The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-03-29

lature, which are Of general interest
TO our readers--one to. tax telegraphs
and sleeping cars, and the other for
the protection Of fish. We consider
both of them excellent laws. Our
fishermen especially ought to read the
one referring to fish. 1t may keep
them out of trouble.
An act declaring tie mode and manner
Of uallnng the property Of telegraph
companies for tdratiOa and Of tdring
sleeping cars.
Sec. l Be it enacted by the Gener-
al Assembly of the State Of Tennessee,
that each telegraph company owning
and operating Telegraph line in this
State shall, by the 1st day of May,
1877, and for every succeeding two
years, make out and file with the
Comptroller of the Treasury, COM
plete schedule of all its property in
the State, real, personal or mixed,
setting forth the number of miles and
fractions thereof of its line or lines in
this State, and in each county and in
corporated town in the State, and also
the number of lines of wire and the
length thereof, and the number OF
poles used and the value of the whole,
and of each part as subdivided herein,
the number of batteries at each Office,
and the gross receipts at Office or sta
ton in the State for the last five years;
and all real, personal Or mixed prop
erty belonging to the company within
this State, not enumerated above,
With its value.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that
the schedule provided for by this Act
shall be passed by the Comptroller to
the Railroad Tax Assessor provided
for by the Act of March 20, 1875,
and the Acts amendatory thereof, and
said Assessors shall value each tele>
graph company, finding first the total
value of its property in the State, and
from this amount shall be deducted
81, 100000, and the amount so found
shall be the sum to be taxed to such
telegraph for State purposes, and the
value. per mile as ascertained, shall
be multiplied by the number of miles
or fractions thereof lying and being in
any county, and the product shall be
the sum or value Of their property
taxable for county purposes, and the
value of said telegraph companies
thus ascertained to he situated in any
Incorporated town shall be the value
or sum taxable for municipal or cor
poration purposes wherein the same
may be situated.
Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, that
the first ten sections of the Act of
March 20, 1875, Chapter rs, defining
the mode and manner of taxing rail
roads, AMI the Acts amendatory
thereof shall apply to the assessment
of telegraph companies; and the duties
imposed, and the powers given to the
Assessor, and the Comptroller, Gov
ernor, Secretary of State, and Treas,
urer, as a Board of Examiners in val
uing railroads and in providing for
taxing them by the State, counties,
and Incorporated towns, and for coli
lecting the taxes assessed against
them, is hereby made to apply to tel
egraph companies, it Icing intended
by this Act to place railroad and
telegraph companies upon the same
footing, and with the same rights,
duties and burdens.
Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, that
the Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of
State and Comptroller of the Treas
ury are hereby empowered and au-
thorized to settle with the telegraph
companies owning property in the
State as aforesaid for the taxes due
the State for the years 1873, 1874,
1875 and 1876 upon the value Of the
property. They are authorized to
make such settlement as to the
amount due the State for those years
as is just and right, and if such settle
ment will not be acceded to by said
companies, they will direct proper
proceedings to collect the same to be
instituted, provided that in such set
tiement said officers shall credit said
telegraph companies with the amount
of privilege taxes paid by them for
the years above mentioned.
Sec. 5. BE it further enacted, that
section s of tie act of December II,
1871, and 20 much of section 46 Of
March %, 1873, declaring telegraph
privilege; and all laws and parts of
laws levying any other tax on tele-
graph companies than an ad valorem
tax, as provided by this Act, he and
the same are hereby repealed.
Sec. 6. BE it further enacted, that
the running and using of sleeping cars
or coaches on railroads in Tennessee
not owned by the railroads upon
which they are run or used, is de-
clared to be a privilege, and the conf
panies owning and running or using
said cars or coaches are required to
report on or Lefore the first day of
May, of each year, to the Comptroller
the number of cars SO used by them
in this State, and they shall be re-
quired to pay to the Comptroller, by
the 1st of July following, $50 for each
and every of said cars or coaches used
or as run over said roads, and if the
said privilege tax herein assessed be
not paid as aforesaid, the Comptroller
shall enforce the collection of the
same by distress warrant.
Sec. Z. Be it further enacted that
this Act take effect from and after lis
passage, the public welfare requiring