Oliver people and yet the asses
sed valuation of these two proper
ties is little over one million or
one thirtieth, or Whereabouts of
actual value while your little 81 900
home is assessed at $3.50, or one
third of actual value.
Quite a difference, don't you
think, between third and thir-
tieth?
It stands to reason you are pay
ing just thirty times as much as the
Pioneer and Zenith and are just
about 800 times less able to pay,
figuring your earring capacity
with the earning power of these
two mines. Also bear in mind
that there is nothing coming back
to you for your 81 4 mills on the
dollar while the mines soak the
other fellow for the taxes when
they sell the ore. Their cost sheet
returns theirs while yours goes to
furnish sidewalks, fire and police
protection, schools. etc., not only
for yourself but also for these Same
mines.
Not content with this, the com
pany maintains one-ffth of the
good residences of the city on their
property and it is supposed these
also go into that general taxation
scheme of theirs. In these res
licences reside their best and high
est priced employees. Their rent
is cheap and expenses light by
reason of easy personal property
taxes or none at all, etc. Their
money is invested in steel stocks
and all have several shares valued
at $50 each for common and $12C
for preferred stocks.
Not single share of any kind
was listed on the books of the as
SCISSOR in this city last year and
everyone knows of everyone else
who has shares of one kind or an
other. 1t is safe to presume that
the stock item alone if properly
listed would amount to a littls
something. The stocks are not
visible assets however, while the
cow and cookstove of the more
humble neighbor is visible and con-
sequently taxable.
4 Then take the location property
\ of the miner on company land
Y The shack he lives in is put on the
list as personal property including
its contents. While the better
paid employee invests in mining
stocks which do not go on the tax
rolls, his poorer neighbor buys a
cow in order to keep his family
alive. On the COW he pays taxes.
See the difference?
| With the COW lie helps educate
his more fortunate neiphbor's