The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-29
A QUARTER AN ACRE
rnE PRICE oF SOME WILo LANES
Down Ia til. Third DI.trist-nors Protests Against
Raising the Valuation Made By the Assessor.
i Ia Several COusti.s-L.WI COuAtJ's
Cas-. y Roans aad Boone.

Notwithstanding the decision Of the
BoArd OF Public Works Saturday that they
could not alter the aggregate assessment otthe
State made under the Retaliation Act, they
continue to hear evidence bearing on the
business OF the assessments. in the various
Counties with view TO equAlixing the dif.
ferent sections OF the State. They had an
other long session yesterday, and while the
basis OF their nnal action will necessarily be
changed, the taking Of testimony proceeds rs
before the decision referred TO was arrived At.
Some OF the testimony Given before the
Board is amusing. 1t was stated In relation
10 Webster County that eleven cents m acre
WIS fair average valuation for the unim:
proved lands, and the representatives o.
two other Counties said that wild lands could
be and had been purchased for % cents an
acre In large tracts.
JOKE.
This state Of facts led gentleman who had
heard some OF the testimony OF representa-
tiyes Of counties In the Third Distract TO re.
mark that he contemplated setting aside o
weeks salary and going down and purchasing
the Third District as " speculation. He
thought ~ any other time than when CUES
ton Of assessment was up for consideration
the lands would have something more than Q
nominal value.
This Is not the only joke suggested by the
proceedings OF the Board.
Yesterday the counties OF Lewis, Roant
and Boone had their cases presented TO the
Board, aud TO day the assessment in Tucker
will come up for consideration.
Louis Bennett, E.q,, Prosecuting Attorney
OF Lewis county, and u son OF Hon. ]. M'
Bennett, one Of the largest land owners In
the county, appeared GU behalf OF the ta1
PAYERS OF that county and presented facts
which he thought should influence the Board
| TO let the assessment there 90 unnltered. Il
Is said that the Individual estate OF Hon. j.
NJ. Bennett would be increased by 500 00(
were the Boards first action to, remRin un
altered.
Mr.. Bennett presented one fact to the At.
tention OF the Board which was not ascer
tainable from the returns OF the Assessors Of
his county, and which greatly effects the
average valuation per acre.
DOUBLE AssEssMEsTs.
He stated that there were on the Assessors
books three large tracts OF land assessed al
the nominal value OF so cents per acre
These lands had remained upon the county
assessors books from year To year, and when
the assessor under the Revaluation act CAME
to reassess them he could not find them. He
therefore merely transferred the entries from
the assessors books to his own. Investigation
showed that the metes and bounds given fol
thes' tracts included mary OF the most val
liable farms and some town lots in Weston
long assessed and taxed in the names OF the
owners at fair valuation. This double as
ssssment largely increased the acreage in the
county without proporhonately increasing
the valuation, and therefore materially de
creased the average assessment per acre. He
admitted that on the face Of the assessors
returns the increase heretofore ordered by
the Board was Just and right, but claimed
that these facts altered the case, and that u
anything the lands In the. county were al
ready assessed too high.