The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-12-16
Tax Assessing IN Kinds County.


i FnTroR CLARION. While we are enjoy
/ ing the privilege of paving our taxes,
and in view Of the feet that our Legisla-
/ ture is soon to meet, / am again con
/ strained To ride an old hobby-the
sebiect Of our land assessments
Before the session Of the Legislature
IN 1883 our lands must be again assessed
i We now have a rel containing all the
corrections Of fon~ years; those whose
lands were assessed to their neighboIs
have been properly changed, and many
lands not assessed at all, by the assessor,
have been added by the sheriff, a time
would develop the fact that they were
not on the roll In fact We have the
result of four years labor of those inter
ested 10 perfect the laad assessment 0!
the county.
The land Roll Of Kinds county,
including the City of Jackson, contains
343 pages, or about $500 asseesments-
fully twice as much as any other county
in the State, and or 10 times as much
as the majority of the counties.
The size Of the Roll the number of
assessments, the amount paid and the
limited time allotted to do this work
reuderes il absolutely impossible for any
man to make a proper assessment OF the
oouaty; for as you know, the assessor Of
Kinds is granted by the law the same
iength of time To make his assessment as
the assessor OF Jones county.
After the Roll has been completed
and filed for correction and equalization
~ the Board Of Supervisors in August,
at which time the Board Is required to
| emain in session six days days, / claim
| that to properly correct and equalize the
| land and personal roll containing in the
aggregate CPS pages, would consume
/ orty instead of SIX days As the case
| now stands, we often have Mr. A, with
| a farm OF $50 acres, paying a tax Of
| 5000, and Mr. b, his adjoining neigh
| Dor, with the same amount of land pay
| ing $40. These arc facts not NEE
faatters Of specal0tjon)
The question Is asked of the collector
| 50 often that the thing has become stale,
| why IS it my taxes Ae double that of
| my neighbors, on the same amount Of
! property p
Many forfeitures to the State occur,
and parties have lost their lands becauee
obey were improperly assessed.
/ The Board, in attempting to equalize,
are forced, for want OF time, to do great
| injustice To some by improperly raising
values, and at the same time doing
injustice to tie State by overlooking
many that should be raised.
! Now, sir, | mold that the man W hos
| business it is, and has been for years, to
| devote his whole time TO this matter of
taxes and assessments owes it To the
county TO give whatever experience he
may have, and make such suggestions as
/ that experience has brought to light.
therefore suggest the following plan to
/ our Senator and members ef the Legisla-
ture:
If they are unable to have a general
/ law passed for the whole State, let them
nave a special law enacted for our
county, requiring the assessor to keep
An Office in connection with that of the
other county offices where he or his
deputy NAV be found at all times.
lhsu make it obligatory upon every per
son before he or she be permitted to
file any deed to land for record with the
| Chancery Clerk, to first go to the asses
sor with said deed, making it the
duty Of the assessor to change the
assessment or ownership, according 10
| the deed upon a record to be by him
! kept, from Which record he shall make a
corrected roll instead of assessing as now,
and that until the endorsement of the
assessor has been SO written upon the
back of the deed. it cannot be placed on
record with the Chancery Clerk. Thus
you see we lay the foundation FOR com
plete abstract of titles in the county, for
on The record so kept by the assessor
could be had, not only the lano, numbers
but the names of seller, and purchaser
date of purchase, and price paid, which
would be of great value to the Board OF
Supervisors in arriving at correct values
in every neighborhood
Some OF our best lawyers claim, thai
one-third the deeds to land in the ccun
ty are incorrect. OF course the plan
/ suggest would remedy this evil at tbs
} outset, before any damage could b,
: done.
These are merely outlines OF plar
; arrived at from an experience of abou
f, eleven years in these matters, and
trust some Of ouEKgal friends will TAX
them into careful consideration ans
frame 4 law that Viii meet the neees
( sites of the tax payers of the county.
l.. +. CHlLEs.