Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-01-16
NATURAL RESOURCES AND
PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Minnesota some fifty to Seventy-five
years ago, within the memory of some
of Pine county's citizens, was state
with large eXpanses of virgin forests,
and Pine county was a part of this
great area. By a process of exploita-
ton by selfish numbering interests the
forests of Minnesota were denuded
waste. There was no intelligent
public policy of building up con-
tinual forest program. Immediate
profit by men who made millions of
dollars out of one of the peoples
great natural resources was the sole
ambition of these selfish interests
groups, which by reading the past
history of Minnesota, you will find
controlled many of our public officials
and legislators-men who took Oaths
to protect public interests but were
only pawns who carried out the wish
es of these interests. AS a result
Pine county today stands without one
of its former great natural resources.
If wise and honest policy had been
carried out we would not today have
the delinquent tax problem that we
now have as this land could have been
in the producing column.
Minnesota has another great nat
ural resource-the iron ore-in the
northern part of the state-productiOn
of which is mostly dominated by that
of hn nI
States Steel Corporation. Instead of
developing manufacturing industry
that would be of great benefit to the
whole state and building up northern
Minnesota as great Industrial CEN
ter, the ore is simply scooped out of
the ground in continually greater
quantities with constantly improved
machinery and greatly diminished
man power. and shipped to the east
ern industrial section where they de-
rive the greater benefits. As a place
of good employment for laborers the
Iron Range country is continually
slipping backward for the modern ma
chine methods are displacing the
workers very fast. In the year 1929
more iron ore was mined i'm northern
Minnesota than for many years and
yet the Iron Range country is far
from experiencing any prosperity.
The Minnesota legislature of 1929
and 1923 saw these problems clearly
ives and far-seeing men put on both
the occupational iron ore tax of GO
and a royalty tax.
During the year 1928 the state col
lected through the medium of these
taxes as follows: Occupational iron
ore. $2.466,257; royalty. SS79,S14;
total iron ore tax. 3.346,071 More ore
was mined in 1928 than in 1927 and
thus the state received more tax as
it is more than entitled to.
Since the enactment of the occupa-
tional and royalty taxes in 1921 and
1923, the state tax commission reports
that the state has collected altogether
from the occupational iron ore tax.
S24.356,4 Alb, and from the royalty tax.
S5.476.019. The income from both
taxes amounts 10 SsS,o0s,fo3 vi pTdC-
tically 80 million dollars up to the
year 1929. which year will raise this
amount several more million dollars.
During the last session of the leg
islature, the 1929 session. several
members who were much worried
over the condition of the iron ore in
dustry attempted to have the occupa-
tional iron ore tax reduced from sc
TO 4fo and to wipe out the royalty tax
altogether. depriving the state of
about S1.70O.0O0 according to the 1928
output and a greater amount for 1929
as there was a larger output. This
would have been a splendid gift for
the Oliver Mining Company and Steel
Corporation. Fortunately the bill
failed but the people OF Minnesota
must be on the watch and lookout
that the Steel Corporation is not re-
lieved Of this taxation at the expense
of the Minnesota farmer. small town
business man and householders. II
any tax reduction programs are to be
put over we favor programs that will
benefit the smaller taxpayers. especi-
ally the agricultural population who
feel the pain Of paying the taxes
much more.
We will have more to say on this
and other public issues I'm following