Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-02-23
WOULD CUT
ST. LOUIS SIZE
Range Section Favors Bill
to Set Off North Part
of County.
Auto and Income Tax Bills
Objects of Much Con-
SideratiOn.

BY HJALMAR PETERSEN
Representative From Pine County |
(February 13 to 1S)
The ST. Louis county division bill
is An enabling act which will permit
the northern portion of the county to
be set off as county by itself. Should
the bill be passed by the legislature |
and become law, it will require a
900 ives" vote by those in the pro-
posed new county in order to set OIL
Representative Wangensteen, Nolan
and others from the Iron Range COM
munities who argue for the enabling
act, maintain that 1870 of the tax
raised in St. Louis county annually,
is collected in the northern portion
In the bill is embodied the provision
to continue the S/1Oths mill school
tax for the entire area, even though
it be made into two counties. That
law which is now on the statute books
provides that if 80 mill tax in any
school district of st. Louis county,
does not produce 500 per school child,
the deficiency is made up out OF the
countrywide S/1Oths mill tax. Small
valuation districts of the county in
this way get much aid through the
higher valuation and taxes OF the
iron mines. Duluth and surrounding
vicinity are fighting division of the
county on the grounds that they Will
lose considerable tax money from the
iron mining district but with the
S1Oths mill tax embodied in the en-
abling act that will naturally be OF
much help to the southern portion Of
st. Louis county.
The county as now made up is LA
miles north and south and 60 miles
east and west. If all the counties
of the state were as large as st. Louis.
there would be only Ii instead of 81.
The county has over 200 townships.
or fractional townships-1S0 regular
congressional townships. Proponents
of the bill argue that the Iron Range
country DAYS in SO in county taxes
and gets back So.
Plenty of Orators.
Many members of the legislature
are sort of firing of too much ora
tory on the part of some members.
With a volume of business to be
transacted in the 80 days OF the ses-
sion, it stands to reason that ii bills,
sometimes of minor Importance, are
to be discussed up and down and forth
and back, the business before the
session will not be completed at the
time of adjournment, about April 10th.
Wise legislators who have had some
years of experience in law making are
very careful about overwhelming; as an
example, might be mentioned Rep.
Scailon of Crosby. His voice has
hardly been heard on the floor of the
House to date in this session, but he
is a man who does much thinking,
and as a shrewd law maker does his
work in committees in the early part
of the session. While conservative,
Mr.. Scallon is one of the ablest men
in the Minnesota legislature and
many members could become more eff
fective if they would profit by his ex-
ample. At the proper time, when an
important bill in which he and his
constituents are vitality interested is
up for consideration, his voice will be
heard, and to be sure, it will ring out
clearly, commanding the attention OF
fellow members as he has always done
when he takes the floor.
Now in Conference.
On Tuesday morning, the Senate
voted to make straight 500 cut in
automobile license fees. This hao
lnl NV nfor n
State Mike Holm, before the legisla
ture convened on January Bird, haC
been given much publicity and was
heralded as real economy measure
The House, more concerned abou
general property taxes and realizing
that bonds against the State Highwa!
Department and county reimburse
ment bonds, also to be paid out o
trunk highway funds, must be met
took another view on the subject.
Automobile taxes are much easie
to collect than those of general prop
erty taxes and the House, therefore
by vote of S3 to As, decided to retail
the basic rate of 2.4%o tax on mOto
vehicles. Realizing further the neces
sity of cutting the minimum tax, tn
House placed the minimum licens'
fees for cars weighing under 2.OO'
pounds at So and the minimum OF
cars weighing over 1000 pounds at 50
Differences between the Senate ant
House bills are now being ironed GU
in conference. With So and 81 mini
NUNS. the cut on auto taxes will
benefit those who need it the most
1t was also brought out on the floo
of the House that county commits
sioners from all over the state a
their annual meeting in Minneapoli
a few days previously, had passed