Com. v. Savage Fire Brick Co.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Com. v. Savage Fire Brick Co., 157 Pa. 512 (Pa. 1893)
27 A. 374; 1893 Pa. LEXIS 1444
Dean, Eiírrti, Mltchell, Reen, Thompson, Williams

Com. v. Savage Fire Brick Co.

Opinion of the Court

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Williams,

The appellant company was incorporated under the provisions of the act of 1863. The purpose of its organization as expressed in the certificate of association was the “ mining of fire clay and the manufacture of fire brick, tiles and other articles made from fire clay.” It entered at once upon the business of manufacturing fire brick and other articles made from fire clay which, or the larger part of which, it mined for its own use from land owned or leased by it. Now whether regard be had to the primary legal organization of this company from which it derives its corporate life, or to the subsequent organization of its business plant, and the line of industry entered upon by it, the same conclusion is reached. This is not a mining company. It is a manufacturing company. As such it is attempting to supply itself with materials by the exercise of powers thought by its projectors to be incidental and ancillary, but the exercise of which the legislature has subjected to taxation.

This case is therefore on all fours with the case of Commonwealth v. Juniata Coke Company [the preceding case], in *516which an opinion has just been filed, and is ruled by it. The capital stock is exempt, except such part of it as is invested in its mining operations, and that is subject to taxation.

The judgment is reversed and record remitted, that the proper judgment may be entered in the court below.

See also the preceding and following cases.

Reference

Cited By
4 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
Taxation — Manufacturing corporation — Mining company — Act of 1889. A corporation organized for the “ mining of fire clay and the manufacture of fire brick, tiles and other articles made from fire clay,” which invests a portion of its capital in mining clay for its own use from land owned or leased by it, is subject to taxation on such portion of its capital so invested; but on the remainder of its capital it is exempt, under the act of June 1, 1889, P. L. 481.