Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1889-02-16
A Communication from the Assessor,

u have concluded TO give to the public
a brief description OF a wr"L'. lnhnr ia
assessing property under the new bill
passed by the last Legislature and
known as the Madison bill, " in order
that land and property owners from
other sections OF our county may be
guided by what has been done and
prepare their assessments so that they
may be as equal and uniform all over
the county as circumstances nay per-
nit. ! find the measure much easier
and simpler 10 cope with than had
first imagined and really but little
more complicated than the old Law,
and having had the valuable assistance
of the author OF the Bill for three days
in fixing a basis Of lands and putting
the measure in operation, | shall have
smooth sailing in the future.
find that our land owners arc dis
posed TO put in their lands n, about
their real value, and at what they
would be willing 10 take for them
were they on the market, and | have
met with but n man who disagreed
with me in regard to the price of lands,
and he thought his lands should aver
age ten dollars and thOughi.lwclve.
! have commenced in Beat /. About
onc.ihird of the lands there belong TO
non-residcnts and those | have heard
from write me TO put in their lands AT
the average price of their neighbors.
Messts. Geo. Tharp, Thos. Dec, and
Jas. S. Madison put in their lands at
The maximum price of SIG per acre aud
Messrs. jill. Jamison, j. A. Rodcn,
Murray Robertson, Jesse Ivy, VIM.
Porter Harris, and several others put
in.lhcir lands ai:the 2ud class valua.
ton, 1913. Their lands are as good as
those at SIG per acre, but have not as
good improvements, which makes the
~,lifferencc:.ot S3:iu price. About one
halt the lands in the Beat are put in al
an average of $40 per acre, 3rd class,
which includes open aud wood land
and some of them comprising one and
two sections. Our member of the
BOARD of Supervisors. Mr.. j.. l.. Cole,
averaged his place at $3.50 all around.
Mcssrs. j. W. Deuprce, l.. W. Madison,
Clay, SnOwden, W. ID. Bell, j. w. Her
ron, Cunningham and others, were as.
sesscd at an average. of ten dollars,
and they all owDI.argc tracts.
We have agreed that all large tracts
of woodland located in the prairie belt
should be assessed at the 4th class,
seven dollars per acac, and some of the
thin post oak and prairie farms are put
in that class. We have also agreed
10 put all timber lands in Bigbcc
swamp in tho 9th class, at four dollars
per acre, and they have been assessed
at those figures as agreed upon BY tho
land owners and myself. There are
no lands in this Beat:that will value
below four dollars per acre, and my
impression is, all the lands in Beat /
will average nine or ten dollars.
find, also, TINT property owners arc
disposed to value their personal prop.
erty at fair value, tho only property
that consider low being cattle, which
arc put in generally at five dollars per
head' and rarely ever ten dollars for
cows, unless they arc improved cattle
or lasgc oxen. Mules and hoascs nm
most oil prairie farms arc assessed n,
from $7b to Sl25, and In some insian
ccs at $3.50, but generally the mules
are put IN Mt 800 all around.
The merchants are putting in ,ho;r
stock Of goods at about cost yaluo and
have already listed some loaned
Meney, good notes &c that were nuite
scarce last year. think, when ,hcv
are completed, our people will be snt.
isfied with the assessments and ,hov
will show a much healthier conait;on
of financial affairs in our country than
has been shown since the war, and |
am confident, from tho capacity of Tho
barns throughout tho district. and tho
quantity OF corn and p~rovcuder in
them, that the people are prepared to
mako = crop at but little expense.
may communicate with you again a,
mako progress with assessments
; Yours &c.
w, w. uorKiys.