The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-10-14
Twenty YEARS AGO
Fake. from The Ely Miner Of
the sGms date in 1901.

Saturday. in St. Paul the state
board OF equalization doubled the
assessment on personal property OF
the mining companies on the Hef-
million and Mesaba ranges. AT tue
time, if Fep0rts from st. Paul are
correct, an attorney of the ore IN
terests declared that the increase
was AN outrage and that 1t wou.a
be contested IN the courts.
II there was any intention TO
fight thefaction of the state board
Of equalization it evidently was
quickly. abandoned for, those thai
are in position to know say the
personal taxes of the mining com-
panies would be paid in accordance
with the increased rate and that
no litigation in the courts would be
started.
- The increase is on the personal
property That embraces the ore
in the Stockpiles and the machinery
Of the mines. By this increase
not more than ten miles are affect
ed.
Many consider the increase ar
injustice and entirely out of pro-
portion, while others consider the
raise just and equitable.
''In past years." says Chester A.
Congdon, the Duluth attorney, "the
assessment on ore in the stockpiles
has ranged from Is to 20 cents a
ton. Last year the Vermilion and
Mes2ba ranges were assessed at
about S250,O00. The st. Louis
county board of commissioners
raised the assessments few weeks
ago to SO cents a ton, and | be
lieye they thought they made a
pretty good raise. Now comes the
increase Of 81 a, ton, a total Of
about $2,4O0,O00, or ten times
the assessment of a. year ago.
eve showed the state board con
tracts for 100000 tons of ore sold
at the mine for 80 cents ton
That, too, was guaranteed ore ano
not mine run. For mine run, the
price is only 81 cents ton. Oul
tax is now ten cents more a tor
than the ore sells for at the mine
l assert that no property in ths
state is assessed as high as the orr
on the stockpiles at the mines. Ii
is the practice to assess persona
property at not to exceed so pc.
cent Of its value. The commission
ers Of this county assessed it just
about what it costs to buy the ore
in the ground, mine it and place
it in stock. The state board, as
said, assesses it for ten cents a tor
more than it brings in the stockpile
There are stockpiles on the
ranges worth 100000, which have
been there from three to five years
The character of the ore makes il
Stunned by the furnace men, yet
it is assessed the same as the best
guaranteed ore.c.=-. >syss-
81 think the. matter will become
satisfactorily adjusted in time Ii
Michigan a few years ago, the iroI
companies had this same expert
ence. The next year. the assess
ments were voluntarily put bacl
to the old figure. ~. ~5,.,ls
"Of course, there is moral il
this for the mining companies, ant
it is not to have any more ore OF
the stockpiles May each yea
than possible"
Mr.. and Mrs. OtIG. Korb anC
son, Hugo, returned Saturday even
ing from their extended visit in the
eastern cities. While away they
visited Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo
New York and other cities and en-
joyed themselves immensely. Mr.
and Mrs. Korb were at Buffalo or
the day Of the assassination OF
President Mckinley and say tbs
tragedy put a damper on the fes.
tivities all around. While away
Mr.. Korb also purchased a hand.
SEINE stock Of new goods for the
"Big Store"
The government has several sur
veying crews out looking up the
swamp lands. Several of the crews
have been at work =: some months
While the real object of the gov
eminent in re-surveying the swamp
lands is not out, the presumption
is that the general land Office
wishes to be in possession of in.
formation regarding the state lands
in connection with the original sur.
vey.
The first touch of winter wa:
experienced Wednesday. when slight
iurries of snow turned the thoughts
to cordwood and coal.
A deal was perfected this week
by which Jas. H. White becomes
the owner Of the Scott corner OF
First avenue and Chapman street
Mrs Chas. Huotari, nee Miss Til
lie WESTERN, of Rock Springs
Wyo., is in the city on visit t
= her mother. Mrs. -Huotari had jus
returned from a three months visit
in Finland and on her way HON,
stopped off in Ely.
x
Mr.. and Mrs. J. A. Graves an,
Mrs. w. B. Goldsworthy left Mon
day morning for Two Harbors an,
Duluth. Mr.. Graves has greatly
improved and went to consult ply
sicisns in regard to his coming op
Grafton for appendicitis.
Tower and Soudan have perfect
ed plans for the erection of !;
monument in memory of the lat,
president. The Monument will b,
built of iron ore and will attain /.
heighth Of about sixteen feet witt
proper inscriptions. The n1onu
ment will occupy a space in tn,
street near the Vermilion hotel ant
will cost nearly sh0O0.
x
Capt. Jas. Hooper Of the Noun
tain Iron mine was killed by thu
cars at the mine Wednesday morn
ing says a dispatch to the Duluth
dailies. He was getting on tn,
front Of an engine but slipped un
der and the train passed over hin,
Mr., Hooper was we'll known on th;,