The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-03-08

such perfectly splendid words Is ''fair'
and equitable and so forth. But
when you get your tax notice from the
county treasurer you are plumb sure
there are no such words In the legis-
lative lexicon. The tax laws Of Min
nesota are crazy work quilt; every
legislature rudely tacks on few more
patches. Some Of them scratch like
sin and look like Satan"
Friday, the Minnesota Supreme
Court upheld the 1925 Forestry Act
when it upheld decision Of the dis
trict Court against p. @. Phillips, city
commissioner of Duluth. The dis
trict court held that Phillips was la
BILE for expenses caused In fight
ing a forest fire in 1929. started on a
piece of land owned by Phillips at
French River near Duluth. The SUI
preme court held that the legislature
may make one who starts fire on his
own premises and suffers 1t to spread
to the property OF others, liable for
the resulting damage and for the ex-
pense of extinguishing the fire.
This subject has been q mooted
question in the eyes Of many In the
north country and the higher court
decision sets at rest the status Of the
settler in land clearing and brush
burning matters. Permits for burning
are issued by the forest services Of
both the state and the government. In
order to be safe, 1t will be well to Sc
cure such q permit. A burned over
territory Is not enhancing to the beau
ty of the owners property nor that
of his neighborS. Fires out Of control
do immense damage and travel over
vast territory as witness the one Of q
few years ago which begun at En-
barrass and cleaned up thousands OF
acres. The fire was stopped just be-
fore 1t reached the White Iron farmers
south Of here.
A down-state paper advises those
contemplating the purchase Of q new
car to wait until after the legisla-
ture gets through monkeying with the
road funds. The proposal now Is to
reduce the license fees on cars so per
cent and as one third Of the gas tax
has already been removed from the
trunk highway system and given to
the country districts, the fear Is ex-
pressed that the car owner VIII be
forced to travel over roads with a
wash-board effect. Under this con-
dition 1t is pointed out that 1t might
be a matter of practical economy to
use the old car for another two years
or until the legislature at its next
olrAz &0xfr
landing fields in all communities will
make air travel necessity to replace
the punk roads.
Old age pensions are coming as soon
as death and taxes. And why not? An
authority, in this connection asks the
very pertinent question: IF the rich
est country in the world can't take
care of poor and worn-out old peo-
pie, at least as well as decent man
takes care of an old horse, there Is
something wrong with that richest
country"
The closed bank situation In this
state will come in for an airing at a
public meeting in the House Chamber
at st. Paul on Tuesday evening, March
10. This Is a subject Of more than
ordinary Importance and the meeting
no doubt will be largely attended by
q large part of the 100000 people in
the state who are affected. Depositors
have been hard hit by closed banks in
Minnesota Outside Of one or two
cases where deliberate dishonesty was
shown the majority Of cases were the
result of an attitude Of helpfulness to
the borrower and in which process
considerable frozen assets were &C
cumulated. The meeting will try and
arrive at some method by which the
subsequent management Of closed
banks can be more mutually con-
Quoted.
Natural resources are largely re-
sponsible for Americas rapid rise to
the front rank Of industrial nations
and while the heritage" subject Of
iron ore Is glib morsel to roll from
the tongues Of our Minnesota solons.
how about our heritage" in other
natural resources? We have received
a bulletin from the department Of in
terror relations Of the United States
public lands which says mouthful.
On these lands there still remains an