The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-06-27
RAPID CITY ASSESSMENT.

II - = . AASSASN
! THE CITY COUNCIL AS A BOARD of
4 EQUALIZATION.
They Establish Basis-should til,
County adopt 1t? :.
The city council has been wrestlin,
with the tax question the past week. w,
were unable to attend the first session
or the board, but understand that tax
ing the ground that the assessor lat
placed all personal property at it's full
value, they estimated that at forced
sale, stocks OF goods would not brine
over fifty cents on the dollar, and from
this logic fifty per cent basis was es
tablished.
4 Ii we admit that it was within the
power OF the board to establish a basis
4 has it established a lair one? Can there
be fixed rule in this matter? One man
has an old stock OF goods, much out oil
fashion, and shop worn; another has
but just filled his shelves with a fresh
and new stock. Should both be cut in
two? Will a stock OF groceries or hard
ware depreciate equally with IL stock of
dry goods or clothing? Has q new
wagon, buggy or mower, purchased BY
i our hardware merchants in March de-
preciated one hall by Aprilfirst? Is the
flour stored in our mills only worth one
hall it's first cost? Will green lumber
piled in our. yards depreciate one-half in
seasoning? If the work OF the board
stopped at merchandise it would no be
L 81 1Sfn 1,,,%l IL. 4
basis the banker is made to step onto it
and 10, gold dollar in Rapid City be.
comes only worth fifty cents. The aver
age stock OF goods in the hands of live
merchants will never depreciate fifty per
cent and to reach that conclusion by
imagining them under the hammer Is
going further than the law contemplates.
We have learned OF at least one stock in
the city, the G. o. d., that was gwen in
on the basis OF seventv-five cents on the
dollar, which we believe would be lust
for such a line WHERE THE ACTUAL
AMOUNT OF STOCK is GIVEN. But why
did the council seek to establish q basis?
Why not work on the basis established
by law?
"In order that the provisions of the
constitution and laws may be carried
out, 1T IS absolutely necessary that
/ hiiiIt hlll slJtCltS vi DTODCI-
ty be listed at it's full value"
Sec. s Reads: "All taxable property,
real and personal, shall be listed and
assessed each year in the name OF the
owner thereof, as soon as practicable
on and after the first Monday in May,
including all property owned on the
first day OF April OF that year, and, in
order to make the assessment, such as
SCISSOR shall demand from each person
and firm, and from the president, CASH
Ter, treasurer, or managing agent of each
| corporation, association or company
within his county statement under
oath or affirmation, OF all the real
estate within the county, and personal
property, owned by. claimed, or in the
| use possession, or control OF such per-
son, firm, corporation, association or
company"
Thus the law throws the establishing
| OF a basis on the person or company
assessed. Ii they fail or refuse to make
| and swear to such statement, then it be-
| comes the duty Of the assessor to dis
cover and assess at it's full value all the
property, etc.
! The bankers appeared before the
| board and asked for further reduction
| OF twenty-five per cent, claiming that
the figures given by the merchants did
represent, on an average, over one-hali
the actual stock on hand and that the
| fifty per cent basis was really an assess.
OF only twenty-five cents on the dollar
whereas the bank returns were actual
values that could not he lodged. Bank.
ers are generally sound on figures and
this case was no exception, but right
here is where the board got off the track.
! They should have agreed with the finan-
clers that their returns were on d cash
basis and that every actual dollar re-
turned by a bank or by some individual
as on deposit at bank or invested in
securities shall be assessed on Il basis of
one hundred cents on q dollar. Ii there
is any depreciation in money which an
assessor or board must take into con-
| sideration, the people have not yet
heard OF it. With money scarce at
eighteen to twenty-four per cent would
seem to the average mind that the per
cent received over the legal interest OF
| the state (Which is twelve per cent?
| would make a dollar in the hands of Il
| money loaner III Rapid City today
SLIP instead OF fifty cents as construed
or admitted by the board. If, as the
| bankers claim. merchants have not
given in over one-half their true values
and by cutting their figures in two the
oodiu nave oiuy stGtTcu twenty-five
! cents on a dollar, let the gentlemen
make their complaints and meet the
| difficulty by raising the assessments as
! the law provides, instead OF lowering
actual cash values. Having got off the
| track the work does not stop with the
| banks. A gentleman with $4,000 on
deposit is reduced to 81 900, another
| with 81 900 is reduced to $500. Our
county assessors, who are now in the
cityfinishing their work, attended the
sessions OF the board, are going to
| school, as they put it, and to say they
| were astonished at the doctrines taught
| puts it very mildly. Messrs. Wilson
| and Fouce have made every effort to
! place cash value on personal property
and to find property in town placed at
half value makes them feel that their
honest acts have wronged the people of
the county. The action of the board
on bank deposits puts it in such shape
that a child can see the wrong inflicted
| Our assessors report a number Of cases
(strange as it may seem) where parties
in the country and miners in the Hills
have money on deposit, in every case it
is assessed at one hundred cents on a
dollar, just double the deposit of a
man in town. Mr. Wilson states that
in justice to the people he has assessed
he will ask the county commissioners
to cut his assessment OF personal prop
erty in two, reduce it to the fifty per
cent basis. THE UNION believes this
would be simple justice as the case now
stands and that not only Mr.. Wilson,
but the people OF the Hills and valleys
should in person appear before the
board and demand that there be an
equalization OF personal taxes as be-
tween the city and county. We promise
our readers some interesting facts on
this subject in a later issue.
COMMUNICATED.