The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-04-27
On This
Occasion
Just few thoughts by the Editor on things
Material and Immaterial

a campaign to reduce the burden o
taxes on the mining industry of North
ern Minnesota. 1t is proposed TO or
ganize all the towns and cities on thu
ranges and make a combined effor
to get under the hide OF the coming
legislature with a view to having some
thing done to rectify the present in.
equality existing in the taxation o.
mines, which industry bears the heav'
lest rate of any class of taxable prop
erty in the state. The results are
plainly apparent to the people of the
range communities and Duluth. Elk
ploration of properties has ceased al
together as the finding of iron ore on
any particular property is considered
a calamity and taxation penallzed the
owner to the breaking point. While
no new properties have developed the
older ones were forced out of business
and out of 1872 mines in the county
only 70 are being operated.
w. E. McEwen, editor of the Labor
World at Duluth recently spoke
mouthful through the columns OF ms
excellent newspaper when he said that
taxation was in large part respon-
sible for the slump III labor and the
cities of the ranges. He said: THE
United States Steel Corporation has
been affected the least by heavy taxes
on its iron mines for it has facilities
for distributing the costs over its sew
eral processes of production. 1t is the
little fellow who owns no furnaces or
steel plants, railroads or steamship
lines, who has suffered most from
Minnesota's pyramiding system OF tax
levies on iron ore properties. "A man
of ordinary means who owns lands on
which he may believe there is iron ore
dare not explore for such unless he is
assured in advance that he can dis
pose of it as soon as he discovers a
body of ore. The tax laws have been
SO drawn that they will bankrupt him
before he can complete sale. This
has already happened to several good
men of my own acquaintance.
The larger companies are mining
their best ores and many of them are
looking for new fields outside of Min
nesota for their future supply. The
mines containing lower grades OF iron
ore and those which suffer high oper-
ating costs are being or have been
abandoned The situation grows more.
serious each year, and unless the legis-
lature comes to the rescue of the iron
ore mining industry and gets down to
brass tacks on tax legislation the state
will suffer big losses in its revenue.
However, these are facts: Many mines
are closed; there has been an exodus
of people from the mining districts;
business is at low ebb in every viii
lage and city dependent wholly on the
iron mining industry; many workers
are out of employment; independent
operators are respondent and without
hope and the tax incomes to local,
county and state governments threat
en- to decline with each succeeding
year.
So far the two governments have
garding the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
waterway although progress is being
made. Secretary Kellogg however is
very optimistic regarding the outcome
of the treaty negotiations under way
and thinks that the reports of the
engineers which are due soon will
bring the matter more definitely to a
head. The two governments are going
at the matter in busineSS-like man
ner just as two individuals would
bargain. 1t is being done in friendly
way and an agreement will be the out
come. It means whole lot to both
countries and is of such vast impor-
lance that concessions and treaties
will be necessary by both parties,
If communicate marriage ever be-
comes popular a neighboring exchange
opines that want ads to trade hus-
bands or wives will be in style. We
expect to see something like this:
WILL TRADE dashing, classy, blond
young wife, in my possession only three
months. Has a complete outfit in
good condition. Will trade as part
payment on a Ford, radio or what
have you. Address P. D. c." Or, will
exchange husbands, even, sight unseen.
Will trade a 1915 model, slightly bald
and a good thing to have around the
house, for a 1928 model who dances
divinely, sports chummy roadster
and knows the ropes"
was very particular to keep from the
newspapers their doings The last few
weeks the Khan leaders began bonn
harding the newspapers with reams OF
literature asking them to whitewash
their character under the claim of be-
ing 100 per cent Americans" They
are very unsavory bunch who per-
form under clean white sheets and
pillowcases to mask their black rot
teness. Testimony in the hearings in
Pittsburg went to prove that the lead
ers have gathered in several nice for
tunes from the gullibles and are now
very much adverse to handing any of
it back. While the Khan has virtually
ceased to exist in many of the states,
the leaders are diligently gathering
in the dues. If the suckers" would
discontinue the payment of the very
necessary Ito the leaders, dues, the
incentive for a Khan would be about
as conspicuous as cipher with the
rim removed. "Kleagles", Presidents"
and Secretaries" for the Khan serve
about the same purpose as they do