The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-08-15
Officials Say Timber Will Not Be
Bought and Local Mill Will Close
After 1914 Cut.
SCHOOL FUNDS DIMINISHED
Benlidji Board Members State That
$4,000 Decrease Will Seriously
Hamper Work

With their personal property as
sessment raised close to sixty per
cent, bringing it from $248,800 to
1887 200, the Crookston Lumber
company has served notice on the
business interests Of Bemidji that it
will hurry its saving and that with
out doubt the mill will cease run
ming after 1914. It has further an
nounced that negotiations with the
Weyerhauser interests, whereby the
Crookston Lumber company would
buy the Weyerhauser timber in this
section of Minnesota, have been call
ed off. The company attorneys have
been notified to fight the increase to
the last ditch and the prospects now
are that the entire matter will be
tied up in the courts for four or five
years.
The stand of the Crookston Lum-
Der company was taken after the
county board of equalization had
raised it's personal property assess
ment nearly sixty per cent over the
figures returned by the regular as
SCISSOR; it was taken after the COM
pany had shown the commissioners
that it was already assessed out OF
proportion to any other company in
the county; it was taken after the
board raised the Crookston people
only without attempting to make
general raise on all the interests Of
the county.
When the board of equalization
adjourned last week, it was after
several days of meetings during
which time the commissioners heard
all parties wishing to protest against
the increases in assessments propOs-
ed by the supervising assessors. With
but few exceptions these protests
were disregarded and the board
practically raised the assessments to
the supervisors figures.
At the time of adjournment, the
board had not yet finished it's work
and will again meet on Monday of
next week A movement was start
ed yesterday to bring pressure to
bear on the board members to either
reduce the assessment of the Crook
ston Lumber company to a basis
which is equitable with the other
companies doing business in the
county or else raise all companies
the sixty per cent added to the
Crookston assessment
Officials of the Crookston Lumber
company when approached on the
subject did not have a friendly feel
ing for the county board One OF
them said: ''The Crookston Lumber
company last year paid more money
into the Beltrami county treasury
than any other company in the state
with mill this size paid into the
county where its mill is located W.
not only did that, but we did it glad
ly. But when the county tries tt
raise our already heavy taxes sixty
per cent, it is time to call a halt. W.
won't pay it until the matter ha:
been fought through the courts
I'm the meantime, the county viii
not only lose the use of the none,
but will be put to the expense O.
fighting the case also. This com
pany has not always paid on the has
is Of fifty per cent of it's actual ply
steal property, I admit, but we hav,
paid bigger proportion of the fift,
per cent than any other lumber com
pany. We have paid taxes on an as
sessment of eighty per cent of tn
amount of insurance we have held.
Timber Deal Off.
For some time past, the Crooksto1
Lumber company has been negotiat
ing with the Pine Tree Lumber com
pany, of Little Falls, a Weyerhause
interest," for the purchase of tina
company's timber in this part of tn
state. Crookston officials say tina
by rushing work in the woods AM
the mill, the company can cut all 0