Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1919-10-03
! TONNAGE TAX ), SOME DAY.

not few people IN the mining districts
who favor a tonnage tax, although
! some believe that the right system Of
distribution has not, as yet been
thought out, as well as the manner in
which the tax should be handled. An
interesting editorial by w. E. McEwen
on the matter is printed in the columns
of the Duluth Labor World, as follows:
For the second time the legislature
of Minnesota has passed a tonnage tax
bill and for the second time it has been
vetoed by a governor. But will it al
ways be 500 Will there always be q
governor to stand Between the people
Of this section Of the state and leg
islature, the majority of which is un-
friendly to it? a.
The people of northeastern Minneso-
ia might as well make up their minds
to the fact that sooner or later there
will be tonnage tax law in this state,
and it is the duty of those Of US who
are not identified wit the mining in
forests to see to it hat such q law
when it shall have been enacted, not
only fully protects this section, but 1t
shall provide for the protection OF the
people coming after US.
The chief argument advanced for
the enactment Of tonnage tax iaW>ls
that the product of the mines is being
taken from the state and it never can
be replaced. It's advocates hold that
the people are entitled to greater pro-
portion in taxes from iron property than
from farm lands and city property BE-
cause the mines are exhaustible while
other property will always be source
of revenue. They propose super tax
on producing iron mines as penalty
to mine owners, for some day, they hold,
there will be no ore to tax. The mon
ey derived from this super tax is to be
used to pay the running expenses OF
the state government, and as a result
there will be a general reduction IN
state taxes on all other property.
It is true that the mines are exhaust
ible. Some day there will be nothing
left on the iron ranges but great holes
in the ground, and immense hills OF rock
and earth stripped from the tops of
open pits. A city may remain here
and there drawing it's support from the
dotted fertile spots in the north coun'
try, but that will be all. Then what is
to become of northeastern Minnesota,
and then too, what will happen to the
state when it must cease to depend up
on the taxes from iron ore and iron
lands to carry on government?
If the argument that because mines
are exhautsible a super tax should be
levied against their products is sound
then by the same token the people OF
coming generations are entitled to a
goodly portion Of the money derived
from such super tax.
By all the rules of right the Mime
sofa iron deposits should be the com.
mon heritage of the people, for those
who have been here, for those who are
here and for those who are coming. Our
national and state governments in times
past, as they are doing today, have
decided away to private interests this
wealth of the people. Some Of it is
dribbling back. A little leaks out tc
small owners and operators. Most OF
it, however, is building enormous fol
a few men who master the destinies of
millions Of other men and women.
Unless the government shall decide
to reclaim these vast mineral lands by
nationalizing them, it has but the 9th
er alternative of taxation, and they
should be taxed for government reven'
ue purposes as all other property is
taxed. But a tonnage tax on top of an
advalorum tax should not be levied ia
pay the current expenses Of govern
ment. The government which levies
such a tax is short sighted. It is sell
fish, and shows little regard for the
people, who are to inhabit the state af-
ter we are gone.
We believe in a tonnage tax and we
believe in altering somewhat the pres.
ent theory of levying taxes for govern.
ment purposes when dealing with the
exhaustible resources of the state. The
people should be given an opportunity
to vote on an amendment to the consti-
tuition permitting the legislature to
create permanent iron ore investment
fund into which every penny collected
from a tonnage tax SHAH be deposited.
Not one dollar of the principal amount
OF this fund shall ever be expended for
any purpose, but it shall be invested in
school, municipal, county, state and
government bonds, and the interest to
be derived therefrom shall be used in
part to pay current expenses of govern
ment and in part to rehabilitate the
waste lands in the state by the build
ing Of roads, reforestry, drainage and
other means of permanent public i'm
provement.
Such method and such tax would
create a fund that. in time would f.
nance the government of Minnesota for
ever, and the people of coming genera
lions would In measure have saved
for them their share Of heritage Of
which they are now being robbed
If more forest ght and wisdom were
used in determining this vexed question
out Of it would come a law that would
rebound to the credit Of the people Of
this day for ages to come.
Now comes the boiler inspector, who
according to a law recently passed, is
to inspect your low pressure boiler at
So a throw, and license the engineer or
fireman at from So to So, according to
grade. Boilers in residences are ex=
empt. We presume residence boilers
are made Of much safer material and
that the authors Of the law took it for
granted that the persons taking care of
the furnaces in the residences were pro-
vided with diplomas from some CORES
pOndence school, or something of that