The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-11-03
Oliver Iron Mining Company Withheld Nearly TlCO
Million Dollars Due Tuesday But Made Pay
ment of S3,5I2,II7.44 Under Protest-Hibbing and
Ely Taxes Paid Amount to $I,8S6SS3.S6
The Pickands, Mather Company Paid Its Taxes in
Full Under Protect Explanations Made BY Elmer
F. Blu for the OIiUer and W. p. Chinn for Pickands
Mather-Other Companies Explain Stand


Tuesday, the Oliver Iron Mining COM
pany paid, under protest, $3,512, 117.44,
which includes 81 J886, 1886 in settle
ments made with range communities.
With the payment, Elmer F. Blu,
general solicitor for the company, an
nounced that contest against what the
company declares is generalization Of
poses will be carried on.
Other mining companies will join in
the contest under the same provisions.
They also paid under protest some of
the taxes due and withheld payment of
the balance.
The payments were made Tuesday by
Mr.. Blu for the Oliver and w. p. Chinn
for Pickands, Mather & Co., and both
Of these issued statements setting forth
the position of their companies in the
matter.
Other companies that paid under
protest include the Republic Steel cor
poration, the Corigan- Mckinney Steel
corporation and the Hannah Ore Min
ing company. ALI paid some and with
held the balance of the tax assess
ments against them.
Accompanying the payments was the
following protest:
'This payment Is made involuntarily
and these taxes are paid under protest
upon the grounds that said taxes and
the valuation of said property upon
which the same are based are unlawful,
unequal and excessive and In violation
of the provisions of the Constitution
Of the State of Minnesota and par
ticularly Article TX, Section l, thereof,
and OF the Constitution of the United
States and particularly the Fourteenth
amendment thereto
The companies In May announced
they would withhold the second half
OF the taxes due Tuesday, but since
then settlements were made with vari-
Gus range municipalities involving sub
stantially reduced leyies and promises
Of cooperative effort to obtain reduc-
tions of mineral valuations for tax
alton purposes, and the lowering of the
per capita limitations.
For this reason the statements dis
close, the companies decided to pay part
Of the second half taxes due under pro-
test, while Withholding the balance, and
continuing plans 10 contest valuations
and taxes levied
OF the 81, 886, 1886 paid through
settlements with range communities,
payments were made in the communi-
ties as follows:
Ely, $3.50, SO; Hibbing, 81 $4,000,
and Town Of Stuntz, which embraces
Hibbdng, $33s, 482.
Mr.. Blu's statement follows:
Announcement was made in May
that the second half of the 1892 taxes
on the st. Louis county mineral prop
erty Of the Oliver Iron Mining COM
pany, due and payable on October 81,
would be withheld and that such taxes
and the valuations upon which the
same were based would be contested
in the courts, upon the ground that such
taxes and valuations are excessive and
Illegal.
Since the making of the announce
ment mentioned, important settlements
have been made with various munich
palities. including the City of Ely and
the Village of Hibbing, involving sub
etantially reduced levies and other
municipal commitments relative to CO.
operative effort in securing reductions
In mineral valuations for taxation pur-
poses and lowering of per capita
limitations. In the municipalities
where such settlements have been made
the mining companies have agreed to
pay the taxes in question: notwith-
standing these settlements, our opinion
Is unchanged that mineral properties
are overvalued for taxation purposes
and that taxes levied thereon are
excessive.
The contest announced, therefore
viii be carried on, and for the purpose
OF making a case typical of mineral
properties as whole, numerous prop
critics located over a wide area. ex-
elusive Of the territory within the
municipalities where settlements have
ben made, have been selected for con-
test.
Such contest will have a bearing
upon all mineral properties in the
county and viii directly affect the cities
OF Eveleth, Fraser and Virginia; the
villages Of Aurora, Biwabik, Bull
Chisholm, Franklin, Gilbert, Kinney
and Mountain IRON, and the towns OF
Balkan, Biwabdk, Fayal, Great Scott
and White. In the municipalities men,
toned taxes aggegating about $4,000
0O0 have been withheld, but some
taxes, IN addition to the first half, have
been paid so that legitimate functions
OF government in these municipalitie.
VIII not be seriously affected and IL
any event no more than necessary"
Mr.. Chinn stated that settlement.
have been made with municipalities.
where the principal properties under
our management subject to the mos
serious tax consideration are located
| DC Goft o.