, 1888-08-17
vExED QUESTIONS
For the Consideration of the Ter
ritorial Board.
That Body at d Partial Stand Still
Yesterday.
Something in Regard to Valuation
of Personal Property.

The territorial board OF equalization,
consisting of Governor Moonlight, Audi.
tor Grant and Treasurer Voorhees, con
vened at the capitol again yesterday
morning and were in session for a portion
OF the forenoon at which an adjournment
was had until 10 o'clock this morning.
In the meantime the members of the
board are seeking certain information re-
garding important matters, and for that
purpose addressed a communication to
the board of county commissioners OF
Laramie county regarding the amount Of
property in Converse county and also
asked of the representative Of johnson
county there in the city for information of
a similar character concerning that coun-
ty. Some of the commissioners have not
furnished the board with amended state
ments regarding their property as they
have indicated their purpose of doing,
and some little delay has been occasioned
on that account.
There have been a number of import
ant matters discussed, and the board has
at present some very knotty problems I'M
der advisement, but it can appropriately
be said that nothing definite has as yet
been done, although matters are now in
such shape and several questions have so
nearly matured that it is probable that
to-day's work may take the board nearly
through to where the beginning of the
end may been seen.
The Union Pacific Railway company
has sent in their returns, of course, and
the board has found hat the company
has 1891 miles of main line within the
territory, but in reference to the other
lines that run into and through more thar
one county in the territory the figures
were not available yesterday afternoon as
the board was not in session, but the
Oregon Short Line has less than 100
miles, while the Wyoming Central
Northwestern has about $50 miles or
more. As the Cheyenne & Northern and
the Cheyenne 4 Burlington thus far run
into and through but the single county of
Laramie the board has no jurisdiction
over them, and of course are not called
upon to fix any valuation on any of the
property of these roads.
The board informally agreed upon a val
uation of 50, $40 per mile for roadbeds
along the line of all railroads in the terri
tory, but these figures are subject to re-
vision ana may be changed before final
action is taken.
A question has arisen in the delibera-
tions of the board which is shrouded in
perplexity and doubt. Broadly stated it
IS whether the territorial board of equall-
cation can act as a reviewing board over
the boards Of equalization of the various
counties, but in the specific form in which
this question now arises before the board
comes the question as to whether the
board, sitting as a board OF review, can
raise or lower the valuation of real estate
in the aggregate in each county by in
creasing or diminishing the acreage, or
whether the board may change the yalua-
tions of each class of real estate. as for
instance, town lots, range lands, farm
lands, etc.
Attorney General Donzelman has been
called upon and gave to the board yester-
day a written opinion upon this point, but
as the question is yet undecided and the
whole matter Is as yet being considered
by the board it is not necessary to give
this opinion in full, yet 1t is understood
that the attorney general takes the latter
view of the question.
The board will convene again at 10
o'clock this forenoon and it is expected
that definite action will be taken to-day in
regard to some of the important questions
now under consideration and it is probable
that valuations will be definitely fixed.