The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-02-13
MINE TAXES ARE
93.7 Of TOTAL.
FIGURES OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY
SHOW THE TAX VALUES
OF THE MINES.

Taxes levied on mining property
in st. Louis County, Minnesota, for
1924, payable in 1925, amount to
520,39S.35, this being an aver
age rate of GIG mills against valu-
ahon of $268,254,955. Mining COM
pany valuation amounted to 1884,
Per cent of the total valuation OF
the county. Real estate valuations
were somswhat higher than last
year, personal property valuations
slightly lower. The, toUal valuation
of the mining companies property
was about S4,u00,0OO above that OIL
last year. The average tax rate was
lower, giving a decrease in taxes OF
some 100000.
The taxes paid on mining proper
ties for 1924, figured against an
approximate output of z3,550,OOO
tons for the county, amounts to ~
cents per ton as compared with 30
cents In 1923 and 70 cents in 1922.
The figures show that in every
important mining district the min
ing companies carry almost the en-
tire load of taxes. In the villages
practically 100 per cent. In Nir-
ginia the mining companies share Is
as low as IT'S per cent, and Aurora
has dropped below 80 per cent foI
: the first time. In some of the rel
atively unimportant districts the per-
centage is lower-this is because the
tonnage of ore remaining has been
greatly reduced.
The highest tax rate is at the vii
lage of Mesaba with 209.8 mills.
The lowest is at Fraser with 1916
mills. Although the average rate is
61.6 mills most of the villages and
towns are much higher than that
figure. The low rate of Hibbing
and the Town of Stuntz where is
contained "A per cent of the min
eral valuation of the county ac-
counted in large measure for the
lower average.
Localities showing higher tax
rates in 1924 than in 1928 are Ely,
Eveleth, Aurora, Chisholm and Gill
bert. Those showing decrease in
clude Virginia, Hibbing an Stuntz.
The highest rates of the important
districts in 1924 are at Gilbert with
I04.7 mills, Buhl with 1904 mills
and Ely with 1908 mills.
1t is of interest to note decrease
in valuation of nearly every mining
district from 1923 to 1924. The
largest decreases occurred at Ely,
Eveleth, Aurora, Biwabik, Bull,
Chisholm, Franklin and Balkan. At
Virginia some increase of valuation
70 ch xxyhf1 Oh
Stuntz is shown an increase of APP
proximately $7,000,000, accounting
for all of the increase in the county.
The lower tax rates in this district
also account for the decrease in
total taxes of the county. The
share of the mining companies in
Hibbing and Stuntz amounts to So
261 ,894.94 in 1924 as against &c.
800, 330.67 in 1923. The increase
in Hibbing's valuation comes large
ly in the raise in value of the
Townsite 40 and the adjoining lot
where stripping has recently been
begun. Increases in the district
bring the valuation of the Hibbing
School district Qnd. No. 27) up ito
$126,828,899 as compared with
$119,583,244. The mineral valua-
ton amounted to 95.5 per cent of
this total in 1923, the Oliver Iron
Mining Company being credited with
57.3 Ven cent and Pickands Mather
& Co. with 22.5 per cent.
The foregoing tables are worthy
of considerable study by all taxpay-
ers in localities containing mineral
land. While in certain district there
are occasional increases in valuations
from year to year, this is due prin-
cipally to the placing of idle mines
on the active list. There is very