The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1929-01-02

on, immense holdings were likely to go haywire
any minute.
"The Tax commission showed, too, that with
tax rates of 100000, 800 mills, there was
bound to be serious default, and the reforesta-
ton commission amplified those findings.
"Now comes this disclosure 100000 acres
delinquent.
II EFT analyze the figures. In the nine
II. counties constituting the Arrowhead as
ISOLATION there is delinquent and forfeited
3,717,301 acres. One-half of the delinquency of
the entire state is in these counties
"In the sixteen cutover counties, covered
by the forest tax inquiry, there is delinquent and
forfeited 5,069,784 acres. Three -fourths-77 per
cent-of the area delinquent is in the cutover
country.
in the Red River valley the delinquency
runs to 100000 acres.
In the other 60 counties there remain 1885,
900 acres delinquent and forfeited. Less than
percent of the total is outside the Red River
valley and the cutover country.
"In the agricultural counties of southern
Minnesota, the delinquencies are very small
Ownership is stabilized and farmers are either
immune from reverses or well fortified against
them. In the newer districts of the Red River
valley-not much in Clay or Norman, for ex-
ample-the delinquency is heavier and especially
in Marshall and Roseau, it is complicated by en-
ormous assessments for unremunerative bitches
"In the cutover counties, delinquency for
the most part simply registers the fact that mil
lions of acres which are going to grow trees or
do nothing-are doing nothing. The land yields
no return and pays no taxes
"That was clearly foreshadowed in the ear
lier Investigations and is plainly brought out in
these bald figures. The way to realize taxes is
to put the land to work.
IT HREE of the counties studied in the for
est tax inquiry, Pine, Kanabec and Mile
Laos, were regarded having gone thru
the transition from forest to farming country.
That is true of Kanabec where the delinquency
is 10000 acres and of Mile Laos where it runs
to $4,000; but it will have to be revised as to
Pine county. In Pine county there is delin-
quency of 100000, mostly on the eastern border,
the district which is under consideration for a
forest reserve to protect the headwaters of the
st. Croix. When Nature intends that land shall
raise trees or do nothing, it is no use disputing
Nature This land is Pine county, logged off
many years ago, may be case in point.
Something like that is true in the two
counties on the western edge of the cutover
country, Hubbard with $4,000 acres delinquent
and Clearwater with 100000 To less degree
the same condition is reflected in Todd and Nor
rison, which were not included in the forest tax
inquiry.
"Turn to the Arrowhead, where the princi-
pal delinquency is found St. Louis with 695 600
acres delinquent, and Itasca with 479,OOO in de-
fault, would be in terrible condition except fer
the financial salvation of the mining valuations
"Beltrami, delinquency $4,000 acres; Lake
of the Woods, which adjons the Arrowhead
with 461,000 acres delinquent and Koochiching
with 100000 acres dumped, have no such saliva
ton.
"Aitkin and Cass are struggling with delin-
quencies- Aitkin, $4,000; Cass, 261, 900.
"In Carlton one-fourth the acreage is out of
commission In Lake and Cook and Koochiching
the great area of state and Federal lands, added
to the wide extent of delinquency, thrusts a
heavy burden the tax payers.
IT HE following table shows the number of
acres sold for taxes in the Arrowhead
country but not assigned or sold to an
actual purchaser to August 1, 1928:
County. Acreage