Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-02-23
so NETTING ABOUT STATE VALUA-
TON. N


portant matter-more significant than has
been dreamed of in our careless philoso-
ply of years gone by-and it may be par
donable if it is deemed best to say some
good natured things to the powers that
be; and pray "all those that are in au-
thority," as good churchmen say, to con-
slider the following things:
The law under which the present Com
mission acts contemplated appointments
long before the day specified for meeting
(Which was itself month too late, at
leasD. Instead of appointments made
early. that conference might determine
some method of notification to hurry up
returns, they were delayed SO that owing
to REORGANIZATION, &c, this Board was
not at work until long after the prescribed
day, and then they found only about one
fifth of the books in, and these in the most
unsatisfactory shape. AS an indication OF
the way they thencefoHh struggled along,
it is remarked that the last returns secured
were only sent here since the Legisla-
ture met, while sixty plantations are hope
lessly given over to hardness OF heart
And such returns! Not even the Oriental
dreamer who related his experiences in
the Chance-W orld, saw stranger whims or
more incongruous methods. The blanks,
while they were excellent in some regards,
were found too elaborate for many local
tiles, and the result was they were not fol-
lowed out, and thus were got taste of
the quality of a vast number of assessors
who seemed to have only one purpose in
common to seem to comply with the re-
quirements without making very near
approach to it. And, therefore, the re-
turns, many of which came only after
prolonged epistolary warfare. very often
proved of little helps towards getting at
facts in direct and natural way. More
than $500 in clerk hire might have
been saved if there had been uniform sys-
tenn of making returns, to say nothing
about a common basis Of valuing proper
ty. Every item of property of every class
and kind. had to be picked out of con-
fused mass. scarcely one town having
given count of the number Of any kind
of property. and it was only by the most
patient and exhaustive process that tables
of averages were prepared at all.
And still another troublesome and I'M
pardonable default. Except in very few
instances was it found that exemptions
either by poles or estates were noted, and
to get at the former required more than
two weeks work of one clerk. Had these
exemptions been disregarded, the result
would have shown falling off in polls
the last ten years throughout the State.
1t was not uncommon to find from fifty to
ninety exemptions in country towns. and
yet they could only be got at by the clos
est scrutiny, involving an examination of
all the names 1t seems to have escaped
the notice of everybody that exemptions
"for town purposes" were not exemptions
for all purposes. And when, in addition
to these poll exemptions, it is remembered
how fashionable it has become not to tax
new manufacturing establishments, and to
say as little about it as possible, can read
ily be guessed how difficult it is to assess
State tax that knows no such privileges.
Another lack Of proper appliances is
very apparent where the wild lands come
to be considered. Legislation is sadly
needed in regard to this important matter
of making a decadol valuation, and not
in one particular, but in almost all. Let
me suggest some things:
All returns should be upon the market
value, and no other. This is notorious
and no other can be known or cared about;
and it is fact that in every case where
any other basis has been attempted, it
has been found sadly out of gear, and led
to the saddest confusion. Why not enact
that property should be returned, for all
purposes, at its market value, at the time.
And these returns should be made accord
ing to common plan, and if it cannot be
done otherwise let the State provide blanks
to start the system. While we are talk
ing about uniformity" let us not forget
this application OF it. elf we could nave
articles of property counted and footedup
in proper classification, and the values
put upon q common basis, it would re-
quire less than half the time and expense
made necessary now.
From beginning to end it is hard and
thankless task to do such work as this with
the means at hand. Not even the expe-
rience of one commission seems ever to
have been saved and made available for
the next. The Legislature has re-enacted
very imperfect law, and taken little
pains to learn its defect, so very small at
tention having been paid to it. that. but
for an accidental discovery at the last mo-
ment. and timely resolve, the commits