Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-03-13


has given rise. to pernicious system
of valuation as devoid Of manlincss as
it is suicidal in practice. 1t consists
in giving property a fictitious valua-
tion-onc-third one fourth or onc-fifth
its true value. Each Assessor seems
TO imagine that through this chican-
cry his township will escape with a
lille less county tax than bis neigh
bor's. He then makes his return to
the Commissioners and says, "Our peo-
plc are perfectly satisfied with the as.
sessment as it stands, but they will
not be satisfied If you change it'--ut-
terly ignoring the fact that the law
compels tho County Commissioners by
oath and under penalty Of fine to
equaIize and harmonizeifpossib those
] illegal and wild assessments. (At the
last Triennial assessment farms in Bell
township were valued at about their
! full worth, and in Girard at about one.
tenth of their valuc.) The result Of
the attempt Of the Assessors to under
mine each other, is that the County
Commissioners, in equalizing assess
ments, reach a lop acreage for the coan-
lty Thcy are then compelled to lay
an extra mill or two on such low val.
uation in order 10 raise sufficient revc-
nue. TO deiray the expenses of the coun-
ty for the next year This brings the
Assessors Just where they started.
They have mado endless trouble for
themselves, tho Commissioners, collec-
tors and taxpayers, and gained no ad-
vantage after all.
Another difficulty arises in the valu-
alton of unseated lands. Nonresident
owners of land are continually com.
planning that their timber aud coal
lands are taxed higher than farms ad-
Joining, and intimate that the Assess
ors are unjustly discriminating against
them. Whether tins is tr'ne or not |
do not know, hut il appears TO me that
when n land owner will not look at
500, or $3.50 per acre for his coal or
timber lands, he ought not to complain
if 1t Is assessed at twenty or twenty
FIVE dollars per aero, especially as for
the twenty years proceeding the last
iive he paid almost no tax on the same
lands, and il is only simple justice that
he is now called npon 10 pay his due
proportion OF the county taxes. But
the fact his taxes are onerous now to
lelat they rere, causes him to threaten
10 strip the land and then abandon il
TO the county. .,....
There ia just one straight, honest
road out of all this difficulty, and that
n-asscss erGwhing at lis actual value
jus, what the law rcquires--dnd then,
and not until then, ,eW the burden Of tar
alton be borne equally. Tho writer Of
this has long deplored the evils Of the
present system, (or rather lack Of sys-
tenn and in his official capacity used
his influence 10 corrot the wrongs
growing out OF il, and would, if ho had
the power, correct them at once,
IIl.gAre the taxes collected inpar.
tialiy?s J fear not Taxes n sths
counly. are .collected under Il special
act, passed March IL, 1870 which
makes the Treasurer Collector, and
obliges The Constables, under penal.
ty OF fifty dollars, to collect the residue
after the TREASURER has SKINNED the
cream of e.The trouble is that the
Constables are often responsible per-
sons, and either do not collect the
money, or else fail 70 pay IL into the
Treasury when collected, and when
,h, a,,a,o,.ts 20 corca ooiloo