The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-01
MEET TONIGHT To RATIFY OR
Reject WORK OF COMMITTEES,

the subject and acted and came to a
decision Their decision is open to
argument and discussion and now is
the accepted time to stick in your oar
and pull for your welfare and the well
fare of the community in the best and
most united manner possible.
Ely owes the mining interests a
respectful hearing and. chance to
exist The State of Minnesota owes
them more than hat As a source of
ready cash for the state, the three iron
ranges have been a gold mine and the
trust funds of the state, in addition to
general taxes, viii rap further mil
lions providing the industry is not
choked to death in the collection of
these millions.
The industry is the backbone of the
range communities. Should it be-
come SO hot that it would be forced to
seek other less expensive flelds-give a
thought to what would happen to you
and yours? Many of us walked into
town and it is plain to be seen that
should the mines cease to operate, we
would be compelled to walk out again
This may sound pessimistic to the
reader but it is the truth nevertheless.
With the taxes in Michigan at % cents
per ton of iron against the Minnesota
taxes of 10 cents per ton, there is a
differential in favor of Michigan of 45
cents per ton. At this rate Michigan
ores will be in demand long after Min
nesota has closed its works and sought
other fields. This will be the ultimate
outcome just as soon as the better
of ir,r t,o,
expensive to mine and after the open
pits get down to condition where UNI
foreground mining viii become neces-
sity.
Already there are large quantities of
ore being brought into the United
States from foreign countries and last
year reports show there were 5000, 600
tons of steel imported. The ore and
steH is being laid down at eastern sea-
boards cheaper than Minnesota ores
are laid down in the same ports and
made into steel Mining companies are
not philantrophists and If they cannot
make profit ON Minnesota ores they
viii go elsewhere Then there is
Canada That country is developing
iron deposits and the government, it is
understood, is paying so cents ton
bonus on production while this state is
penalizing the finding of new deposits
and causing capital to sflun the OPEN
ing of new mines by the high rate of
taxation
As can be seen by reading the arti-
cleS printed in another place in this
paper taken from the Twin City
papers, they are willing to furnish relief
to the mining companies but want 1t all
taken out of the towns and cities on
the ranges. They feel, as do others n
the southern end of the state, that
the super taxes, the royalty and occu-
patton, are just and true but that the
ad valorem should be cut to thirty
three and one-third. We, in this end
of the state feel that the super-taxes
are dead wrong and that the ad val
orem should remain to furnish sus-
tenance for the range communities, the
counties and the state.
The Twin City press makes the
statement that fut Of LIZ million il
taxes paid by T he mining companies
from 1928 to III the state levies
amount to abo, Il millions. They
then go on to late that 81 million;
were raised ON Il ad valorem basis Of
which 80 millions were spent IN tbs
local units and the state only got g.
100000. As Representative Hitchcock
says in the Hibping Tribune. thess
figures are substantially correct ane
they demonstrate conclusively that thu
state should repeal the royalty and
occupation taxes.
"Of the liz millions In taxes pai(
by the ore industry in the five yea
r,eFiod according In the Twin Cit,
newspaper, Il millions was the state
share from the occupation and royalt,
taxes. In addition. says the Twin
City newspaper, the state received Il
per cent Of the ad valorem taxes or
million dollars. All told the state re
ceived 80 million dollars IN taxes from
the ore industry IN this five year per
iod. Thirty million dollars Is almos
q per cent of the total of taxes pail
by the industry in that i've year period