Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-05-07

any place out in the farming COM
munity. 1 am in possession of 100
acres of land of which 100 acres is
peat bog swamp, and some five or
six acres of what is called hagshack,
the rest is nearly all under cultiva-
ton. Part of this land l bought in
1913 and have been paying my taxes
regular ever since that time. The
eighty acres that l have the build
ings on was virgin soil covered with
brush and stumps at the time when
located here in July of the year 1919
BY my own labor l have cleared all
but two acres of this, that is what
high land there is on that eighty
which would not be more than about
IS acres. On the other eighty that
got on a contract later there were
five acres of cleared land at the time
when l got possession and since then
have cleared UP 10 and half acres
more. Now this leaves me with a
field of fifty acres that is as near as
do know. Well, what l am trying
to tell is this, the reurns from this
ITO acres (Which is partly used as a
pasture) was all told for last year
1898, of this amount $3.50 was re-
ceived for hogs, $3.50 for butterfat
from seven cows. From eggs sold $2S,
from the potatoes of which there were
ten acres planted and also those ten
acres were given the best of cultiva-
ton through the growing season, and
what was there was all picked in the
fall. Yet with this amount of land
planted the actual return from this
crop amounted to the sum of $50. Ten
acres of oats. This corn can not be
counted as a separate income as that
is all feed to the livestock ON the
place, as we'll as the oats which last
year was partly shelled out while
standing in the field, being struck by
that heavy hail storm of last summer.
Now then l received from all sources
of income from this farm $53S. From
this deduct $50 which had to be paid
for feed bought for livestock. Then
on this one eighty there is mortgage
of $500 with interest to be paid at the
rate of seven per cent. That makes
$50 and the livestock carries a mort
gage of $315 at the rate of eight per
cent which will be $500, and this
livestock consisted last year of seven
cows, three heifers and one bull, three
| hogs and three old horses. Of these
| ho n,.fh tnn
dollars, that is, it would be impossible
to sell them even at this low price.
Last winter one of the cows died, her
death being caused by being consti-
pated for which she was given medi-
cine but without result. And one OF
as he was so lame that he could not
walk. Now this is nothing out of the
ordinary as things go in life. But
what 1 am coming to is this, where
is there any justice in this system OF
taxation that we have at present
On this real estate of which l am in
possession, paid last year $91.32 and
on the personal property the tax was
$4.76 which was to be paid the first
of March, but at that time l had not
any income as none of the cows were
milking. Consequently it was not paid.
Well then on the 25th day of April
received a notice from the sheriffs
office with the information that by
then my personal tax was the amount
of $5.24 also a charge of 25 cents for
clerk of courts fees and one dollar
for sheriffs fees, all told $6.49 and it
also stated that if this amount was
not paid within 10 days, l was to re-
ceive a visit from said sheriff, his
duties being to levy against any prop
erty that he may find in my possess
sion. Well it does not hardly seem to
be fair justice in any case like this.
The property that 1 have been paying
these taxes on has never been my
own, and is not now. But have been
repeatedly told that it makes no diff
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